2020 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Cincinnati y$ | 6 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa y | 6 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | 3 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | 3 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Cincinnati 27, Tulsa 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2020 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game presented by CapitalOne was a college football game played on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 6th American Athletic Conference Championship Game, it determined the 2020 champion of the American Athletic Conference (The American). This was the first 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.[2]
In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, attendance at the game was capped at 5,831 spectators by the Cincinnati Health Department, approximately 18% of the full capacity of Nippert Stadium (32,574).[3]
Previous season
The 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game featured East Division winner Cincinnati against West Division co-winner Memphis. Eight days after beating the Bearcats 34–24 at home in the regular-season finale, Memphis rallied for another win. The Tigers beat the Bearcats, 29–24.[4]
Teams
Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bearcats clinched a berth in the Championship Game, after the November 28 game against Temple was canceled.[5] This is Cincinnati's second consecutive Championship Game appearance.
Tulsa
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane clinched a berth in the Championship Game after defeating Navy on December 5.[6] This is Tulsa's first appearance in the conference championship.
Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Tulsa | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 9 Cincinnati | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: December 19, 2020
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST (7:00 p.m. CST)
- Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 41 °F (5 °C) • Wind: SSW 6 mph
- Game attendance: 5,831
- Referee: Charles Lamertina
- TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Holly Rowe (sideline)
| Game information |
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Statistics
| Statistics | TLSA | CIN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 67–332 | 67–420 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–166 | 38–151 |
| Passing yards | 166 | 269 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–30–2 | 19–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:03 | 33:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa | Passing | Zach Smith | 13/30, 166 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Corey Taylor II | 22 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Sam Crawford Jr. | 3 receptions, 79 yards | |
| Cincinnati | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 19/29, 269 yards, 1 TD |
| Rushing | Desmond Ridder | 16 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Alec Pierce | 5 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD |
References
- ^ "ESPN Game Summary - Tulsa vs. Cincinnati - December 19, 2020". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Plans for 2020 Fall Sports Seasons". theamerican.org.
- ^ Jenkins, Keith (December 15, 2020). "Ohio approves nearly 6,000 fans at Nippert Stadium for Saturday's AAC championship game". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "Memphis Defeats Cincinnati, 29–24, to win American Football Championship". theamerican.org.
- ^ @Williams_Justin (November 25, 2020). "Certainly not preferred circumstances, but with Saturday's game against Temple cancelled due to COVID-19, the #Bearcats have secured a spot in the AAC title game on Dec. 19" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Staff Reports. "Tulsa clinches spot in AAC championship game with 19–6 win at Navy". Tulsa World.
External links
- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com