2021 SWAC Football Championship Game (May)

2021 SWAC Football Championship Game
2021 SWAC Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions	Alabama A&M Bulldogs
(4–0)	(3–0)
33	40
Head coach: ; Doc Gamble	Head coach: ; Connell Maynor
Date	May 1, 2021
Season	2020
Stadium	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Location	Jackson, Mississippi
Referee	Marty Adams
Attendance	17,248
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN2
Announcers	Tiffany Greene (play by play), Jay Walker (color)
SWAC Football Championship Game
< 2019	2021 (Dec.) >

The Spring 2021 SWAC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, May 1, 2021, at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi.^[1] It was the 22nd SWAC Championship Game and determined the 2020 champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Sponsored by wireless service provider Cricket, the game was officially known as the Spring 2021 Cricket SWAC Football Championship.^[2]

2020 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 24 Alabama A&M x$	3	–	0	5	–	0
Alabama State	3	–	2	3	–	3
Jackson State	3	–	2	4	–	3
Mississippi Valley State	1	–	3	1	–	3
West Division
Arkansas–Pine Bluff x	4	–	0	4	–	1
Southern	4	–	1	5	–	1
Prairie View A&M*	2	–	1	2	–	1
Texas Southern	1	–	2	1	–	2
Grambling State	0	–	4	0	–	4
Championship: Alabama A&M 40, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 33
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Note: The SWAC played a spring conference-only schedule (February–May 2021) due to COVID-19 pandemic. Alcorn State opted out of the spring season; all of their scheduled games were counted as forfeit wins for their opponents. * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from STATS Poll

While prior editions of the SWAC Championship Game had been played in December, this edition was delayed into May due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season.

Teams

Alabama A&M entered the championship game 3-0. Alabama A&M had won the championship game once prior in 2006.^[3]

Arkansas–Pine Bluff entered the championship game 4-0. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had won the championship game once prior in 2012.^[4]

Spring 2021 SWAC Championship Game

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
UAPB	14	12	0	7	33
Alabama A&M	10	8	14	8	40

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021
Game time: 3 p.m. EST
Game weather: Partly Cloudy • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: SE 8 mph
Game attendance: 17,248
Referee: Marty Adams
TV: ESPN2
^[5]

Game information

(13:29) AAMU – Spencer Corey 29-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 1:31; AAMU 3–0)
(10:24) UAPB – Mattias Clark 4-yard rush (Zach Piwniczka kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:05; UAPB 7–3)
(7:38) AAMU – Zabrian Moore 30-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:46; AAMU 10–7)
(7:26) UAPB – Tyrin Ralph 81-yard kickoff returned (Zach Piwniczka kick) (Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:12; UAPB 14–10)

(11:07) AAMU – Gary Quarles 3-yard rush (Spencer Corey PAT blocked) (Drive: 9 plays, 43 yards, 3:41; AAMU 16–14)
(7:04) UAPB – DeJuan Miller 5-yard pass from Taylor Holston (Zach Piwniczka PAT blocked) (Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 4:03; UAPB 20–16)
(7:04) AAMU – Ja'Marian Green Defensive PAT conversion (Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 4:03; UAPB 20–18)
(5:17) UAPB – Kolby Watts 33-yard fumble returned (Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 1:47; UAPB 26–18)

(8:00) AAMU – Anthony Howard 7-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 4:55; UAPB 26–25)
(1:24) AAMU – Gary Quarles 3-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:15; AAMU 32–26)

(7:16) AAMU – Zabrian Moore 13-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Aqeel Glass two-point conversion pass to Terrell Gardner) (Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:40; AAMU 40–26)
(2:30) UAPB - Josh Wilkes 11-yard pass from Skylar Perry (Zach Piwniczka kick) (AAMU 40–33)