2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game

2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game
Conference championship
Oregon Ducks Utah Utes (10–2) (9–3) 10 38 Head coach:  Mario Cristobal Head coach:  Kyle Whittingham AP Coaches CFP 10 10 10 AP Coaches CFP 14 17 17
1 2 3 4 Total Oregon 0 0 3 7 10 Utah 14 9 8 7 38
Date	December 3, 2021
Season	2021
Stadium	Allegiant Stadium
Location	Paradise, NV
MVP	LB Devin Lloyd, Utah
Favorite	Utah by 3
Referee	Steven Strimling[1]
Attendance	56,511
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC, ESPN Radio
Announcers	ABC: Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), Holly Rowe (sideline) ESPN Radio: Jorge Sedano, Max Starks
International TV coverage
Network	ESPN Brazil
Announcers	Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play), Weinny Eirado (analyst)

2021 Pac-12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 22 Oregon xy		7	–	2					10	–	4
Washington State		6	–	3					7	–	6
Oregon State		5	–	4					7	–	6
California		4	–	5					5	–	7
Washington		3	–	6					4	–	8
Stanford		2	–	7					3	–	9
South Division
No. 12 Utah xy$		8	–	1					10	–	4
UCLA		6	–	3					8	–	4
Arizona State†		0	–	3					0	–	5
USC		3	–	6					4	–	8
Colorado		3	–	6					4	–	8
Arizona		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: Utah 38, Oregon 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 3, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. It was the 11th edition of the Pac-12 Football Championship Game, and determined the champion of the Pac-12 Conference for the 2021 season. The game began at 5:00 p.m. PST and aired on ABC. The contest featured the Oregon Ducks, the North Division champions, and the Utah Utes, the South Division champions. Sponsored by gas station chain 76, the game was officially known as the Pac-12 Football Championship Game presented by 76.^[2] Utah defeated Oregon, 38–10, to win the Pac-12 Championship.

Teams

The 2021 Pac–12 Football Championship Game featured the Oregon Ducks, champions of the North Division, against the Utah Utes, champions of the South Division. This was the teams' 35th all-time meeting;^[3] they first met in 1933 and have played annually as Pac-12 foes since 2013.^[4] Oregon enters the game leading the series 23–11.^[4][5] This is a rematch of a conference game that happened 2 weeks earlier; in which Utah won 38-7.

This was Oregon's fifth appearance in the title game; entering the game, they lead all teams by number of appearances and were the first team to ever appear in three consecutive championship games.^[6] They were 4–0 in previous games, with wins in 2011, 2014, 2019, and 2020.^[7] Utah made their third appearance; they were 0–2 following losses in 2018 and 2019.^[8]

Oregon

Main article: 2021 Oregon Ducks football team

Led by fourth-year head coach Mario Cristobal, Oregon opened their season ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll, and they defeated Fresno State in their first game by a touchdown.^[9] The Ducks then travelled to Columbus for their second game to face the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, whom they defeated by a touchdown as well, vaulting them into the top four.^[10] Oregon rounded out their non-conference schedule with a dominant win over FCS Stony Brook before opening Pac-12 play with another dominant win over Arizona.^[11][12] Oregon's first loss came the following week on the road against Stanford in overtime,^[13] which led them into a bye week. The Ducks returned to play on Friday night against California and the following week against UCLA, both of which resulted in slim, one-possession Oregon victories.^[14][15] Oregon returned to the No. 4 spot in the AP Poll following their next win, against Colorado,^[16] before beating Washington on the road to reach No. 3.^[17] The Ducks then defeated Washington State before facing No. 23 Utah, their second ranked opponent of the year.^[18] Utah dominated the game, defeating Oregon 38–7.^[19] The Ducks, now No. 11, finished the regular season with a home win against rivals Oregon State by nine points;^[20] this victory clinched the North Division title for Oregon and booked their spot in the championship game.^[21]

Utah

Main article: 2021 Utah Utes football team

The Utah Utes, led by head coach Kyle Whittingham in his 17th season, opened their season ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, and defeated Weber State – ranked No. 6 in the FCS STATS Poll – to begin the year.^[22] Notably, the Utes' season-opener produced a crowd of over 51,000, a new record for Rice-Eccles Stadium.^[23] A pair of road losses followed, however, as the Utes were "stunned" by BYU in a six-point loss^[24] and fell to San Diego State by two points in triple overtime.^[25][26] Utah returned to winning ways shortly thereafter, defeating Washington State on homecoming^[27] and, following a bye week, taking down USC – snapping a 106-year winless streak in the city of Los Angeles^[28] – and No. 18 Arizona State, each by two possessions, to re-establish a winning record.^[29] Utah would falter in their next game, a road contest against Oregon State,^[30] but finished the month of October with a victory over UCLA at home.^[31] To begin November, Utah soundly defeated Stanford and beat Arizona by two possessions, both on the road, before returning home to face No. 3 Oregon.^[32][33] The Utes pulled an upset, by 31 points,^[19] and clinched the South Division title with the win, solidifying their place in their third championship game in the last four seasons.^[34]

Game summary

First half

Scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. PST start, Oregon kicker Camden Lewis put the ball into play to begin the game at 5:15 p.m. The opening kickoff was returned by Britain Covey to the Utah 39-yard-line. Utah was held to a 4th & 1 a few plays into the drive, but converted to continue the possession. Several plays later, Cameron Rising found Covey for a 22-yard pass to enter the red zone, and Tavion Thomas scored on a two-yard rush three plays later. Oregon's, on their opening drive of the contest, was unable to reach midfield, and they punted at their own 44-yard-line. Utah's next drive ended similarly; after a holding penalty set the Utes back ten yards on their first play, the drive stalled, and the Utes punted the ball back to Oregon. Beginning their possession on their own 15-yard-line, Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown gained a first down on the drive's first play, but would throw an interception just three plays later, which would be returned for a touchdown by Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, increasing Utah's lead to 14–0. Getting the ball right back, Oregon was again unable to be productive on offense. A pass interference penalty on 3rd & 5 forced a 4th & 24 the next play, and Tom Snee punted the ball away for the Ducks for the third time. The Ducks' defense stepped up soon afterwards, though; on Utah's ensuing drive, Cameron Rising's pass was intercepted by linebacker Noah Sewell, giving Oregon the ball at their own 46-yard-line.^[35]

The first play of Oregon's ensuing drive saw them reach Utah territory for the first time in the game; they made it to the Utah 26-yard-line but were unable to capitalize as Camden Lewis missed a 44-yard field goal and gave Utah the ball back. The Utes were able to string together a long drive of their own, gaining 44 yards in 11 plays, but it ended with another interception, this one by Verone McKinley III at the Oregon 20-yard-line. The Ducks couldn't capitalize, as they went three-and-out on their next drive and punted it back to the Utes. Utah got the ball at their own 26-yard-line as a result; their next drive spanned 74 yards in 12 plays, and finished with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Rising to Dalton Kincaid. This increased the Utes' lead to 20 points, as the two-point conversion pass was unsuccessful. Getting the ball back with 27 seconds before halftime, Oregon opted to run plays rather than kneeling the ball in an attempt to score, though this strategy backfired as Anthony Brown threw a pass which was intercepted by Malone Mataele on the Oregon 37-yard-line with eight seconds to play. Utah was able to gain five yards before attempting a 50-yard field goal, which was successful. Utah entered halftime with a 23–0 lead.^[35]

Second half

Oregon received the ball to start the second half as Jordan Noyes' kickoff resulted in a touchback. This drive saw Brown and Dye gain a majority of Oregon's yards and saw the Ducks score their first points of the contest with a 42-yard field goal made by Camden Lewis. The teams then traded punts on each of their next drives, as Utah went three-and-out after gaining seven yards on their three plays, while Oregon fumbled for a loss of thirteen yards and went three-and-out after finishing the drive with a net loss of nine total yards. Taking possession at the Oregon 45-yard-line, Utah was quick to capitalize on the excellent field position. After an incomplete pass to start the series, Rising rushed for 41 yards, advancing the ball to the Oregon 4-yard-line, and T.J. Pledger scored on a rushing touchdown the next play. Oregon found themselves unable to respond with another score of their own, as they couldn't convert a 4th & 4 at the Utah 38-yard-line and turned the ball over on downs. On the final four plays of the quarter, Utah reached Oregon territory before the clock expired, and began the fourth quarter with a 2nd & 2 at the Oregon 33-yard-line.^[35]

Eight Utah plays followed before the Utes found the end zone for the final time in the game; a 3-yard rush by Tavion Thomas put the Utes up 38–3 with ten minutes to play. The ensuing kickoff saw Seven McGee return the ball to the Oregon 45-yard-line, but a holding penalty brought the ball all the way back to the Oregon 10-yard-line. The Ducks put up a 12-play drive spanning just over five minutes while converting two third downs en route to their first, and only, touchdown of the game by way of a 2-yard Travis Dye rush. Oregon's onside kick was unsuccessful, and Utah recovered the ball at the Oregon 37-yard-line. The Utes were able to run the final five minutes off the clock and secure a 38–10 win and the Pac-12 Championship.^[35]

Scoring summary

2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game presented by 76

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Oregon	0	0	3	7	10
No. 17 Utah	14	9	8	7	38

at Allegiant Stadium • Paradise, Nevada

• Date: December 3, 2021
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: n/a (game played indoors)
• Game attendance: 56,511
• Referee: Steven Strimling
• TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Oregon Utah 1 10:47 10 61 4:03 Utah Tavion Thomas 3-yard touchdown run, Jadon Redding kick good 0 7 1 4:16 Utah Interception returned 34 yards for touchdown by Devin Lloyd, Jadon Redding kick good 0 14 2 0:27 12 74 3:37 Utah Dalton Kincaid 11-yard touchdown reception from Cameron Rising, 2-point pass incomplete 0 20 2 0:00 2 5 0:08 Utah 50-yard field goal by Jadon Redding 0 23 3 10:32 9 51 4:28 Oregon 42-yard field goal by Camden Lewis 3 23 3 6:33 3 45 0:26 Utah T.J. Pledger 4-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good 3 31 4 10:21 11 62 6:32 Utah Tavion Thomas 3-yard touchdown run, Jadon Redding kick good 3 38 4 5:17 12 90 4:57 Oregon Travis Dye 2-yard touchdown run, Camden Lewis kick good 10 38 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 38

Statistics

Team statistics

Team statistical comparison^[36]

Statistic	Oregon	Utah
First downs	14	21
First downs rushing	7	11
First downs passing	5	7
First downs penalty	2	3
Third down efficiency	4–12	6–13
Fourth down efficiency	0–1	3–3
Total plays–net yards	53–221	64–361
Rushing attempts–net yards	29–74	40–191
Yards per rush	2.6	4.8
Yards passing	147	170
Pass completions–attempts	13–24	15–24
Interceptions thrown	2	2
Punt returns–total yards	1–3	3–12
Kickoff returns–total yards	5–83	2–49
Punts–total yardage	4–178	2–107
Fumbles–lost	3–0	2–0
Penalties–yards	9–86	10–89
Time of possession	27:56	32:04

Individual statistics

Oregon statistics^[36]

Ducks passing
	C–A	Yds	TD	INT
Anthony Brown	13–24	147	0	2
Ducks rushing
	Car	Yds	TD	Avg
Travis Dye	15	82	1	5.5
Seven McGee	2	8	0	4.0
Byron Cardwell	1	2	0	2.0
Anthony Brown	10	−5	0	−0.5
TEAM	1	−13
Ducks receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD	Avg
Isaah Crocker	3	51	0	17.0
Travis Dye	4	27	0	6.8
Seven Mcee	1	19	0	19.0
Devon Williams	1	17	0	17.0
Troy Franklin	1	16	0	16.0
Kris Hutson	1	6	0	6.0
Byron Caldwell	1	6	0	6.0
Terrance Ferguson	1	5	0	5.0

Utah statistics^[36]

Utes passing
	C–A	Yds	TD	INT
Cameron Rising	15–24	170	1	2
Utes rushing
	Car	Yds	TD	Avg
Tavion Thomas	18	63	2	3.5
Cameron Rising	9	61	0	6.8
Micah Bernard	6	38	0	6.3
T.J. Pledger	5	20	1	4.0
Chris Curry	2	9	0	4.5
Utes receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD	Avg
Britain Covey	5	72	0	14.4
Dalton Kincaid	4	61	1	15.3
Solomon Enis	1	13	0	13.0
Brant Kuithe	1	12	0	12.0
Devaughn Vele	2	10	0	5.0
Theo Howard	1	6	0	6.0
Tavion Thomas	1	−4	0	−4.0

See also

• List of Pac-12 Conference football champions

References

1. "Officiating crews for the 2021 college football conference championship games". footballzebras.com. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
2. "Pac-12 extends and expands major sponsorship with 76®". Pac-12 Conference. January 21, 2020. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
3. "2021 Oregon Football Yearbook". Oregon Ducks Football. p. 28. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
4. "2021 Utah Football Media Guide" (PDF). Utah Utes Football. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
5. "2021 Utah Football Game Notes - Pac-12 Championship" (PDF). Utah Utes Football. p. 1. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
6. "2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game set with No. 11 Oregon to face No. 19 Utah at Allegiant Stadium". Pac-12 Conference. November 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
7. "Pac-12 Football Champions". Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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10. Becton, Stan (September 11, 2021). "No. 12 Oregon stuns No. 3 Ohio State on the road". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
11. Battey, Nick (September 21, 2021). "No. 4 Oregon Blows Out Stony Brook 48-7". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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13. Gutmann, Harold (October 2, 2021). "Stanford shocks No. 3 Oregon, upsetting Ducks in overtime thriller". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
14. Crepea, James (October 18, 2021). "11 takeaways from Oregon Ducks' comeback win over Cal". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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16. Crepea, James (October 30, 2021). "Rewinding No. 7 Oregon Ducks' 52-29 victory against Colorado Buffaloes". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
17. Booth, Tim (November 7, 2021). "No. 7 Oregon avoids stumble, rallies to top Washington 26-16". Bally Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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21. Staley, Antwan (November 27, 2021). "Oregon Ducks defeat Oregon State Beavers 38-29 to clinch a spot in Pac-12 Championship". The Register-Guard. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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23. "Utah Wins 40-17 Against Weber State In Front Of RES Record Crowd". University of Utah Athletics. September 3, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
24. Gonzalez, Norma (September 12, 2021). "BYU stuns No. 21 Utah, snaps nine-game losing streak against Utes". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
25. Salvador, Joseph (September 18, 2021). "San Diego State Wins Shootout With Utah in 3OT Thriller". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
26. Brown, Tim (September 18, 2021). "San Diego State knocks off Utah 33-31 in triple OT thriller". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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28. Newman, Josh (October 9, 2021). "Utah football routs USC, snapping 106-year winless streak in Los Angeles". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
29. Call, Jeff (October 17, 2021). "How Utah scored 28 unanswered points to knock off No. 18 Arizona State, claim 1st place in Pac-12 South". Deseret News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
30. Daschel, Nick (October 23, 2021). "Rewinding Oregon State's 42-34 victory against the Utah Utes". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
31. "Thomas runs for 160 yards, 4 TDs as Utah beat UCLA 44-24". ESPN. October 31, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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36. "Game Report - Oregon vs. Utah" (PDF). Utah Utes Football. December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.

External links

• Game statistics at statbroadcast.com