Postgame Notes: 2021 Ryan Conference USA Championship Game (Friday, Dec. 3, 2021)

       The C-USA Championship Game win by UTSA, 49-41 over WKU is the program’s first Conference USA title.

·       Home teams are now 12-5 in Conference USA Championship Games, following UTSA’s 49-41 over WKU in San Antonio.

·       Tonight’s attendance of 41,148 is the third-largest in both UTSA and Conference USA Championship Game History.

·       C-USA Championship Game Most Valuable Player, UTSA RB Sincere McCormick, finished with 36 carries for 204 yards and three touchdowns.

o   McCormick’s 65-yard touchdown run in the second half is the third-longest in C-USA Championship Game history behind just UCF’s Kevin Smith in 2007 (74) and East Carolina’s Norman Whitley in 2008 (69).

o   McCormick’s 36 carries tie for second and his 204 yards rank third in C-USA Championship Game history.

§  Tied with former WKU RB Anthony Wales for most carries (36) and third behind Wales in yardage (209), both of which were accomplished in 2016.

·       The two teams combined for 1,124 yards of total offense and 90 points, each of which are second-most in C-USA Championship Game history.

o   The records for both categories are from the 2016 game, where WKU beat Louisiana Tech 58-44 (102 total points) and they amassed 1,163 yards of total offense.

·       UTSA LB Clarence Hicks now owns the program record for single-season sacks (10.0) with a team-high two on Friday.

·       UTSA scored five rushing touchdowns as a team in Friday night’s win, which set a new C-USA Championship Game record.

o   McCormick had three, while QB Frank Harris and RB Brenden Brady each added one apiece.

o   UTSA’s 304 rushing yards as a team rank second-most in a C-USA Championship Game.

§  UCF vs. Tulsa in 2007 – 308

o   UTSA’s 54 rushing attempts as a team tie for third-most in a C-USA Championship Game.

§  Tulsa vs. UCF in 2012 – 69

§  Tulsa vs. East Carolina in 2008 – 55

§  UAB vs. Middle Tennessee in 2018

·       WKU QB Bailey Zappe completed 36-59 passes for 577 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort. Zappe, the single-season record-holder for passing touchdowns in Conference USA history, is now just four touchdown passes shy of the FBS record of 60 passing touchdowns in a single season, held by Joe Burrow (2019).

o   Zappe is now just 288 yards shy of B.J. Symons’ (Texas Tech) single-season FBS record for passing yardage (5,833), with a bowl game left on WKU’s schedule. He also became the sixth player in FBS history to reach over 5,000 yards/50 passing touchdowns in a season and broke Brandon Doughty’s WKU single-season program record for passing yards (5,055 in 2015)

·       WKU WR Jerreth Sterns caught 10 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns in Friday’s C-USA Championship Game. His season totals are now 137 receptions for 1,178 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

o   Sterns now owns the single-season Conference USA record for receptions with 137, previously held by former Louisiana Tech WR Trent Taylor, who had 136 in 2016.

·       WKU WRs Mitchell Tinsley and Jerreth Sterns each recorded a pair of receiving touchdowns on the night to tie the C-USA Championship Game record, which has been accomplished nine times by eight different players.

o   Tinsley finished with nine catches for 173 yards and the two scores.

·       WKU’s 568 yards of total offense rank third-most in C-USA Championship Game history, and UTSA’s 556 rank fifth.

o   WKU vs. Louisiana Tech in 2016 – 656

o   Florida Atlantic vs. UAB in 2019 – 585

o   WKU at UTSA in 2021 – 568

o   Houston vs. East Carolina in 2009 – 557

o   UTSA vs. WKU in 2021 – 556

·       UTSA’s 49 points scored tie for second-most in C-USA Championship Game history.

o   WKU vs. Louisiana Tech in 2016 – 58

o   UTSA vs. WKU in 2021 – 49

o   Florida Atlantic vs. UAB in 2019 – 49

o   Southern Miss vs. Houston in 2011 – 49

·       The Roadrunners’ seven touchdowns tie for the most in C-USA Championship Game history.

o   UTSA vs. WKU in 2021 – 7

o   Florida Atlantic vs. UAB in 2019 – 7

o   WKU vs. Louisiana Tech in 2016 – 7

o   Southern Miss vs. Houston in 2011 – 7

·       UTSA held WKU to -9 rushing yards, which is a C-USA Championship Game record.

o   The previous record was held by WKU vs. Louisiana Tech in 2016 (five yards).