AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -- A failed play at the end of the

first half made all the difference for Brigham Young.

John Beck hit Todd Watkins on a 70-yard touchdown pass on the

second play of the third quarter and threw three more touchdown

passes in the half, helping BYU overcome a sluggish start and beat

Air Force 41-24 on Saturday.

"What I thought was the turning point was the third-and-long

just before the half," BYU coach Gary Crowton said. "We did not

get it, but there was a play where we had Todd Watkins open. I saw

that play and we kind of changed our plan a little bit based on how

they were playing defense. To me, that was the play."

BYU (4-4, 3-1 Mountain West) struggled through most of the first

half, managing a field goal on its first possession and not much

else. After seeing Watkins blow through Air Force's defense at the

end of the second quarter, Crowton tweaked his offense to include

more plays deep and down the middle.

It worked.

BYU had three touchdowns and a 222-49 advantage in total yards

in the third quarter, turning a seven-point deficit into a 24-10

lead. BYU kept it going in the fourth quarter, scoring 38 points in

the half and finishing with 527 yards.

Dennis Pitta blocked a punt and caught two touchdown passes,

Watkins had six catches for 153 yards, and Curtis Brown ran for 128

yards in the Cougars' third win in four games.

"I felt like we came out flat in the first half," Pitta said.

"We came out sluggish, but we turned it around in the second

half."

Air Force (3-4, 2-2) seemed out of sorts coming off its bye

week.

The Falcons couldn't get much going with their option -- 213

yards on 47 carries -- didn't give quarterback Shaun Carney much

time to throw and allowed a touchdown off a blocked punt for the

third time in two games. Air Force also was uncharacteristically

undisciplined, finishing with nine penalties for 70 yards and

numerous miscues on pitches and passes.

The Falcons did score twice in the fourth quarter, including

Darnell Stephens' second TD run, but couldn't get closer than 10

points.

"We're still looking for that complete game," Air Force coach

Fisher DeBerry said. "We've played seven games now and we have not

had a game yet where I feel we've played a complete game yet of

four quarters of our best football."

Beck had something to do with it this time.

The sophomore shook off a difficult first half, hitting Watkins

on a 70-yarder 33 seconds into the third quarter. Beck followed

with a 38-yard pass to fullback Naufahu Tahi on the next drive,

setting up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pitta on a screen.

Beck also tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Austin Collie on

the first play of the fourth quarter to put BYU up 31-10. He

finished 20-for-31 for 319 yards.

"I wish I could have come out a little better at the start,"

Beck said. "Sometimes I come out a little bit antsy, but then I

settled down and I felt like I was in my groove."

Air Force followed Collie's touchdown with a 26-yard touchdown

pass from Carney to Greg Kirkwood just 34 seconds later, but that

only cut the lead to 31-17 because of yet another miscue by punter

Donny Heaton.

Heaton had two punts blocked and four others that went less than

20 yards last week against New Mexico. He didn't have any trouble

with four kicks in the first half, but dropped a snap late in the

third quarter. Pitta moved in for the block -- BYU's first in 12

years -- and Gary Lovely ran it in eight yards for a touchdown that

put the Cougars up 24-10.

"We had some breakdowns in the kicking game that concern me a

great deal," DeBerry said.

It was a surprising turnaround after the way BYU started.

Beck seemed off-kilter in the early going, repeatedly sailing

passes over and behind his receivers. He overthrew Collie on what

would have been a touchdown on BYU's second drive and his first

pass of the second quarter was thrown behind Daniel Coats, leading

to Bobby Giannini's interception at the Cougars 29.

Air Force, after managing just 50 yards on 18 plays in the first

quarter, capitalized on the next play when Stephens took off left

and cut back across the field for a 29-yard touchdown run.

The Cougars had another mistake three plays later, when Brown

fumbled a handoff from Beck and Air Force's Nate Terrazone

recovered at the BYU 36. That set up Michael Greenaway's 48-yard

field goal that put the Falcons up 10-3.

"I felt like we were playing too nervous, too tight (in the

first half)," Crowton said. "The plays were there, the

opportunities were there, but little things hurt us. I think with

confidence those things will go away and I think our team gained a

little confidence."