![]() Jerome Ford 79-yard touchdown run, Christian Lowery kick good Tank Dell 16-yard touchdown reception from Clayton Tune, Dalton Witherspoon kick good Tyler Scott 25-yard touchdown reception from Desmond Ridder, Christian Lowery kick good The Bearcats ended the evening as the nation's only unbeaten team in the 2021 season and with the final results of the College Football Playoff poll the next day would be chosen as one of the final teams that would play for the national championship. The Bearcats won despite only having the ball 19 minutes on offense. The Bearcat defense registered 8 sacks, with Joel Dublanko notching a pair to go along with 7 tackles and the games lone turnover on the 3rd quarter interception. His passes were judicious and sparingly needed as the Bearcat running game rang up 210 yards. Desmond Ridder only completed 11 passes on 17 attempts for 190 yards. Jerome Ford was named the Most Outstanding Player with 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns. At game's end, much of the sellout crowd stormed the field in celebration as the Bearcats clinched their second straight American Athletic Football Championship with the win. The Cougars did manage to score a touchdown midway through the 4th quarter to close the gap to 35–20, but that would be as close as they would get. The Cougars were held to −6 yards offense in the 3rd quarter, gaining one first down, and no points. The 3rd quarter continued to be a struggle for the Cougars as the Bearcats defense continued to stifle them at every turn. Three plays later, Ford broke over the left side finding a wide-open seam and sprinted 42 yards for a touchdown, the third of the 3rd quarter in less than 8 minutes of game time. The Cougars went three-and-out on their next series and punted. Two plays later, Pierce out jumped Houston CB Marcus Jones in the end zone and the Bearcats now held a 28–13 lead less than 5 minutes into the 2nd half. With the score now 21–13, the Cougars next drive ended after one play as LB Joel Dublanko intercepted a Tune pass and returned it to the Houston 23 yard line. The Bearcats took advantage of a 4th down pass interference call on Houston and scored on an 8-yard swing pass from Ridder to TE Leonard Taylor. Taking the second half kickoff, the Bearcats went 75 yards on 6 plays, highlighted by a 44-yard pass from Ridder to WR Alec Pierce who made a spectacular diving catch on a seemingly overthrown ball. The Bearcats took a 14–13 lead into halftime. The Bearcats got inside the 10 but the drive stalled and Christian Lowery missed a 23-yard field goal. The Bearcats could not extend their lead after a fine kickoff return by Tre Tucker set the Bearcats up in Houston territory. Witherspoon connected on a 46-yard field goal to narrow the Cincinnati lead to 14–13. The Cougars strung together another time-consuming drive but once again the Bearcats defense stopped Houston inside the 30. ![]() The Bearcats were back in front 14–10 and the sellout crowd of 37,978 buckled in for what was shaping up to be a high scoring shootout. It was Ford's 4th touchdown run of 75 yards or more of the season. That lead was short lived as on the Bearcat first play from scrimmage following the kickoff Jerome Ford took the handoff, slipped through the right side and dashed untouched 79 yards for a touchdown. The Cougars responded with a solid touchdown drive of their own, going 74 yards in 10 plays, capped by a QB Clayton Tune pass to WR Tank Dell. Ridder found WR Tyler Scott on a 25-yard post pattern pass in the end zone to give the Bearcats a 7–3 lead. The Bearcats responded with a crisp 5-play, 82-yard drive with QB Desmond Ridder completing passes to four different receivers. The Bearcats defense stiffened and forced the Cougars to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Dalton Witherspoon to take an early 3–0 lead. ![]() Taking the opening kickoff, the Cougars marched right down the field mixing runs and passes to get into Cincinnati territory. 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. Sponsored by, a roofing services company, the game was officially known as the 2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game presented by. The game featured the regular season champions, the Cincinnati Bearcats, and the regular season runners-up, the Houston Cougars. 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 2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 4, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. ^ – College Football Playoff participant.
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