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College football game
The 2021 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 4, 2021, at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana . It was the third edition of the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the Sun Belt Conference for the 2021 season . The game began at 2:40 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN . The game featured the Appalachian State Mountaineers , the East Division champions, and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns , the West Division champions. Sponsored by tire company Hercules Tires, the game was officially known as the 2021 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship .
The 2020 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game was set to have Coastal Carolina face Louisiana . However the game was cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test in the Coastal Carolina program.[ 2]
Appalachian State and Louisiana have faced each other in every other Sun Belt Championship Game held. Since the move to divisions, Appalachian State has won Sun Belt’s East Division three times, while Louisiana has won the West four times. Appalachian State has won both previous matchups in the Championship Game. This was the first Sun Belt Championship held in Lafayette, Louisiana where the attendance record for Sun Belt Football Championship games was broken with 31,014 total in attendance.[ 3]
Appalachian State clinched a spot in the Sun Belt title game following their 45–7 win over Troy .[ 4]
Louisiana clinched a spot in the Sun Belt title game following their 21–17 win over Georgia State .[ 5]
2021 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Appalachian State
0
7
3 6 16
No. 24 Louisiana
7
10
0 7 24
at Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana
Date : December 4, 2021Game time : 2:40 p.m. CST Game weather : 79 °F (26 °C) • Sunny • Wind: 3 mph (4.8 km/h) northwestGame attendance : 31,014Referee : Kyle OlsonTV : ESPN Box score
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Appalachian State
Louisiana
1
9:55
9
75
5:05
Louisiana
Michael Jefferson 27-yard touchdown reception from Levi Lewis , Nate Snyder kick good
0
7
2
9:22
7
92
1:56
Louisiana
Levi Lewis 56-yard touchdown run, Nate Snyder kick good
0
14
2
2:38
6
75
2:39
Appalachian State
Camerun Peoples 43-yard touchdown run, Chandler Staton kick good
7
14
2
0:01
5
38
0:31
Louisiana
33-yard field goal by Nate Snyder
7
17
3
8:06
15
57
6:54
Appalachian State
36-yard field goal by Chandler Staton
10
17
4
12:14
7
72
2:36
Louisiana
Emani Bailey 35-yard touchdown run, Nate Snyder kick good
10
24
4
5:06
12
83
3:10
Appalachian State
Thomas Hennigan 24-yard touchdown reception from Chase Brice, 2-point pass failed
16
24
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
Statistics
APP
LA
First downs
18
20
Plays–yards
64–290
73–398
Rushes–yards
34–171
41–188
Passing yards
119
210
Passing: comp –att –int
12–30–0
15–32–0
Time of possession
27:23
32:37
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Appalachian State
Passing
Chase Brice
12/30, 119 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Camerun Peoples
8 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Thomas Hennigan
6 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD
Louisiana
Passing
Levi Lewis
15/30, 210 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Emani Bailey
14 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Peter LeBlanc
4 receptions, 67 yards
^ "Officiating crews for the 2021 college football conference championship games" . footballzebras.com . November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021 .
^ "Sun Belt Conference Championship Football Game Canceled" . sunbeltsports.org . Retrieved November 21, 2021 .
^ "Louisiana Wins First Outright Conference Championship in Front of a Championship Game Record 31,014 at Cajun Field" . sunbeltsports.org . December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2023 .
^ "Appalachian State clinches Sun Belt East, tops Troy 45-7" . keyt.com . November 20, 2021. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 .
^ Long, Charlie (November 4, 2021). "Louisiana Clinches Sun Belt West With 21–17 win against Georgia State" . ESPN Lafeyette . Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021 .
Division I FBS Division I FCS
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons