Off to their best start ever at 20-3 and rated 13th in the USA Today/ ESPN Coaches poll, the Falcons were looking at an immediate future that seemed as limitless as the Wild Blue Yonder.

Their trek to San Diego figured to be nothing more than a routine stopover. Given the roll that they'd been riding, it looked like a foregone conclusion that the airmen from Colorado Springs would strafe the hometown Aztecs of SDSU and move on to their next target.

From all the indicators, this appeared to be a classic case of a mission-soon-to-be-accomplished. No turbulence seemed on the horizon. For the Falcons, the forecast called for nothing but clear skies ahead.

But between the time they touched down and they moment they left San Diego air space, it went all wrong for the flyboys. Maybe they got distracted by the SDSU coeds or perhaps they weren't accustomed to functioning at such low altitude but whatever befell them, the Falcons got their wings clipped and that's putting it mildly.

On the court, they got dusted. They were shot down. They crashed and burned.

On the scoreboard, it was even worse. The Falcons got thoroughly pasted 62-41. Whippings don't come any more severe unless you're taken to the woodshed.

The Falcons hardly resembled the team that got a rave review in a recent Sports Illustrated issue. In that article, Air Force was lauded for its' discipline, its' marksmanship from long-distance and for a perceptible upgrade in its' athleticism.

But based upon their performance last Tuesday, that SI story smacked not only hyperbole but blatantly false advertising. These Falcons couldn't shoot, hardly looked athletic and the only real discipline they displayed was in continually making mistakes.

About the only thing Air Force did right all night was to look impressively erect during the National Anthem. After that it was all downhill.

It took them nearly six minutes to get on the scoreboard and that came on a free-throw. Their vaunted 3-point shooting totally deserted them ( 3 of 19 ). If they weren't clanking the rim with their bricks from downtown, then they were putting up what seemed to be an endless stream of air-balls.

They were crushed on the boards ( 35 to 23 ) and looked lethargic and slow as if they were suffering from jet lag.

Their passing was sloppy and their defense was more porous than tenacious. Overall, Air Force had more breakdowns than you'd see in a mental ward.

In short, it was an atrocious effort. Supposed military might had shown itself to be nothing more than hoop lite. In many ways, it was an embarrassing outing.

Now some of the Falcon malaise can be attributed to a fired-up Aztec squad. Knowing their season hung in the balance because of a mediocre 4 and 4  Mountain West Conference record, San Diego State brought a tangible intensity to bear right from the opening tap.

Their defense was particularly suffocating, as SDSU deflected numerous passes, boxed out with precision and vigorously challenged every Falcon player who drove the lane.

I later heard from an anonymous source close to State's  program that the Aztecs were supremely confident that after some intense film study, they could foresee exactly what the Falcons were about to run on the offensive end.

And what happened on the court certainly seemed to speak to that fact. It did appear as if State was anticipating virtually everything that evolved out of Air Force's motion offense. To all the world, it looked like the Aztecs had turned into veritable mind-readers.

State also got a superb performance from 6-10 senior Mohamed Abukar. The 229- pound forward was a presence throughout.

When he wasn't making a nifty move down low, he was clogging the lane underneath. When he wasn't stroking it from the perimeter, he was reeking havoc on the glass by following up a miss with a pretty put-back.

He was omnipresent and at times, dominant. Air Force simply had no answer for him.  To a great extent, Abukar was the one who sent the Falcons into their death spin. And the end result was a sacrifice as grotesque as those depicted in the movie "Apocalypto."

For a team that had scored 78 or more points in nearly half their games, totally a paltry 41 versus the Aztecs amounted to shooting  blanks for the Falcons. The reputed deadeyes from Colorado resembled a collection of  Cyclops'. They missed more often than Pee Wee Herman would trying to score at Hooter's.

To say the least, the cadets misfired. They were way off target. They shot far a field . If this was an indication of what these guys might do once they get into a cockpit, the safest place to be is wherever they're aiming. Mr. Magoo would pose more of a threat.

Air Force's offensive ineptitude was evidenced by the fact that their top scorer, guard Andrew Henke tallied but 11 points, most of which came when the game was long decided.

Worse yet, when push came to shove, the Falcons looked harried. On many possessions, their celebrated discipline evaporated. Unraveling as the game wore on, they rushed and hurried. They were no longer Air Force. They had morphed into Air Forced!

Whether their disastrous foray into San Diego proves to be an anomaly or not remains to be seen.  But you don't produce a stinker of this magnitude without raising some serious red flags.

Air Force now has to be questioned on multiple fronts. And it's become quite apparent that any active and athletic club will pose immense problems for the cadets, particularly come NCAA Tournament time.

Versus the Aztecs, the Falcons were clearly grounded. That got caged. In fact, they never left the runway.  

What remains to be seen is can they fly once more? Will they again soar or will they flameout without ever reaching the high altitude they experienced before taking their  fateful trip to the outpost of  San Diego?