College football game
The 2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 4, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio . It was the seventh American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) for the 2021 season . The game began at 4:00 p.m. EST and aired on ABC . The game featured the regular season champions, the Cincinnati Bearcats , and the regular season runners-up, the Houston Cougars . Sponsored by RoofClaim.com, a roofing services company, the game was officially known as the 2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game presented by RoofClaim.com .[ 2]
Teams
This was the second year of the current division-less format of the game; instead of representatives from two divisions, the two teams with the best conference records earned a spot in the game.[ 3]
Houston
Houston clinched a berth in the championship game following its win over Temple on November 13.[ 4] This was the Cougars' second appearance in the American Championship Game, having won the inaugural contest 24–13 over Temple in 2015.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati clinched a berth in the championship game following its win over SMU on November 20.[ 5] The Bearcats secured home-field advantage for the championship game on November 26, defeating East Carolina 35–13 to complete an undefeated regular season.[ 6] This was the Bearcats' third straight championship game appearance, having lost to Memphis 29–24 in 2019 and defeating Tulsa 27–24 in 2020. Entering the game, the fourth-ranked Bearcats held the highest College Football Playoff ranking of any team to play in the American Championship Game.
Game summary
2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
No. 21 Houston
10
3
0 7 20
No. 4 Cincinnati
14
0
21 0 35
at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
Date : December 4, 2021Game time : 4:08 p.m. EST Game weather : 52 °F (11 °C) • Sunny • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) northGame attendance : 37,978Referee : Hank JohnsTV announcers (ABC ) : Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), and Katie George (sideline)Box score
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Houston
Cincinnati
1
11:55
7
50
2:57
Houston
37-yard field goal by Dalton Witherspoon
3
0
1
9:38
5
82
2:11
Cincinnati
Tyler Scott 25-yard touchdown reception from Desmond Ridder , Christian Lowery kick good
3
7
1
4:23
10
74
5:07
Houston
Nathaniel Dell 16-yard touchdown reception from Clayton Tune, Dalton Witherspoon kick good
10
7
1
4:06
1
79
0:11
Cincinnati
Jerome Ford 79-yard touchdown run, Christian Lowery kick good
10
14
2
11:40
13
44
7:21
Houston
46-yard field goal by Dalton Witherspoon
13
14
3
12:02
6
75
2:58
Cincinnati
Leonard Taylor 8-yard touchdown reception from Desmond Ridder, Christian Lowery kick good
13
21
3
11:04
2
23
0:41
Cincinnati
Alec Pierce 21-yard touchdown reception from Desmond Ridder, Christian Lowery kick good
13
28
3
7:38
3
62
1:18
Cincinnati
Jerome Ford 42-yard touchdown run, Christian Lowery kick good
13
35
4
6:06
13
90
7:28
Houston
Jake Herslow 7-yard touchdown reception from Clayton Tune, Dalton Witherspoon kick good
20
35
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
Statistics
Statistics
HOU
CIN
First downs
22
14
Plays–yards
73–336
45–400
Rushes–yards
47–86
28–210
Passing yards
250
190
Passing: comp –att –int
17–26–1
11–17–0
Time of possession
40:19
19:41
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Houston
Passing
Clayton Tune
17/26, 250 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Alton McCaskill
13 carries, 39 yards
Receiving
Nathaniel Dell
9 receptions, 152 yards, 1 TD
Cincinnati
Passing
Desmond Ridder
11/17, 190 yards, 3 TD
Rushing
Jerome Ford
18 carries, 187 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
Alec Pierce
2 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
References
^ "Officiating crews for the 2021 college football conference championship games" . footballzebras.com . November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021 .
^ "RoofClaim.com Named as Presenting Partner of the 2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game" . theamerican.org (Press release). November 17, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021 .
^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Plans for 2020 Fall Sports Seasons" . theamerican.org .
^ Duarte, Joseph (November 13, 2021). "Houston routs Temple, clinches berth in AAC championship game" . Texas Sports Nation . Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 13, 2021 . {{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link )
^ "Ridder Leads Cincinnati to 48-14 Win over SMU on Senior Day" . GoBearcats.com . University of Cincinnati Athletics Department. November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 .
^ "No. 4 Cincinnati stays unbeaten, beats East Carolina 35-13" . ESPN.com . Associated Press. November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021 .
External links
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Venues Bowls and rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons