2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship 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]

2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
7th AAC Championship Game
Houston Cougars Cincinnati Bearcats
(11–1) (12–0)
20 35
Head coach: 
Dana Holgorsen		 Head coach: 
Luke Fickell
APCoachesCFP
161621
APCoachesCFP
344
1234 Total
Houston 10307 20
Cincinnati 140210 35
DateDecember 4, 2021
Season2021
StadiumNippert Stadium
LocationCincinnati, Ohio
MVPJerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
FavoriteCincinnati by 10.5
RefereeHank Johns[1]
Attendance37,978
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersJoe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), and Katie George (sideline)
2021 American Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^  8 –0   13 –0  
No. 20 Houston y  8 –0   11 –2  
UCF  5 –3   8 –4  
East Carolina  5 –3   7 –5  
Tulsa  5 –3   6 –6  
SMU  4 –4   8 –4  
Memphis  3 –5   6 –6  
Navy  3 –5   4 –8  
Tulane  1 –7   2 –10  
South Florida  1 –7   2 –10  
Temple  1 –7   3 –9  
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 14, 2021; Rankings from CFP Rankings

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
Main article: 2021 Houston Cougars football team

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
Main article: 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

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
1 2 34Total
No. 21 Houston 10 3 0720
No. 4 Cincinnati 14 0 21035

at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH

  • Date: December 4, 2021
  • Game time: 4:08 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C) • Sunny • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) north
  • Game attendance: 37,978
  • Referee: Hank Johns
  • TV 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
StatisticsHOUCIN
First downs2214
Plays–yards73–33645–400
Rushes–yards47–8628–210
Passing yards250190
Passing: Comp–Att–Int17–26–111–17–0
Time of possession40:1919:41
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
HoustonPassingClayton Tune17/26, 250 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
RushingAlton McCaskill13 carries, 39 yards
ReceivingNathaniel Dell9 receptions, 152 yards, 1 TD
CincinnatiPassingDesmond Ridder11/17, 190 yards, 3 TD
RushingJerome Ford18 carries, 187 yards, 2 TD
ReceivingAlec Pierce2 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

References
  1. "Officiating crews for the 2021 college football conference championship games". footballzebras.com. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  2. "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.
  3. "American Athletic Conference Announces Plans for 2020 Fall Sports Seasons". theamerican.org.
  4. Duarte, Joseph (November 13, 2021). "Houston routs Temple, clinches berth in AAC championship game". Texas Sports Nation. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  5. "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.
  6. "No. 4 Cincinnati stays unbeaten, beats East Carolina 35-13". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
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