WEST POINT, N.Y. — After just three plays from scrimmage, Army had Air Force where it seldom has in the recent past — behind.

Then Falcons kicker Ryan Harrison took over.

Harrison made field goals from 20, 29 and 48 yards and was solid on eight punts as the Falcons overcame a 47-yard Army touchdown pass 78 seconds into the game and beat the Black Knights, 16-7, yesterday for their fourth straight victory.

"I had a hunch coming in it was gonna be exactly like this," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. "You didn't think there would be a whole lot of points scored. The last five games they have had a bunch of low-scoring games. They fought their guts out, our guys did, too."

Harrison is 19 for 21 on the season on field goals to tie a school record for most in a season set by Dave Lawson in 1974 and matched by David Adams in 2000.

"Those kind of kicks are what you live for," said Harrison, who also drew a roughing-the-kicker penalty late in the game and admitted he embellished it with some acting. "I don't know if it was worth 15 yards."

It was the sixth straight win at Michie Stadium for the Falcons (7-2) and their 10th win in 11 games against Army (3-6). Not only did the loss give archrival Navy a clear shot at capturing the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy outright for the sixth straight time, it spoiled the final home game for 44 Army seniors.

"I didn't envision a loss," senior linebacker Frank Scappaticci said. "It's sad that it's ending a chapter in my life, and it's something very important to me. Right now, all I'm thinking about is feeling a little disappointed about the game."

Navy can clinch the trophy by beating Army on Dec. 6.

Air Force's four scoring drives totaled 93 yards (24, 34, 32 and 3) and their average starting field position was their own 42.

MORE I-A INDEPENDENTS

Navy 33, Temple 27: The host Midshipmen (6-3) rallied from a 20-point deficit in the final 14 minutes, then used a 1-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Ricky Dobbs in overtime to defeat the Owls (3-6).

Pittsburgh 36, Notre Dame 33: After Brandon Walker was wide left on a 38-yard field goal attempt in the fourth overtime, Conor Lee kicked a 22-yard field goal to lift the visiting Panthers (6-2) over the Irish (5-3).

ACC

Miami 24, Virginia 17: Jacory Harris threw a tying touchdown pass in the final minute of regulation and another one in overtime before the visiting Hurricanes (6-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) forced a fumble on the Cavaliers' (5-4, 3-2) first play to hang on to the victory.

Clemson 27, Boston College 21: C.J. Spiller caught six passes for 105 yards — the most for a running back in school history — and set up another touchdown with a 57-yard scamper to lead the visiting Tigers (4-4, 2-3 ACC) over the Eagles (5-3, 2-3).

Wake Forest 33, Duke 30: Shane Popham kicked a 28-yard field goal in overtime, and Alphonso Smith intercepted Thaddeus Lewis' last pass near the goal line to seal the host Demon Deacons' (5-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) victory over the Blue Devils (4-4, 1-3).

BIG EAST

West Virginia 35, Connecticut 13: Pat White scored on runs of 24 and 36 yards, and threw for another to help the Mountaineers (6-2, 3-0 Big East) snap the Huskies' (6-3, 2-2) 11-game home winning streak by scoring three touchdowns in the final 6:13 of the third quarter.

Syracuse 28, Louisville 21: Da'Mon Merkerson caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for a 14-7 halftime lead, and Antwon Bailey made it 21-7 in the third period with a 39-yard scoring run as the host Orange (2-6, 1-3 Big East) upset the Cardinals (5-3, 1-2).

BIG TEN

Purdue 48, Michigan 42: Justin Siller passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in his first career start, and after a catch, Greg Orton lateraled to Desmond Tardy, who ran 26 yards for a TD with 26 seconds left as the Boilermakers (3-6, 1-4 Big Ten) beat the Wolverines (2-7, 1-4).

Central Michigan 37, Indiana 34: Backup quarterback Brian Brunner threw for a school-record 485 yards and four touchdowns, then ran 1 yard for the go-ahead score with 8:52 left to play as the visiting Chippewas (7-2) beat the Hoosiers (3-6) in a non-conference game.

Illinois 27, Iowa 24: Matt Eller kicked a 46-yard field goal with 24 seconds left, and the host Illini (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) sacked Hawkeye (5-4, 2-3) quarterback Ricky Stanzi six times, scoring a touchdown on one of them when defensive back Dere Hicks forced a fumble, scooped up the ball and ran it in for a 24-9 lead in the third quarter.

BIG 12

Kansas 52, Kansas State 21: Jake Sharp had 257 total yards and tied a school record with four touchdowns, and the host Jayhawks (6-3, 3-2 Big 12) had a season-best 280 yards rushing to overwhelm the Wildcats (4-5, 1-4) in the 106th meeting between the instate rivals.

Texas A&M 24, Colorado 17: Jerrod Johnson threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter and Trent Hunter intercepted two passes in the fourth as the host Aggies (4-5, 2-3 Big 12) rallied from a 10-3 halftime deficit to beat the Buffaloes (4-5, 1-4).

CONFERENCE USA

Southern Mississippi 70, UAB 14: Austin Davis scored five rushing touchdowns and threw for another score to lead the host Golden Eagles, (3-6, 2-4 Conference USA) to their 10th straight victory over the Blazers (2-7, 1-4).

Rice 49, UTEP 44: Chase Clement threw for 372 yards and accounted for six touchdowns, and the host Owls (6-3, 5-1) matched their best conference record in nearly a half-century with a victory over the Miners (3-5, 3-2).

MID-AMERICAN

Western Michigan 31, Eastern Michigan 10: Tim Hiller topped 300 passing yards for the fourth consecutive game with 339 yards and three touchdowns as the host Broncos (7-2, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) handed the Eagles (2-8, 1-5), their fourth straight loss.

Bowling Green 45, Kent State 30: Tyler Sheehan threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and the host Falcons (4-5, 2-3 Mid-American) jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead, then held off a second-half surge by the Golden Flashes (2-7, 1-4).

MOUNTAIN WEST

Wyoming 35, San Diego State 10: Devin Moore ran for 234 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 35, 3 and 2 yards as the host Cowboys (3-6, 1-5 Mountain West Conference) broke a five-game losing streak with a rout of the Aztecs 1-8, 0-5).

SEC

Mississippi 17, Auburn 7: Jevan Snead threw two touchdown passes, Cordera Eason rushed for 104 yards and the host Rebels (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) capitalized on a series of fourth-quarter mistakes by the Tigers (4-5, 2-4) to move within a game of bowl eligibility.

Kentucky 14, Mississippi State 13: Randall Cobb passed for one touchdown and rushed for another, and the visiting Wildcats (6-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) blocked an extra point early in the fourth quarter to beat the Bulldogs (3-6, 1-4).

South Carolina 27, Tennessee 6: Freshman Stephen Garcia passed for 139 yards and two touchdowns before a third-quarter knee injury sent him to the sidelines as the host Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3 SEC) routed the Volunteers (3-6, 1-5).

SUN BELT

Louisiana-Lafayette 49, Florida International 20: Tyrell Fenroy scored three touchdowns and surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the fourth consecutive season as the host Ragin' Cajuns (5-3, 4-0 Sun Belt) built a 35-14 halftime lead in rolling past the Golden Panthers (3-5, 2-2).

North Texas 51, Western Kentucky 40: Giovanni Vizza threw four touchdown passes and Cam Montgomery rushed for 131 yards and a score to lead the visiting Mean Green (1-8, 1-4) over the Hilltoppers (2-7, 0-2).

Louisiana-Monroe 31, Troy 30: Trey Revell capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive by throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to J.J. McCoy with 34 seconds left to lift the host Warhawks (3-6, 2-3) over the Trojans (5-3, 4-1).