The 2021 Sun Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2021, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m. local MST) and televised on CBS.[2] It was the 88th edition[3] of the Sun Bowl (87th playing, as the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by Kellogg's Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, the game was officially known as the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, after its mascot, Tony the Tiger.
| 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 88th Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sun Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | El Paso, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Lew Nichols III (RB, Central Michigan)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Larry Smith (Big Ten) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 34,540 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Analyst), and Jamie Erdahl (Sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
On December 26, the Miami Hurricanes announced that they would not be able to play in the game, due to COVID-19 issues; organizers stated that they would try to secure a replacement team to face the Washington State Cougars.[4]
On December 27, the Central Michigan Chippewas were named as the Sun Bowl replacement team.[5] The Chippewas had originally been scheduled to face the Boise State Broncos in the Arizona Bowl, until Boise State withdrew from that bowl due to COVID-19 issues.[6]
Teams
editThe bowl has tie-ins with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Pac-12 Conference. The originally planned matchup featured teams from those conferences. The withdrawal of the Miami Hurricanes, an ACC team, led to Central Michigan, a team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), being selected to face Washington State of the Pac-12. This was the first time Central Michigan and Washington State played each other.[7]
Washington State Cougars
editWashington State finished their regular season with a 7–5 record, 6–3 in Pac-12 play. After losing three of their first four games, the Cougars won six of their final eight games. They faced one ranked opponent during the season, losing to Oregon in mid-November. Washington State had previously appeared in two Sun Bowls, winning the 2001 and 2015 editions.[8]
Central Michigan Chippewas
editCentral Michigan finished their regular season with an 8–4 record, 6–2 in MAC play. After losing three of their first five games, they had only a single loss in their final seven games. They did not face any ranked opponents during the season. This was the first Sun Bowl appearance for Central Michigan.[8]
Game summary
editThe bowl's attendance was the lowest for a Sun Bowl since the 1982 edition.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Central Michigan | 13 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Sun Bowl • El Paso, Texas
- Date: Friday, December 31, 2021
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m. local MST)
- Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C)
- Game attendance: 34,540
- Referee: Larry Smith
- TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Analyst) and Jamie Erdahl (Sideline)
- Box score
| Game information |
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Statistics
edit| Statistics | WSU | CMU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 11 | 16 |
| Plays–yards | 66–240 | 72–355 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–13 | 39–147 |
| Passing yards | 227 | 208 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–40–0 | 17–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 25:02 | 34:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | Passing | Victor Gabalis | 12/23, 180 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Nakia Watson | 17 carries, 62 yards | |
| Receiving | Lincoln Victor | 5 receptions, 88 yards, TD | |
| Central Michigan | Passing | Daniel Richardson | 17/33, 208 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Lew Nichols III | 29 carries, 137 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | JaCorey Sullivan | 7 receptions, 83 yards |
References
edit- ^ @ItsTravisGreen (December 31, 2021). "Central Michigan's Lew Nichols III named mvp of the Sun Bowl" (Tweet). Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "2021 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "CMU Chippewas Step in and Defeat Washington State 24-21 in the 88th Annual Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl". sunbowl.org. December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Adelson, Andrea (December 26, 2021). "Miami out of Sun Bowl against Washington State due to COVID-19 issues in football program". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ Sallee, Barrett (December 27, 2021). "Central Michigan to play Washington State in Sun Bowl after Miami pulls out due to COVID-19 issues". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ Glasspiegel, Ryan (December 27, 2021). "Dave Portnoy announces Boise State out of Barstool Bowl due to COVID-19". New York Post. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "Washington State Cougars vs. Central Michigan Chippewas football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Sun Bowl Association has an Opponent for Washington State; Central Michigan to Drive from Tucson to Face the Cougars on Friday". sunbowl.org (Press release). December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
External links
edit- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com
- Digital game program via publogix.com