FORT COLLINS – Air Force left Colorado State sprawled on the canvas, scoring a rivalry knockout that will stand indefinitely.

Using a punishing running game powered by a pair of quarterbacks and timely efficiency in the passing game, the Falcons took out the Rams 42-21 on Friday afternoon. Several seniors ran to CSU’s sideline immediately after time expired to retrieve the Ram-Falcon Trophy and begin its transit to what might now be a permanent home at the academy.

Air Force finishes 5-0 all-time at Canvas Stadium as the series will now go dormant with the programs splitting to different conferences without plans to play again.

“Falcon Stadium North,” quipped quarterback Josh Johnson, who threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another.

For the Rams (2-10, 1-7 Mountain West), who will play in the Pac-12 beginning next season, this was the first 10-loss season since 1988. The team hired UConn’s Jim Mora Jr. as its new head coach early this week and will now enter what figures to be a transformative offseason after finishing with six consecutive losses.

For Air Force (4-8, 3-5), the lopsided win provided a reason to smile at the close of a season filled with frustrations that included three three-point losses.

“To be able to win our last game was just monumental for our team,” said tight end Bruin Fleischmann, who caught a pair of touchdowns. “To kind of get that bad taste out of mouth from what the season held. But on top of it, just go out with a win, especially a rivalry game like this. We’re all pretty excited about it. You can feel the energy. It’s exactly how I wanted it to go.”

The Falcons jumped out front from the start. The first series saw them convert two fourth downs – one on a 5-yard run from Terrence Gist on a fake punt, the other a 55-yard touchdown pass to Fleischmann.

Then Colorado native Jackson Adams made three plays on defense (two tackles and a batted pass) to get the Rams quickly off the field.

Air Force scored again, staking a 14-0 lead that allowed it to play its style throughout. The Rams never had the ball trailing by fewer than 14 points starting with their second possession.

“Throughout the year there just haven’t been too many times when we’ve been playing with a lead,” coach Troy Calhoun said. “That’s a team deal.”

The Falcons dominated time of possession 40:47 to 19:13, outrushed the Rams 316 to 12 and effectively used Johnson and Kemper Hodges at quarterback, subbing based on situations.

Johnson completed 4-of-4 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns while adding 22 rushing yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown.

Hodges ran 14 times for 87 yards and a touchdown.

“We knew coming in we were going to utilize both of them,” Calhoun said. “They were exceptional throughout the week pulling for each other and giving each other tips here or there. They handled it exceptionally well today.”

Added Johnson of his larger counterpart at the position, the converted fullback Hodges, “I’m 180 pounds, he’s 240. That’s a big difference when you get between the tackles with those big guys.”

Fullback Owen Allen added 107 rushing yards and a touchdown for Air Force.

Colorado State quarterback Jackson Brousseau completed 28-of-37 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. He was thought to be lost for the season after a leg injury two weeks ago but was able to return after Darius Curry was suspended for spitting on a Boise State player.

“I think he showed how much he cared about his teammates,” Colorado State interim coach Tyson Summers said of Brousseau. “Again, a lot of guys could have said, ‘Hey, I don’t know if I can do this, I’m not sure, this isn’t the best thing for my career, I could hurt it worse.’ I mean, and he just kept coming out there trying to figure out how he was going to get better, and I think he probably played his best game today.

The Falcons finished 3-3 following a 1-5 start to the season and the defense, which gave up an average of 45.4 points during a five-game losing streak, surrendered just 20.7 per game over the final six.

“I’ll tell you, I really commend our guys – our players and our coaches,” Calhoun said. “Like I told them, each day, just tremendous work ethic throughout the entire season, which tells you something deeper that they have inside of them.”