2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game

The 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 7, 2019, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, to determine the 2019 champion of the American Athletic Conference. The conference's 5th championship game featured the champion of its East Division, the Cincinnati Bearcats, against the West Division champion, the Memphis Tigers. The game was televised on ABC.[2]

2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
5th AAC Championship Game
Cincinnati Bearcats Memphis Tigers
(10–2) (11–1)
24 29
Head coach: 
Luke Fickell		 Head coach: 
Mike Norvell
APCoachesCFP
212120
APCoachesCFP
161617
1234 Total
Cincinnati 7773 24
Memphis 100109 29
DateDecember 7, 2019
Season2019
StadiumLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
LocationMemphis, TN
FavoriteMemphis by 9[1]
RefereeCharles Lamertina
Attendance33,008
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersDave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Tom Luginbill (sideline)
2019 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 21 Cincinnati xy  7 –1     11 –3  
No. 24 UCF  6 –2     10 –3  
Temple  5 –3     8 –5  
South Florida  2 –6     4 –8  
East Carolina  1 –7     4 –8  
UConn  0 –8     2 –10  
West Division
No. 17 Memphis xy$  7 –1     12 –2  
No. 20 Navy x  7 –1     11 –2  
SMU  6 –2     10 –3  
Tulane  3 –5     7 –6  
Houston  2 –6     4 –8  
Tulsa  2 –6     4 –8  
Championship: Memphis 29, Cincinnati 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The game is hosted by the divisional champion with the better winning percentage in conference games.[3] Memphis claimed hosting rights with a 34–24 home win over Cincinnati to close out the regular season on November 29. This left both teams with a 7–1 conference record, with Memphis holding the tiebreaker due to the Tigers' head-to-head win. Navy ultimately tied Memphis for the West Division crown, but the Tigers also held that tiebreaker due to a head-to-head win.[4]

Teams

Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bearcats clinched the AAC East, and a berth in the Championship Game, with a win over Temple on November 23.[5] This is Cincinnati's first-ever Championship Game appearance.

Memphis

Memphis clinched at least a share of the West Division title with their November 29 win over Cincinnati, and also claimed hosting rights by virtue of holding all possible tiebreakers.

Game summary
2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
1 2 34Total
No. 20 Cincinnati 7 7 7324
No. 17 Memphis 10 0 10929

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN

Game information
First Quarter
  • (12:27) CIN – Michael Warren 6 yard rush, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:33; Cincinnati 7–0)
  • (8:21) MEM – Riley Patterson 29 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 3:59; Cincinnati 7–3)
  • (2:36) MEM – Antonio Gibson 65 yard rush, Riley Patterson kick (Drive: 7 plays, 97 yards, 2:29; Memphis 10–7)
Second Quarter
  • (2:37) CIN – Desmond Ridder 15 yard rush, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:09; Cincinnati 14–10)
Third Quarter
  • (11:59) MEM – Brady White 1 yard rush, Riley Patterson kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:56; Memphis 17–14)
  • (7:21) CIN – Michael Warren 3 yard rush, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:38; Cincinnati 21–17)
  • (3:54) MEM – Riley Patterson 52 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 41 yards, 3:27; Cincinnati 21–20)
Fourth Quarter
  • (14:47) MEM – Riley Patterson 50 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 31 yards, 3:54; Memphis 23–21)
  • (4:23) CIN – Sam Crosa 33 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 6:27; Cincinnati 24–23)
  • (1:14) MEM – Brady White 6 yard pass to Antonio Gibson, 2-point pass failed (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:09; Memphis 29–24)

Statistics

References
  1. "Cincinnati vs. Memphis - Game Summary - December 7, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  2. "2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship to be Televised on ABC". TheAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  3. "American Athletic Conference Announces 2019 Football Schedule". TheAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  4. "No. 17 Memphis tops No. 18 Cincinnati 34-24 to host AAC game". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  5. Brennan, Pat. "UC Bearcats clinch AAC East division title with 15-13 win against Temple". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved November 24, 2019.


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