The drama was still there in the final minutes of Air Force’s football struggle against Florida Atlantic.

Of course it was. Drama is the norm with these Falcons.

Air Force’s football team is struggling after losing four of five Football Bowl Subdivision games, but the Falcons seldom can be accused of inspiring boredom.

In just about every way, Florida Atlantic’s Owls dominated the Falcons, romping to 525 yards and 25 first downs and jumping to a 13-0 and 33-20 leads.

Still, in the final minute, the Falcons had a chance to win. It was an unlikely chance. It was a chance handed to them partially by strange decisions by Florida Atlantic’s coaching staff.

But it was a chance handed to the Falcons mostly by a courageous blocked punt by Garrett Kauppila.

Last season against San Diego State, Kauppila blocked a punt.

And suffered a broken collarbone.

On Saturday in Boca Raton, Kauppila was instructed to ride into peril and block another punt. He answered the call, blazingly aware of the risk, and set up an easy touchdown by teammate Lakota Wills that cut Florida Atlantic’s lead to 33-27.

After recovering an onside kick, the Falcons had a chance to steal — and steal is the right word — a road victory. An Isaiah Sanders interception ended the rally.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun was smiling in the sunshine at practice this week as he thought back to the block.

“It’s no different than a good pilot,” Calhoun said of Kauppila’s willingness to again risk injury. “Sometimes you’re going to run into a little turbulence when you’re up in the air. The good ones want to get right back in the seat and take off. You think of falcons – it’s a bird of prey and you realize you got to be able to fly into some stormy conditions.”

Plenty of stormy conditions await Air Force. The Falcons again lack might and speed on defense, and the offense still searches for playmakers. Two seasons ago, in 2016, Calhoun could attack with superior Mountain West talent in running backs Tim McVey and Jacobi Owens and, especially, receiver Jalen Robinette. He and the Falcons scored their way out of trouble on the way to a 10-3 record.

Here’s the problem: Elite is nowhere to be seen in 2018.

Saturday’s game followed a recent trend for the Falcons, who often find ways to make games close. This is both a compliment and a criticism. The 2017 Falcons somehow found a way to lose at Navy, but also traveled a strange route to victory against Utah State.

In Air Force’s last 29 FBS games, 15 were decided by seven points or less with Air Force winning nine of those games. (Eight were decided by four or fewer points.) The script has been similar in many of the wins: A rampaging offense rescues a struggling defense.

That script isn’t looking likely in 2018.

There’s not a game on the schedule the Falcons can’t win, or lose. (Yes, I know, a victory against powerful Boise State is unlikely, but Calhoun has won three of four against the Broncos.)

The Falcons nearly crafted a victory out of not much of anything at Florida Atlantic. They did the crafting by battling and hoping and surviving into the final minute.

I don’t see this edition of Air Force winning more than seven games and even traveling to a not-exciting-at-all 6-6 record will require supreme effort.

A winning season is possible, if unlikely, but Kauppila’s blocked punt provides the formula. This team won’t overwhelm opponents with its humming option attack.

These Falcons must struggle to victory employing sneaky, unconventional methods.