Following a hard-fought 33-27 victory over Air Force, Niumatalolo didn't have the energy to consider the ramifications.

"I've got no emotion right now. I'm out of gas, just happy to come out of this one with a win," he said.

Navy's sixth straight victory over Air Force assured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy would not return to Colorado Springs for the first time since 2002. The Midshipmen can capture the coveted trophy for the sixth consecutive year by beating Army in the regular-season finale.

Navy (4-2) needed every bit of its experience and resourcefulness to escape Falcon Stadium with a narrow victory. Air Force dominated the statistical battle, out-gaining the visitors 411 to 244 and totaling 20 first downs to 13. However, the Midshipmen made more game-changing plays - scoring two touchdowns off blocked punts, coming up with two crucial fourth-down stops and holding the Falcons to six points on three trips inside the 10-yard line.

"It's tough to swallow because we had our chances," said linebacker Ken Lamendola, who led Air Force with a career-high 14 tackles.

Niumatalolo said afterward that Navy "got lucky," but one suspects he was merely being gracious. He applauded the performance of Air Force (3-2), which is much better than expected this season after graduating 14 starters.

However, Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun scoffed at the suggestion luck was involved and said Navy earned the victory by playing a better brand of football.

"It just came down to the fact we didn't play well enough to win. We were prepared to play, but Navy just played better. It's that simple," Calhoun said.

Perhaps the most important sequence of the game came when Air Force had first-and-goal at the Navy 7-yard line and an opportunity to take a 17-10 lead midway through the second quarter. Tailback Savier Stephens appeared to score a touchdown, but a replay review determined he was downed before extending the ball over the goal line.

Calhoun elected to go for it on fourth and one, but his play call was questionable. Instead of having powerful fullback Todd Newell (team-high 50 yards) pound it up the gut, Calhoun called for a sweep with wide receiver Ty Paffett taking a pitch some five yards behind the line of scrimmage. It was a slow-developing play and the Navy defense reacted well, swarming Paffett for a 1-yard loss.

"We've got to be able to punch it in from there. We've just got to," a frustrated Calhoun said afterward.

Another key sequence came late in the fourth quarter with Navy clinging to a 23-20 lead. Air Force drove to the visitors 37-yard line and faced fourth-and-three. Calhoun again decided to go for it and quarterback Shea Smith appeared to convert the first down on a keeper. However, replay review once again helped Navy as it discovered that Smith's knee hit the ground one yard shy of the first down marker.

Navy had better luck on its lone fourth-down conversion attempt. It came after fullback Eric Kettani recovered an onside kick with 2:33 remaining. A big defensive stop would have given Air Force the ball back with plenty of time to mount a game-winning touchdown drive. It almost happened as the Midshipmen were forced into a fourth-and-one situation.

Niumatalolo gambled and went for it instead of trying to pin Air Force deep in its own territory with a pooch punt. Kettani, the bruising 6-foot-1, 243-pound senior, got the call and dove over the top for the first down that clinched victory with 55 seconds remaining.

"I wanted it to be in our hands," Niumatalolo said of the crucial fourth-down call. "I wanted to finish the game right there. I didn't want to give them the ball back."

It was Navy's 12th consecutive victory over a service academy opponent, tying the all-time record set by Air Force from 1997-2002. Niumatalolo became the first Navy head coach to win his first game against a service academy opponent since George Welsh in 1973. Gary Tranquill, Elliott Uzelac, George Chaump, Charlie Weatherbie and even the revered Paul Johnson lost their initial meetings with Air Force.

About the only down side to the big win was the performance of the offense, which struggled to move the ball consistently and fumbled four times. The Midshipmen managed just one offensive touchdown and their two longest drives of the game (62 and 53 yards) resulted in field goals by Matt Harmon.

Navy entered the game ranked second nationally with 335 yards rushing per game. With starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada watching from the sideline with a strained hamstring, the Midshipmen managed only 206 yards rushing on Saturday. Backup quarterback Jarod Bryant had an up-and-down game, rushing for a team-high 101 yards but committing three fumbles.

Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper appeared to totally abandon the read element of Navy's vaunted triple-option offense as almost all the plays were designed. Navy slot backs got just seven carries while Shun White, who entered the contest as the country's fourth-leading rusher, was held to five yards on three carries.