DeMarco Murray scored three touchdowns and No. 9 Oklahoma held off a feisty Air Force team for a 27-24 victory on Saturday.

Ryan Broyles had 10 catches for 116 yards and Jimmy Stevens kicked a pair of field goals for Oklahoma (3-0), which was able to avoid a letdown following a convincing 47-17 victory over Florida State last week.

The Falcons (2-1), who entered with the nation’s top rushing attack (423 yards per game), gashed the Sooners for 350 yards on the ground and nearly pulled off the big upset.

Jared Tew ran for 98 yards on 22 carries and quarterback Tim Jefferson added 95 yards for Air Force, which nearly rallied from a 17-point deficit.

The Falcons trailed, 27-10, after three quarters, but Kyle Halderman’s 15-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 27-24 with 3:39 remaining.

However, the Falcons’ defense couldn’t come up with a stop and Oklahoma was able to run out the clock behind Murray, who ran for 108 yards on 26 carries.

The Sooners broke a 10-10 deadlock with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. Murray’s 5-yard touchdown run gave the Sooners a 17-10 lead just 31 seconds after Jefferson tied with a 38-yard TD run.

Stevens booted a 41-yard field goal and Murray hauled in a 17-yard touchdown from Landry Jones to make it 27-10 with 1:27 left in the third.