Air Force Academy, Colo. » Air Force linebacker Andre Morris Jr. didn't lead the team in tackles, didn't have any sacks, and didn't really turn in any spectacular plays.

Still, he may have made the biggest impact of all in Air Force's 35-7 win over Army on Saturday.

Morris motivated his teammates with a halftime rant inside the locker room, lighting a desperately needed fire under the Falcons. Dominated by an amped-up Army team in the first half, Air Force was a different squad after intermission.

The Falcons (6-4, 4-2 Mountain West) scored on four of their five second-half possessions to turn a close contest into a rout as the team became bowl eligible for the third straight year under coach Troy Calhoun.

Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson contemplated recounting the specifics of Morris' fiery speech, but thought better of it.

The message wasn't exactly rated-PG.

"I really can't repeat most of the things he said," Jefferson said. "He got things going, and I credit him a lot."

So did Calhoun. The Falcons were flat before Morris pumped them up.

"Sometimes you can say too much, but probably the biggest adjustment we made was attitude," Calhoun said. "To play well in one of these games, you've got to be at an optimal pitch, and I thought that we played with a little more edge, were a little bit sharper and were a different football team in the second half."

The Black Knights (3-6) had no answers over the final 30 minutes as they dropped their third straight. They had just 98 yards of offense in the second half after controlling Air Force to open the contest.

"We were outcoached, no doubt about it," Army coach Rich Ellerson explained. "We got outplayed, we got outhit."

Before the game, the Air Force Academy held a moment of silence in honor of the shooting victims at Fort Hood. The flags on the campus also were lowered to half mast.