COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Nick Gill's journey to carry on a legacy of Colgate Football came full circle here Saturday.
 
Colgate's senior wide receiver caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to put the Raiders (0-2) on the board late in the third quarter of a 48-7 loss to Air Force of the FBS Mountain West Conference.
 
Gill's father, Brad, Colgate Class of '84, played for the Raiders in 1982 and 1983 under head coach Fred Dunlap. Brad Gill died in 2014.
 
So it was quite the moment for Nick Gill and a nice tribute to his father when he scored his first collegiate touchdown at Falcon Stadium.
 
"It was nice to have everything thing come full circle and a great feeling to score my first college touchdown," Gill said. "I've worked really hard, put the time in with the quarterbacks in spring and summer. I'm happy it paid off."
 
Gill's mother, Sheila, was in attendance Saturday to witness her son's accomplishment. She has followed Nick's football progress closely, from a freshman season at Amherst to a transfer to Colgate, where both parents went to college, to his promotion into the starting lineup.
 
"I knew there were going to be growing pains, learning a whole new offense and playing behind great receivers," Gill said. "But I learned from them and was able to take some of the things they taught me and work it into my craft every day."
 
Air Force scored 28 points in the second quarter to take a 35-0 lead into halftime. It was 48-0 before Colgate erased the zero from its side of the scoreboard on Grant Breneman's TD pass to Gill with nine seconds left in the third quarter.
 
Colgate's touchdown kept the Falcons from shutting out a third straight FCS opponent in their season opener. Air Force blanked VMI 62-0 two years ago and Stony Brook 38-0 last year at Falcon Stadium.
 
Bottom Line
• Air Force 48, No. 13 Colgate 7

From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (On the game) "We didn't handle their offense or defense very well. To turn it over on the first drive and then to not get points when we did put a drive together – those hurt. When we didn't tie it at seven or at least make it 7-3, that took a lot out of us.
 
"We are a pretty young football team and we played like it. Air Force beat us in every facet."
 
(On the Air Force rushing game) "When you play them, you know what they're going to do and you know what you're going to see. We probably weren't as assignment-sound as we were supposed to be. We played Army last year, so it's not like we hadn't seen it at all. But we couldn't stop them on the inside or out. Combine that with putting our defense on the field too much and that's probably the expected result."
 
(On Nick Gill's progress) "It's a great story and I'm happy for Nick. It was good to get that one drive and finish in the end zone; get something positive out of this. That receiver group, it's still only their second game and we'll keep getting better there."
 
• Colgate senior wide receiver Nick Gill: (On the offense) "These aren't the outcomes we are looking for but we're coming together as a unit. As the season progresses, we'll be able to put it together."
 
Stats of the Game
• Air Force in the first half outgained Colgate 233-64. All 233 Falcon yards were on the ground.
• The lone Air Force pass attempt in the game was a 41-yard completion from Isaiah Sanders to Geraud Sanders that set up the first Falcon TD of the second half.
• Blane Briggs and Milton Braasch II led all tacklers with nine apiece. Both were personal career highs.
• Braasch also forced a fumble that Colin Troup recovered, and he added one tackle for loss.
• Hayden Howren contributed a TFL among his three tackles.
• Abu Daramy-Swaray blocked an Air Force PAT attempt in the third quarter.
• Gill led the Raiders with three receptions, accounting for 25 yards.
• Colgate's second-quarter blues continued Saturday. One week after Villanova put 27 on the board in the second quarter of the opener, Air Force scored 28 en route to a 35-0 halftime lead.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• This game marked the seventh straight year Colgate played an FBS opponent. It began with a trip to Air Force back on Aug. 31, 2013, followed by trips to Ball State (2014), Navy (2015), Syracuse (2016), Buffalo (2017) and Army (2018).
• The Raiders play at Western Michigan and Syracuse next season.
• Announced attendance Saturday at Falcon Stadium was 33,101.
• That's the largest crowd to see at Colgate football game since 2010, when the Raiders played at Syracuse and 38,068 were on hand.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is off next week and then travels to William & Mary for a Sept. 14 kickoff
• The Raiders blanked the Tribe 23-0 last year, also in Williamsburg.
• The game kicks off at 6 p.m. FloSports is carrying the livestream, and the cost is $29.99 for a monthly subscription (annual rate is $149.99). There is no one-game option.