Tag: 2021 college football season

Breaking down Bryce Young’s 2021 situational stats

Roll Tide Wire breaks down Bryce Young’s situational stats from his Heisman campaign in 2021.

The start of the 2022 season is less than three weeks away. Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] is set to chase the Heisman Memorial Trophy once again.

The junior quarterback is heading into his second season as the starter and he came close to winning the College Football Playoff national championship in 2021. Unfortunately, he lost both of his top two receivers en route to the natty and they fell to the Georgia Bulldogs.

This year the Tide will kick things off against the Utah State Aggies on Sept. 3. This is only the second time that these two teams have met, the Tide knocked off the Aggies 48-17 in 2004.

As the season approaches, Roll Tide Wire breaks down the junior quarterback’s situational stats. All statistics courtesy of Stats Perform.

A look at Tank Bigsby’s 2021 situational stats

A look at Auburn Tigers junior running back Tank Bigsby and his situational stats from 2021.

[autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] will reprise his role as the starting running back in the 2022 season for the Auburn Tigers. This time around it will be with a new quarterback as Bo Nix is now in Eugene, Oregon. It will likely come down to either Zach Calzada or T.J. Finley.

Bigsby is coming off a 1,000-yard campaign in 2021 after rushing for 834 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman. The junior back tallied most of his yards during the first 15 carries of each game.

A look at Bigsby’s workload:

Carry Totals Attempts Yards YPA TDs
1-5 65 352 5.4 2
6-10 64 295 4.6 5
11-15 49 254 5.2 1
16-20 28 163 5.8 2
21-25 13 41 3.2 0
26-30 4 -4 -1.0 0

As the season approaches, Auburn Wire breaks down more situational stats for the junior running back. All statistics courtesy of Stats Perform.

A look at Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson’s situational stats

A look at how Arkansas starting quarterback KJ Jefferson performed in certain situations in 2021.

As the Arkansas Razorbacks prepare to open the 2022 season with the Cincinnati Bearcats, we begin to preview the upcoming campaign.

When it comes to the offense, as [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] goes so does the team. The Mississippi native is heading into his fourth season with the Hogs. His first start came against the LSU Tigers back in 2019. Arkansas fell to the No. 1 ranked Tigers 56-20, in that game Jefferson completed 50% of his 14 pass attempts and was sacked three times.

This past season he became the full-time starter for head coach Sam Pittman and won the Outback Bowl MVP in the win over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

As the season approaches, Razorbacks Wire breaks down the redshirt junior quarterback’s situational stats. All statistics courtesy of Stats Perform.

4 Sooners’ games land inside the top 50 of ESPN’s 100 best games of 2021

The Oklahoma Sooners kept things interesting in 2021, and four of their games landed inside the top 50 of ESPN’s 100 best games of 2021

It was a wild year for the Oklahoma Sooners. They played a ton of close games in 2021 that left Sooners fans on the edge of their seats all season long. From week one, when they Tulane back into the game to Bedlam, the Oklahoma Sooners rarely made things look easy last season.

For better or worse, Oklahoma provided a ton of excitement on the field and four of their games ended up inside the top 50 of ESPN’s 100 best games of the 2021 season (ESPN+).

 

LSU DT Maason Smith named to FWAA’s Freshman All-American team

Some accolades coming the way of freshman DT Maason Smith.

The FWAA released their Freshman All-American team on Monday. With plenty of talented newcomers, the LSU defense was still able to get one man on the list this year.

The lone LSU Tiger to make the list was defensive tackle Maason Smith. Not shocking considering his level of impact on the defense. Smith was asked to play both inside and outside on the defensive line due to injuries on the edge. Smith should be a high-impact defender next season under the guidance of new defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who comes over from Oklahoma.

Maason Smith of LSU was the nation’s top prep defensive lineman in the fall of 2020 and became a coaches’ pick as an All-SEC Freshman in 2021. He earned three starts toward the end of the season and was third on the team with four sacks. Smith gives LSU a defensive member of the team in five of the last six seasons.

Smith finished out his freshman campaign with 19 total tackles, five TFLs, and four sacks. His presence can’t be understated from this past season where the health of the defensive line was a major concern. Heading into 2022, Smith should be a major breakout star on that side of the ball for Matt House’s defense.

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Chasen Hines makes it official as he declares for the NFL draft

Another member of the offensive line declares for the NFL draft.

Another day and another player declaring for the NFL draft. On Thursday starting right guard Chasen Hines made it official on social media and he said his goodbyes to the Tigers faithful.

It was expected that Hines, much like his counterpart on the left Ed Ingram, would declare for the NFL draft. Hines already accepted an invitation to the NFLPA’s postseason bowl, so it was a given that he would make it official. Players have until Monday to declare for the 2022 NFL draft.

Hines officially becomes the 11th member of the 2021 football team to announce that he will be going pro. Hines joined LSU as part of the 2018 recruiting class out of Marshall, Texas. He was rated as a four-star defensive tackle out and No. 21 at the position. Hines would play on the interior offensive line for the Tigers. He made the transition during his senior year of high school.

Used in a reserve role, was part of the 2019 CFP national championship team where he filled in as needed. Over the last two seasons, Hines was the starter at right guard. Hines appeared in 35 total games for LSU, including eight this season. He would miss the Arkansas, ULM, and Texas A&M games but return for the Texas Bowl against Kansas State.

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Where did the Oklahoma Sooners land in USA TODAY Sports latest 1-130 re-rank?

Following a big bowl win over the Oregon Ducks, the Oklahoma Sooners climbed back into the top 10 of USA TODAY Sports 1-130 re-rank.

The Oklahoma Sooners have bounced all around the rankings and polls over the last year. For much of the season, they were a top-five team, but close wins began to take some of the shine off of the Sooners.

When the Sooners lost to Baylor, it gave credence to the notion they weren’t as good as the preseason expectations. Despite the bounce-back win over Iowa State, the Sooners ended the regular season on a low note against Oklahoma State in Bedlam. That loss dropped the Oklahoma Sooners out of the top 10.

Fast forward through a coaching change and a big Alamo Bowl win over Oregon, and Oklahoma ended the season a little more highly thought of than they were at the end of the regular season. The Sooners climbed back into the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.

In USA TODAY Sports Paul Myerburg’s 1-130 re-rank of all of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the Sooners finished the season No. 9 in the country. They’re the third-highest ranked Big 12 team behind No. 5 Baylor and No. 6 Oklahoma State, each of which earned big bowl wins.

Turning the page on a new chapter of Oklahoma football under Brent Venables, there’s a lot to be excited about. Finishing 2021 on a high note with the win over Oregon should help set the stage for a promising offseason in Norman.

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Where did LSU land in the final USA TODAY Sports FBS re-ranking?

LSU barely cracks the top 60 in the final FBS re-ranking

One final look back at the USA TODAY Sports FBS 1-130 ranking for the 2021 season.

The chapter is finally closed and the Purple and Gold can move forward towards a new era of football. Brian Kelly officially took over the team as head coach on Jan. 5. The day after their 42-20 loss to Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. At least that is when the run of interim coach Brad Davis came to an end, he will return to his post as offensive line coach in 2022.

According to Paul Myerberg’s FBS re-ranking, the LSU Tigers found themselves down to No. 58 overall. Close to where Auburn was ranked at No. 56. Their postseason opponents, Kansas State finished out the year as the No. 38 team climbing 10 spots. The loss to the Wildcats sent LSU tumbling down nine spots in the ranking.

Here is a look at where the 2022 opponents finished in the final ranking. LSU will play Florida State in New Orleans on Sept. 4 to kick off the Brian Kelly era.

2022 Opponents Final Ranking

Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK
  • Florida State (No. 70)
  • Southern (FCS team, N/A)
  • Mississippi State (No. 50)
  • New Mexico (No. 119)
  • Auburn (No. 56)
  • Tennessee (No. 44)
  • Florida (No. 69)
  • Ole Miss (No. 12)
  • Alabama (No. 2)
  • Arkansas (No. 26)
  • UAB (No. 35)
  • Texas A&M (No. 32)

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Final AFCA Coaches Poll: How SEC teams rank as the season ends

The final USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after the conclusion of the 2021 season.

The LSU Tigers didn’t finish out the season as they would have liked. They just didn’t have enough offense to compete with the Kansas State Wildcats as they took a 42-20 loss in the Texas Bowl. Wildcat quarterback Jontre Kirklin did his best to keep them in it.

As the season ends we have the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll which was released on Tuesday. Georgia takes home the top spot after knocking off Alabama 33-18 in the CFP national championship game. The Bulldogs handed the Tide their second loss of the year. Perfect revenge for Alabama taking home the SEC championship again.

A look at the full coaches poll after this week’s slate of games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 14-1 1,550 (62) +2
2 Alabama 13-2 1,488 -1
3 Michigan 12-2 1,398 -1
4 Cincinnati 13-1 1,346 –
5 Ohio State 11-2 1,279 +2
6 Baylor 12-2 1,275 –
7 Oklahoma State 12-2 1,197 +2
8 Michigan State 11-2 1,066 +2
9 Notre Dame 11-2 1,028 -4
10 Oklahoma 11-2 994 +3
11 Ole Miss 10-3 909 -3
12 Utah 10-4 877 -1
13 Pittsburgh 11-3 742 -1
14 Wake Forest 11-3 609 +5
15 Kentucky 10-3 592 +5
16 Clemson 10-3 528 +6
17 Houston 12-2 510 +4
18 ULL 13-1 502 -1
19 NC State 9-3 453 -1
20 Arkansas 9-4 354 +4
21 Oregon 10-4 336 -6
22 BYU 10-3 284 -8
23 Iowa 10-4 276 -7
24 Utah State 11-3 142 +3
25 Texas A&M 8-4 133 -2

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 25: Texas-San Antonio

Others receiving votes:

San Diego State 114; Wisconsin 75; Air Force 42; Minnesota 23; Texas-San Antonio 11; Coastal Carolina 7; Purdue 6; Fresno State 3; Army 1

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Bowl Game Records for every conference; Where does the Big 12 stand?

The Big 12 ended up with the best bowl record among the Power Five, but where do they stand among every FBS conference?

The 2021 college football season is nearly complete with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs set to compete for the College Football Playoff championship to be crowned the national champion following a wild season of college football.

Though there were a host of bowl games that didn’t factor into the national title discussion, there were quite a few entertaining games. For the Big 12, the conference finished with the best record in the Power Five and went 3-0 against the SEC.

With the 2021 season set to reach its conclusion, let’s take a look at how each conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) fared during the 2021 bowl season.