2021 First Responder Bowl Postgame Notes
Postgame Bowl Notes – 12th Annual 2021 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl – Dec. 28, 2021
Final Score: Air Force 31, Louisville 28
General Game Notes:
The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl traditionally has been one of the highest-scoring postseason contests nationally since its founding as the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 1, 2011, with a 45-38 victory by freewheeling Texas Tech over Northwestern. In the first seven First Responder Bowls there were at least 44 points scored between the competing squads, and the 2019 encounter just missed that mark with 43 composite markers by WKU and Western Michigan. The ’20 renewal was more true to form as Louisiana outpointed UTSA 31-24 in a scoring fest with 55 tallies. Today’s game followed that pattern with 59 total points.
This is the 12th annual renewal of the City of Dallas bowl, though the 2018 contest was halted seven minutes into the first quarter by recurrent severe weather and declared a no-contest.
There now has been a bowl game played (or started) in Dallas for 85 consecutive seasons. The skein opened Jan. 1, 1937, when TCU edged Marquette 16-6 in the inaugural Cotton Bowl Classic at Fair Park Stadium (later renamed Cotton Bowl Stadium). There actually were three other bowl games played on that same site Jan. 2, 1922, with Texas A&M downing 1920s Southern power Centre (Ky.) 22-14, Jan. 1, 1925, as West Virginia Wesleyan edged SMU 9-7 and Jan. 1, 1934, as Arkansas and Centenary (La.) tied 7-7.
This was the first football meeting between Air Force and Louisville – one of 18 initial matchups between teams competing in post-2021 bowls.
Both teams were exactly .500 in bowl winning percentage entering the game, and Air Force emerged 14-13-1 while Louisville dropped to 11-12-1 in postseason play. AFA now has won three consecutive bowl berths and four of its last five bowl tussles going back to 2014.
Air Force joins Army West Point as the only two military academies to participate in the SPFRB, and this is the first time since 2016 that an academy has competed in this bowl. Both the Falcons and Black Knights won bowl bashes in the DFW Metroplex after Army West Point edged Missouri 24-22 on a last-second field goal in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Louisville is the second Atlantic Coast Conference school to play here. Boston College faced off against Boise State of the Mountain West Conference in 2018, a game that was canceled in the first quarter due to constant severe weather. To date, the ’18 bowl is the first and only bowl in college history to be declared a no-contest because of severe climate.
Air Force is the third MWC team to participate along with Boise State and UNLV, which fell to North Texas in 2013. The Falcons also have played two games this season in the DFW Metroplex with a 21-14 overtime loss to Army West Point Nov. 6 in the Lockheed Martin Commander-in-Chief’s Challenge at Arlington’s Globe Life Field – the first college football game played at the home of the MLB Texas Rangers and the 2020 MLB World Series.
Today’s game will be the first SPFRB victory for either the ACC or MWC who have sent five teams to the bowl with a previous composite mark of 0-1 and two non-contests. Conference USA has played in the most SERVPRO First Responder Bowl with seven appearances and a 4-3 mark. The Big Ten has sent four teams to this bowl and is 0-4. Both the Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences have 1-0 records in the previous 10 SPFRB.
Records By Conference Appearances by season
Games W-L Pct.
C-USA 7 4-3 .571 2011-13-14-15-16-19-20
Big Ten 4 0-4 .000 2010-11-12-14
Big 12 3 2-1 .667 2010-12-17
Mountain West 3 1-1 .500 2013-18-21
Pac-12 2 2-0 1.000 2015-17
ACC 2 0-1 .000 2018-21
Independent 1 1-0 1.000 2016
Sun Belt 1 1-0 1.000 2020
MAC 1 0-1 .000 2019
Bowl Team Records
Most points scored (one team) 58, Oklahoma State vs. Purdue 2013
Most points scored (losing team) 38, Northwestern vs. Texas Tech, 2011
Most points scored (both teams) 83, Texas Tech vs. Northwestern, 2011
Fewest Points Allowed (3 times) 14, most recent: Utah vs. West Virginia, 2017
Largest margin of victory 44, Oklahoma State vs. Purdue, 2013
Total yards 600, Houston vs. Penn State (532 pass, 68 rush), 2012
Rushing yards 480, Army vs. North Texas, 2016
Passing yards 532, Houston vs. Penn State, 2012
First downs 34, Texas Tech vs. Northwestern, 2011
Fewest total yards allowed 153, Utah vs. West Virginia, 2017
Fewest rushing yards allowed 22, Washington vs. Southern Miss, 2015
Fewest passing yards allowed 53, North Texas vs. Army, 2016
Individual Records
Total offense 542, Case Keenum (Houston) (532 pass, 10 rush), 2012
All-purpose yards 228 Patrick Edwards (Houston), 2012
Total Touchdowns 4, Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Rushing yards 181, Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Rushing touchdowns 4, Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Passing yards 532, Case Keenum (Houston), 2012
Passing touchdowns 4, Taylor Potts (Texas Tech), 2011
Receiving yards 228, Patrick Edwards (Houston) , 2012
Receiving touchdowns 2 times, most recent: Mike Thomas (Southern Miss), 2015
Total Tackles 15, shared by: Quentin Davie (Northwestern), 2011; Jeremy Timpf (Army), 2016
Sacks 4.5, Houston Bates (Louisiana Tech), Dec. 2014
Interceptions Nick Saenz (Houston), 2012; Julian Blackmon (Utah), 2017
Longest Plays
Touchdown run 86 yds., shared by: Eric Stephens (Texas Tech), 2011; Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Touchdown pass 80 yds., Cody Sokol to Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech), Dec. 2014
Kickoff return 49 yds., Marcus Sullivan (UNLV), 2014
Punt return 64 yds., Josh Stewart (Oklahoma State), 2013
Interception return 88 yds., Kareem Ali (Western Michigan), 2019
Fumble return 37 yds., Daytawion Lowe (Oklahoma State), 2013
Punt 65 yds., Quinn Sharp (Oklahoma State), 2013
Field goal 52 yds., Cory Munson (WKU), 2019
Air Force Notes:
Falcons wideout Brandon Lewis had a team season-high two TD receptions for a season-best 172 receiving yards and set a school record (minimum two catches) with a 34.4 yards average.
AFA quarterback Haaziq Daniels started the game with a 782 passer rating on an initial 3-for-3 passing performance with two touchdowns in the first half. His previous game passing yards’ high this year was 226 against Army West Point, and he had 199 in the first half en route to 252 yards today, 9-of-10 passing, two TDs and a final 367.7 passer rating. He also had a rushing TD in the opening half.
RB Brad Roberts needed 16 rushing attempts to claim the Air Force record for carries in a season with 294 by Brian Breen in 1970. Roberts ended with 299 rushing attempts and 23-plus carries per contest in 13 games. Roberts also moved into third place in AFA season rushing yards with 1,356 after rushing for 77 yards on 20 attempts.
Air Force entered the clash with 781 rushing attempts and needing 48 carries to break the school record of 828.
Air Force is now 414-335-13 (.552 winning percentage, 59th among NCAA FBS programs) over 65 seasons. The Falcons are 14-13-1 in 28 bowl games (No. 27 nationally on most bowl games contested) and 14-10-0 against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
AFA has played in 11 bowl contests since the 2007 season – all under head coach Troy Calhoun – and is 6-5 in those encounters with a 4-1 mark in the last five postseason tests. The Falcons have won three conference championships in the Western Athletic Conference during the 1985-98 era.
Coach Calhoun now is 111-75-0 after concluding his 15th season as a head coach – all at Air Force. He is 6-5-0 in bowl bouts and has taken the Falcons to 11 of their all-time 28 bowls. He also is the second-winningest head coach in AFA history behind NFF College Hall of Fame coach Fisher DeBerry with a 169-101-1 mark over 23 seasons (1984-2006, 6-6 in bowls).
Coach Calhoun and Air Force also have a long line of alumni coaching connections such as:
Chris Gizzi, 1998, Strength, Green Bay
Joe Lombardi, 94, OC, LA Chargers
Chad Hall, 08, WRs, Buffalo
Steve Russ, 95, LBs, Washington FB Team
Jemal Singleton, RBs, Philadelphia
Chris Beake, 94, Def staff, Denver
Tim DeRuyter, 85, DC, Oregon
Charlton Warren, 99, DC, Indiana
Blane Morgan, 99, HC, Lamar
Scott Wachenheim, 84, HC, VMI
Charlie Jackson, 00, HC, Kentucky State
Current teams from the Mountain West Conference are 37-42-1 in 80 meetings with teams in the 2021 ACC configuration. Air Force also is 3-3-1 in seven bowl games played in Texas beginning with the 1959 Cotton Bowl Classic and a 0-0 tie with TCU.
Louisville Notes:
Cardinals QB Malik Cunningham is now fourth in UofL career history with 10,718 yards of total offense and ended with 3,975 yards of total offense in 2021 – sixth in Cardinals annals and 277 total offense yard. He also had seven 300-yard total offense games in 2021 for fifth place in UofL individual season annals. The Cards QB also needed 43 net rushing yards entering the contest to move into sixth place in Louisville annals with 2,566 rushing yards and ended the evening with 66 yards on 12 carries for a current 2,632 career rushing yards tally.
Cunningham had rushed for 37 career TDs entering the game and had one TD for his 38th – one off third place with the 39 all-time TD rushes.
UofL is now 532-488-17 overall (.520 winning percentage, 76th in NCAA FBS winning percentage) and has won or shared nine conference crowns as a member of the Missouri Valley, Conference USA and Atlantic Coast Conferences. The Cardinals are 11-12-1 in 24 bowl visits and have played in 10 bowls over the last 12 campaigns.
The Cardinals first bowl berth was a 1957 victory over Drake 34-20 in the Sun Bowl at El Paso – Louisville’s only other postseason skirmish in Texas. The ACC contender has played previous regular-season series in the Lone Star State against Texas, Texas A&M, SMU, Houston, and Baylor, among others.
Coach Scott Satterfield of the Cardinals is 69-43-0 in nine seasons with Appalachian State (2013-18, 51-24 overall record, 3-0 in bowls) and at UofL (2019-present, 18-19-0, 1-1 in postseason activity). He captured three Sun Belt Conference crows as coach at ASU.
Louisville is 4-7-1 all-time against now five current members of the MWC, and the ACC is 42-37-1 all-time against Mountain West Conference teams.
Today’s attendance was 15,251.
Quick Quotes From Winning Head Coach Troy Calhoun, Air Force:
"The offense played well. The defense played well. This was just a great bowl win for the U,S. Air Force Academy. I was very proud of our players for keeping the ball on that last drive when they cut the lead to three points. That was a real key to winning."
2021-22 Bowl Schedules, Results, Attendance – 38 Bowls (Attendance Noted, all television airtimes EST) – Results and Schedule Through Early Dec. 28, 2021
Friday, Dec. 17 Bahamas Bowl Middle Tennessee 31, Toledo 24, 13,596
Friday, Dec. 17 Cure Bowl Coastal Carolina 47, Northern Illinois 41, 9,784
Saturday, Dec. 18 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl WKU 59, Appalachian State 38, 15,429
Saturday, Dec. 18 Cricket Celebration Bowl South Carolina State 31, Jackson State 10, 48,653
Saturday, Dec. 18 New Mexico Bowl Fresno State 31, UTEP 24, 16,422
Saturday, Dec. 18 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl UAB 31, BYU 28, 26,276
Saturday, Dec. 18 Lendingtree Bowl Liberty 56, Eastern Michigan 20, 15,186
Saturday, Dec. 18 Jimmy Kimmel Los Angeles Bowl Utah State 24, Oregon State 13, 29,896
Saturday, Dec. 18 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Louisiana 36, Marshall 21, 21,642
Monday, Dec. 20 Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct Tulsa 30, Old Dominion 17, 6,557
Tuesday, Dec. 21 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Wyoming 52, Kent State 38, 10,217
Tuesday, Dec. 21 Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl San Diego State 38, UTSA 24, 15,801
Wednesday, Dec. 22 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Army West Point 24, Missouri 22, 34,888
Thursday, Dec. 23 Ryan Frisco Football Classic Bowl Miami (Ohio) 27, North Texas 14, 11,721
Thursday, Dec. 23 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, UCF 29, Florida 17, 63,669
Friday, Dec. 24 EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl Hawai’i vs. Memphis, 8 p.m. ESPN, cancelled
Saturday, Dec. 25 TaxAct Camellia Bowl, Georgia State 51, Ball State 20, 4,200
Monday, Dec. 27 Quick Lane Bowl Western Michigan 52, Nevada 24, 22,321
Monday, Dec. 27 Military Bowl Boston College vs. East Carolina, ESPN, Annapolis, Md., cancelled
Tuesday, Dec. 28 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, Houston 17, Auburn 13, Birmingham, Ala., 47,100
Tuesday, Dec. 28 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Air Force 31, Louisville 28, Dallas, Texas, 15,251
Tuesday, Dec. 28 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech, 6:45 p.m. ESPN, Memphis, Tenn.
Tuesday, Dec. 28 Holiday Bowl NC State vs. UCLA, FOX, San Diego, Calif., cancelled
Tuesday, Dec. 28 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Minnesota vs. West Virginia, 10:15 p.m. ESPN, Phoenix, Ariz.
Wednesday, Dec. 29 Wasabi Fenway Bowl SMU vs, Virginia, ESPN, Boston, Mass., cancelled
Wednesday, Dec. 29 Pinstripe Bowl Maryland vs. Virginia Tech, 2:15 p.m. ESPN, Bronx, N.Y.
Wednesday, Dec. 29 Cheez-It Bowl Clemson vs. Iowa State, 5:45 p.m. ESPN, Orlando
Wednesday, Dec. 29 Valero Alamo Bowl Oklahoma vs. Oregon, 9:15 p.m. ESPN, San Antonio, Texas
Thursday, Dec. 30 Duke's Mayo Bowl North Carolina vs. South Carolina, 11:30 a.m. ESPN, Charlotte, N.C.
Thursday, Dec. 30 Transperfect Music City Bowl Purdue vs. Tennessee, 3 p.m. ESPN, Nashville, Tenn.
Thursday, Dec. 30 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ESPN, Atlanta, Ga.
Thursday, Dec. 30 SRS Las Vegas Bowl Arizona State vs. Wisconsin, 10:30 p.m. ESPN, Las Vegas, Nev.
Friday, Dec. 31 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Rutgers vs. Wake Forest, 11 a.m. ESPN, Jacksonville, Fla.
Friday, Dec. 31 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Washington State vs. Opponent TBD, 2 p.m. CBS, El Paso, Texas
Friday, Dec. 31, Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, Central Michigan vs. Opponent TBD, 2 p.m. BarstoolSports.com webcast, Tucson, Ariz.
Friday, Dec. 31 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP semifinal) Alabama vs. Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. ESPN, Arlington, Texas
Friday, Dec. 31 Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) Georgia vs. Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ESPN, Miami Lakes, Fla.
Saturday, Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Arkansas vs. Penn State, noon ESPN2, Tampa, Fla.
Saturday, Jan. 1 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State, 1 p.m. ESPN, Glendale, Ariz.
Saturday, Jan. 1 Vrbo Citrus Bowl Iowa vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. ABC, Orlando, Fla.
Saturday, Jan. 1 Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Ohio State vs. Utah, 5 p.m. ESPN, Pasadena, Calif.
Saturday, Jan. 1 Allstate Sugar Bowl Baylor vs. Ole Miss, 8:45 p.m. ESPN, New Orleans, La.
Tuesday, Jan. 4 TaxAct Texas Bowl Kansas State vs. LSU, 9 p.m. ESPN, Houston, Texas
Monday, Jan. 10 College Football Playoff championship 8 p.m. ESPN, Indianapolis, Ind.
Conference Records in 2021-22 Bowls (Through Early Dec. 28 - 18 Bowls)
AAC 3-0
ACC 0-1
Big Ten 0-0
Big 12 0-0
C-USA 3-5
Independents 2-1
MAC 2-5
MWC 5-1 (leads ESPN Bowl Challenge Cup at this point)
Pac-12 0-1
SEC 0-3
Sun Belt 3-1
Note: The 2019-20 postseason was the 27th consecutive bowl season (since 1993-94) where attendance topped one million. The record for total attendance is 1,822,387 with an average of 52,068 in 2010-11, and the attendance average mark is 65,178 for eight bowls in 1966-67 with total attendance of 521,427.
Total 2021-22 Attendance 18 Bowls: 379,956, average: 21,108
-Firstresponderbowl.com-