2020 Conference USA Football Championship Game

The 2020 Conference USA Football Championship Game was a college football game played on Friday, December 18, 2020, to determine the 2020 champion of Conference USA (C–USA).[1] The game featured the East division champions Marshall Thundering Herd and the West division champions UAB Blazers in the conference's 16th championship game. Sponsored by tax services and consulting firm Ryan LLC, the game was officially known as the Ryan Conference USA Football Championship Game.

2020 Ryan Conference USA Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
UAB Blazers Marshall Thundering Herd
(5–3) (7–1)
22 13
Head coach: 
Bill Clark		 Head coach: 
Doc Holliday
1234 Total
UAB 36013 22
Marshall 0076 13
DateDecember 18, 2020
Season2020
StadiumJoan C. Edwards Stadium
LocationHuntington, West Virginia
MVPSpencer Brown (RB, UAB)
FavoriteMarshall by 4.5
RefereeJon Noli
Attendance8,324
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBSSN
AnnouncersRich Waltz (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline)
2020 Conference USA football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
Marshall xy  4 –1   7 –3  
Florida Atlantic  4 –2   5 –4  
Western Kentucky  4 –3   5 –7  
Charlotte  2 –2   2 –4  
Middle Tennessee  2 –4   3 –6  
FIU  0 –3   0 –5  
West Division
UAB xy$  3 –1   6 –3  
UTSA  5 –2   7 –5  
Louisiana Tech  4 –2   5 –5  
North Texas  3 –4   4 –6  
Rice  2 –3   2 –3  
Southern Miss  2 –4   3 –7  
UTEP  0 –4   3 –5  
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.

Previous season

The 2019 Conference USA Football Championship Game featured the East Division champion Florida Atlantic against the West Division champion UAB. The Owls defeated the Blazers by a score of 49–6.[2]

Teams

The 2020 Conference USA Football Championship Game was contested by the Marshall Thundering Herd, East Division champions, and the UAB Blazers, West Division champions. The teams had met 10 times previously, with the Thundering Herd holding a 8–2 edge in the series. The teams' last meeting was played in 2014; Marshall won, 23–18.[3] The game was the teams' first meeting between the two in the Conference USA Football Championship Game.

Marshall
Main article: 2020 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Marshall clinched its spot in the championship game on December 9 following the cancelation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, of their final scheduled game against Charlotte.[4] The cancelation of the game prevented Marshall from winning the division outright on the field; however, according to Conference USA's special tie-breaking criteria for the season, Marshall would win the title even if Florida Atlantic won their final game and had a higher winning percentage in conference games.[4][5] The need for a tie-breaker was rendered moot when Florida Atlantic lost their final game to Southern Miss on December 10, confirming the Thundering Herd's position in the title game.[6] This was the Thundering Herd's third appearance in the conference title game and first since 2014.

UAB
Main article: 2020 UAB Blazers football team

UAB clinched its spot to represent the west division in the championship game on December 12, after defeating Rice, 21–16.[7][8] The Blazers won their third straight division title and became the first team in the conference to play in three consecutive conference championship games.[7][8]

Game summary
2020 Conference USA Football Championship Game
Period 1 2 34Total
UAB 3 6 01322
Marshall 0 0 7613

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, West Virginia

  • Date: Friday, December 18, 2020
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 35 °F (2 °C) • Wind: E 2 mph
  • Referee: Jon Noli
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (1:45) UAB – Matt Quinn 30 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 6:10; UAB 3–0)
Second quarter
  • (11:55) UAB – Hayden Pittman 19 yard pass from Tyler Johnston III, kick failed (Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:54; UAB 9–0)
Third quarter
  • (6:17) MRSH – Artie Henry 7 yard pass from Grant Wells, Shane Ciucci kick (Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 2:06; UAB 9–7)
Fourth quarter
  • (14:55) UAB – Matt Quinn 42 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 6:22; UAB 12–7)
  • (4:55) UAB – Matt Quinn 48 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 40 yards, 6:47; UAB 15–7)
  • (4:38) MRSH – Xavier Gaines 70 yard pass from Grant Wells, 2-pt. failed (Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:17; UAB 15–13)
  • (4:02) UAB – Trea Shropshire 71 yard pass from Tyler Johnston III, Matt Quinn kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:36; UAB 22–13)

Statistics
Statistics UAB MRSH
First downs2110
Plays–yards74–46851–268
Rushes–yards52–21627–130
Passing yards252138
Passing: comp–att–int12–22–08–24–1
Time of possession41:2618:34
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
UAB PassingTyler Johnston III12/22, 252 yards, 2 TD
RushingSpencer Brown30 carries, 149 yards
ReceivingTrea Shropshire5 receptions, 180 yards, 1 TD
Marshall PassingGrant Wells8/23, 138 yards, 2 TD
RushingBrenden Knox17 carries, 67 yards,
ReceivingXavier Gaines1 reception, 70 yards, 1 TD

References
  1. "FB: 2019 Schedule Released". Conference USA. January 10, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. Price, Khobi. "FAU defeats UAB 49-6 to win second Conference USA title in three years". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  3. "Winsipedia - Marshall Thundering Herd vs. UAB Blazers football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. Traylor, Grant (December 9, 2020). "Marshall-Charlotte game canceled; Herd wins East Division title". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  5. Furlow, Reese. "FAU football prepares for regular-season finale stripped of drama after Marshall cancellation". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  6. "Lowe, Harrell help Southern Miss beat Florida Atlantic 45-31". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. Chambers, Christina (December 12, 2020). "UAB wins third straight CUSA West Division title after 21-16 win over Rice". WBRC. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  8. "UAB beats Rice 21-16, wins C-USA West Division for 3rd year in a row". WVTM-TV. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
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