2020 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game

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]

For the American Athletic Conference men's basketball championship, see 2020 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.

2020 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
6th AAC Championship Game
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Cincinnati Bearcats
(6–1) (8–0)
24 27
Head coach: 
Philip Montgomery		 Head coach: 
Luke Fickell
APCoachesCFP
202023
APCoachesCFP
669
1234 Total
Tulsa 01077 24
Cincinnati 10773 27
DateDecember 19, 2020
Season2020
StadiumNippert Stadium
LocationCincinnati, OH
FavoriteCincinnati by 13.5[1]
RefereeCharles Lamertina
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersJoe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Holly Rowe (sideline)
2020 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
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
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll.

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
Main article: 2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

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
Main article: 2020 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

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
2020 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
1 2 34Total
No. 23 Tulsa 0 10 7724
No. 9 Cincinnati 10 7 7327

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
  • Referee: Charles Lamertina
  • TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Holly Rowe (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (8:56) CIN – Jerome Ford 42 yard rush, Cole Smith kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:54; Cincinnati 7–0)
  • (0:05) CIN – Cole Smith 25 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 5:46; Cincinnati 10–0)
Second quarter
  • (11:08) TLSA – Zack Long 43 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 46 yards, 3:52; Cincinnati 10–3)
  • (8:36) TLSA – Corey Taylor II 10 yard rush, Zack Long kick (Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 1:37; Tied 10–10)
  • (3:17) CIN – Alex Pierce 36 yard pass from Desmond Ridder, Cole Smith kick (Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 2:04; Cincinnati 17–10)
Third quarter
  • (10:05) TLSA – Deneric Prince 8 yard rush, Zack Long kick (Drive: 3 plays, 55 yards, 0:45; Tied 17–17)
  • (7:14) CIN – Desmond Ridder 10 yard rush, Cole Smith kick (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:46; Cincinnati 24–17)
Fourth quarter
  • (3:41) TLSA – JuanCarlos Santana 13 yard pass from Zach Smith, Zack Long kick (Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:46; Tied 24–24)
  • (0:00) CIN – Cole Smith 34 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 51 yards, 3:34; Cincinnati 27–24)

Statistics
StatisticsTLSACIN
First downs2217
Plays–yards67–33267–420
Rushes–yards37–16638–151
Passing yards166269
Passing: Comp–Att–Int13–30–219–29–0
Time of possession26:0333:57
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
TulsaPassingZach Smith13/30, 166 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
RushingCorey Taylor II22 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingSam Crawford Jr.3 receptions, 79 yards
CincinnatiPassingDesmond Ridder19/29, 269 yards, 1 TD
RushingDesmond Ridder16 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingAlec Pierce5 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD

References
  1. "ESPN Game Summary - Tulsa vs. Cincinnati - December 19, 2020". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. "American Athletic Conference Announces Plans for 2020 Fall Sports Seasons". theamerican.org.
  3. 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.
  4. "Memphis Defeats Cincinnati, 29–24, to win American Football Championship". theamerican.org.
  5. @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.
  6. Reports, From Staff. "Tulsa clinches spot in AAC championship game with 19–6 win at Navy". Tulsa World.
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