Zac Larrier has stood atop the podium as a Mountain West champion. Three times.

The three wins he’s earned as Air Force’s quarterback? Even better.

“Football’s the greatest game you can play,” said Larrier, whose track accolades include the 200-meter conference championship in the 2021 outdoor season and 2022 indoor season as well as an outdoor 4x400 relay title in 2021. “Anyone who’s played it, I think they’d all say the same thing. People go crazy for football. A football win is unbelievable. Track’s a great sport, but winning a conference championship; nowhere near one win in a football game.”

Larrier’s continued growth was evident on Saturday, not just by his own numbers – 3-of-4 passing for 84 yards, 10 carries for 56 yards – but by the team’s performance and what he didn’t do.

He didn’t fumble, after twice putting it on the turf a week earlier in a win at Sam Houston and once in an opening blowout of Robert Morris. Air Force

recovered all three fumbles.

But the measure of an Air Force quarterback is the efficiency with which the offense operates, and there were times during a 39-21 victory over Utah State on Friday night when the Falcons were operating at a high level in each aspect of their attack.

The opening 12-play drive included 10 runs from the fullbacks. It also included a seven-yard pass from Larrier to Dane Kinamon on a third down and a 21-yard run on the edge from John Lee Eldridge III.

After that first drive, the first half turned into a masterclass of operating the triple option. At halftime the Falcons led Utah State – a team that had beaten them twice in a row – by the score of 32-7 and the team had 95 yards from its fullbacks, 84 yards in the air, 55 yards on quarterback runs and 43 yards from its tailbacks and slot receivers.

“The standard’s always been there from the jump and each week we’re going out there trying to meet it,” Larrier said. “We have certain metrics that we’re trying to meet, and the biggest metric is a win, and I’m glad we met that one tonight.”

Through three games, Larrier has completed 6-of-10 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown. He has rushed 43 times for 220 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.

One thing Larrier has yet to show is that breakaway speed. His longest run on Friday went for 21 yards, and his season-best is 26 yards.

He doesn’t seem too concerned, after all, his team is 3-0 for the first time since 2016.

“People want to see it from me,” he said of an opportunity to bust a big run. “I’m just going to keep rolling. I took care of the ball. That’s what matters.”