SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Facing a 29-point deficit early in the second half, WKU Football put forth a furious rally, but ultimately fell to UTSA by a score of 49-41 in the 2021 Conference USA Championship Game. A crowd of 41,148 was in the Alamodome to witness the Roadrunners capture their first league title.
Playing less than two hours from his hometown of Victoria, Texas, quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 36-of-59 passes (61%) for 577 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions. The 577 yards were a C-USA Championship Game record (surpassing Houston’s Case Keenum’s 527 in 2009) as well as a career-high (eclipsing his 567 yards at Texas Tech while playing for Houston Baptist in 2020).
For the year, Zappe is now 442-of 639 passing (69.2%) for 5,545 yards, with 56 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The all-time single-season FBS yardage record is 5,833 by Texas Tech’s B.J. Symons during his 14-game 2003 season, while the single-season FBS touchdown record is 60 by LSU’s Joe Burrow during his 15-game 2019 campaign. A performance by Zappe of 288 passing yards and five touchdowns in the bowl game would eclipse both marks.
After coming into the contest with 4,968 yards, Zappe completed a 10-yard pass to Jerreth Sterns and a 60-yard touchdown to Mitchell Tinsley on the opening drive, eclipsing the 5,000-yard mark for the season to become only the sixth quarterback in FBS history to achieve a 5,000/50 campaign. In the next series, a 45-yard completion to Tinsley pushed Zappe over Brandon Doughty’s WKU single-season program record of 5,055, which was set during the 14-game 2015 season.
In two games against UTSA this year – also including the 52-46 loss on October 9 in Bowling Green – Zappe was 77-of-119 (64.7%) for 1,100 yards – 550 per game – with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
The receiving duo of Sterns (10 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns) and Tinsley (nine receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns) continued their astounding success, as they combined for 19 catches, 352 yards and four scores. Sterns’ 137th reception of the season – a 34-yard touchdown that brought the score to within 49-41 with 3:48 remaining – set a C-USA single-season record (surpassing LA Tech’s Trent Taylor’s 136 in 2016 during the 14-game campaign).
Sterns now has 1,718 yards and 14 touchdowns along with his 137 grabs. Former Hilltopper wide receiver Taywan Taylor set the single-season program receiving yard (1,730) and touchdown (17) marks during the 14-game 2016 campaign. Meanwhile, Tinsley pushed his remarkable season totals to 80 catches for 1,299 yards and 12 scores for himself.
Although the Hilltoppers had 577 passing yards, they also accounted for –9 on the ground. WKU led in total yards – 685-to-556 – but the Roadrunners boasted a balanced attack of 304 rushing and 252 passing yards.
UTSA running back Sincere McCormick – who was voted the C-USA Championship Game’s Most Valuable Player – carried the ball 36 times for 204 yards and three touchdowns, while adding three catches and 35 receiving yards. Quarterback Frank Harris completed 19-of-28 passes (67.9%) for 252 yards, with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed 11 times for 81 yards and a score.
After the quick, 60-yard strike from Zappe to Tinsley, The Roadrunners answered right back with a 24-yard touchdown run by Harris to knot the score at 7-7. Kicker Brayden Narveson made field goals of 33 and 34 yards, while McCormick notched his first score for a 14-13 UTSA lead at the start of the second quarter.
But Narveson missed a pair of 53-yard attempts and the Roadrunners scored two straight touchdowns to end the half, as the hosts took a 28-13 advantage into the break.
The Hilltopper defense began the second half by forcing a 3 & out, but Sterns muffed a punt that was recovered by UTSA at the 14-yard line. Two plays later, wide receiver Zahari Franklin hauled in a 14-yard touchdown from Harris. After WKU got the ball back on offense, Zappe threw an interception that was grabbed by defensive back Antonio Parks and returned to the 17-yard line. One play later, McCormick scored his third touchdown of the game to push the lead to 42-13 at the 10:16 mark of the third frame.
But over the next 14 minutes, the Hilltoppers scored three unanswered touchdowns as Zappe threw scoring passes to Tinsley (12 yards) and Sterns (13 yards), plus a 1-yard touchdown by running back Kye Robichaux. On the other side of the ball, the WKU defense had back-to-back stops that made the spurt possible. Suddenly, the Hilltoppers were within 42-34 and there were 11 minutes remaining.
The Roadrunners’ offense responded, putting forth a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took up 4:43 of the clock, culminating in a 28-yard scoring grab by D. Clark. Although UTSA now led by 15, WKU did not flinch, as Zappe orchestrated a 72-yard drive in only 2:20, ending in the 34-yard touchdown to Sterns.
With four minutes remaining on the clock, the Hilltopper defense forced a punt and the offense got the ball back on their own 22-yard line with 65 seconds left, but no timeouts. WKU got the ball to midfield with one second left, but a Hail Mary pass by Zappe was intercepted as time expired. The Roadrunner bench – and many of the raucous fans – stormed the field to celebrate their 49-41 victory.
A pair of senior defenders – linebacker Demetrius Cain and safety Antwon Kincade – tied for the Hilltopper lead with 11 tackles apiece. The defensive end duo of Juwuan Jones and DeAngelo Malone combined for 3.5 tackles for loss and a dozen total tackles.
At 8-5 overall on the season, WKU now awaits its bowl destination, which will be determined and announced on Sunday evening, December 5. Head coach Tyson Helton – whose career record dropped to 22-16 – will take the Hilltopers to their third bowl game in three years at the helm, and eighth bowl game in the past 10 seasons for the program overall.
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