# 2021 UT Permian Basin Falcons football team

The 2021 UT Permian Basin Falcons football team represented the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) in the 2021 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The Falcons were led by sixth-year head coach Justin Carrigan. The Falcons played their home games at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, Texas, with one home game played at Grande Communications Stadium in Midland.
The Falcons were invited to the Heritage Bowl, losing 21–24 to Oklahoma Baptist. It was the first post-season game for both programs.

## Preseason
### LSC media poll

LSC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Texas A&M–Commerce | 175 (15) |
| 2 | Angelo State | 152 (2) |
| 3 | West Texas A&M | 125 (1) |
| T4 | UT Permian Basin | 112 (5) |
| T4 | Midwestern State | 112 |
| 6 | Eastern New Mexico | 60 |
| 7 | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 59 |
| 8 | Western New Mexico | 33 |
    Source:

## Schedule

The Falcons' 2021 regular season schedule consisted of five home games and five away games. The Falcons hosted LSC foes West Texas A&M, Eastern New Mexico (at Grande Communications Stadium), and Texas A&M–Kingsville and traveled to Western New Mexico, Angelo State, Texas A&M–Commerce, and Midwestern State.
The Falcons hosted non-conference foe Lincoln (CA), an independent program, and traveled to Southwest Baptist from the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Abilene Christian from the Western Athletic Conference. UTPB was scheduled to play at Simon Fraser in Burnaby, British Columbia, but the game was cancelled due to international travel restrictions on the US–Canada border relating to the pandemic.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 12:00 p.m. | at Southwest Baptist* | Plaster StadiumBolivar, MO | W 24–16 | 3,000 |
| September 11 | 6:00 p.m. | West Texas A&M | Ratliff StadiumOdessa, TX | W 42–31 | 5,771 |
| September 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Abilene Christian* | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | L 9–34 | 9,018 |
| September 25 | 7:30 p.m. | at Western New Mexico | Altamirano StadiumSilver City, NM | W 27–19 | 650 |
| October 2 | | at Simon Fraser* | Terry Fox FieldBurnaby, BC | No contest | |
| October 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Lincoln (CA)* | Ratliff StadiumOdessa, TX | W 75–0 | 3,560 |
| October 16 | 6:00 p.m. | at Angelo State | LeGrand Sports ComplexSan Angelo, TX | L 14–34 | 4,873 |
| October 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Eastern New Mexico | Grande Communications StadiumMidland, TX | W 44–21 | 4,280 |
| October 30 | 4:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M–Commerce | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | L 0–41 | 4,827 |
| November 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Texas A&M–Kingsville | Ratliff StadiumOdessa, TX | L 22–29 | 3,255 |
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Midwestern State | Memorial StadiumWichita Falls, TX | L 30–36 | 7,222 |
| December 4 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Oklahoma Baptist* | Tiger StadiumCorsicana, TX (Heritage Bowl) | L 21–24 | 3,576 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingAll times are in Central time ||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### At Southwest Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Bearcats | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 16 |
at Plaster Stadium, Bolivar, Missouri
* Date: September 4
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 3,000
* Referee: John Doe
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | SBU |
| First downs | 23 | 18 |
| Total yards | 433 | 339 |
| Rushing yards | 170 | 50 |
| Passing yards | 263 | 289 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:29 | 26:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 18/29, 244 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Nathan Tilford | 20 rushes, 97 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Kobe Robinson | 7 receptions, 123 yards |
| Southwest Baptist | Passing | Cooper Callis | 30/44, 289 yards, TD, INT |
| Southwest Baptist | Rushing | Cooper Callis | 10 rushes, 31 yards, TD |
| Southwest Baptist | Receiving | Preston Carson | 7 receptions, 108 yards |

### West Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffaloes | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Falcons | 14 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 42 |
at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 93 °F (34 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 13 MPH
* Game attendance: 5,771
* Referee: Robert Newton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WT | TPB |
| First downs | 26 | 21 |
| Total yards | 386 | 408 |
| Rushing yards | 125 | 127 |
| Passing yards | 261 | 281 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:00 | 31:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Nick Gerber | 25/39, 261 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Khalil Harris | 23 rushes, 102 yards, 2 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Markell Stephens-Peppers | 4 receptions, 66 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 23/32, 281 yards, 6 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Nathan Tilford | 15 rushes, 75 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 8 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD |

### At Abilene Christian

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 27 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
at Wildcat Stadium, Abilene, Texas
* Date: September 18
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 9,018
* Referee: Vidal Jones
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | ACU |
| First downs | 20 | 20 |
| Total yards | 262 | 389 |
| Rushing yards | 110 | 226 |
| Passing yards | 152 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:59 | 30:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 11/23, 102 yards, 2 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Jayvon Davis | 10 rushes, 57 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 5 receptions, 53 yards |
| Abilene Christian | Passing | Stone Earle | 17/24, 143 yards, TD |
| Abilene Christian | Rushing | Tyrese White | 12 rushes, 103 yards, TD |
| Abilene Christian | Receiving | Kobe Clark | 9 receptions, 92 yards, TD |

### At Western New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Mustangs | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 19 |
at Altamirano Stadium, Silver City, New Mexico
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT/6:30 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 10 MPH
* Game attendance: 650
* Referee: Tony Acosta
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | WNM |
| First downs | 20 | 29 |
| Total yards | 298 | 410 |
| Rushing yards | 149 | 160 |
| Passing yards | 149 | 250 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:55 | 33:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 11/25, 149 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Jayvon Davis | 19 rushes, 121 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Kobe Robinson | 6 receptions, 114 yards |
| Western New Mexico | Passing | Devin Larsen | 28/44, 250 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Western New Mexico | Rushing | Bryce Coleman | 17 rushes, 81 yards |
| Western New Mexico | Receiving | Kenny Allen | 2 receptions, 48 yards |

### Lincoln (CA)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oaklanders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Falcons | 23 | 7 | 24 | 21 | 75 |
at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
* Date: October 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,560
* Referee: Zach Erdmann
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LIN | TPB |
| First downs | 8 | 25 |
| Total yards | 133 | 457 |
| Rushing yards | 20 | 303 |
| Passing yards | 113 | 154 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 25:16 | 34:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lincoln (CA) | Passing | Isaiah Rios | 10/29, 113 yards, 2 INT |
| Lincoln (CA) | Rushing | Terrance Robertson | 8 rushes, 25 yards |
| Lincoln (CA) | Receiving | Frank Hall | 2 receptions, 32 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 8/18, 116 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Nathan Tilford | 17 rushes, 94 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 3 receptions, 60 yards, TD |

### At Angelo State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Rams | 13 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
at LeGrand Sports Complex, San Angelo, Texas
* Date: October 16
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 4,873
* Referee: Kyle Fuehrer
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | ASU |
| First downs | 12 | 28 |
| Total yards | 233 | 413 |
| Rushing yards | 27 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 206 | 205 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 20:35 | 39:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 12/27, 185 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Jayvon Davis | 13 rushes, 32 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 6 receptions, 157 yards, TD |
| Angelo State | Passing | Zach Bronkhorst | 17/34, 205 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Angelo State | Rushing | CJ Odom | 20 rushes, 81 yards |
| Angelo State | Receiving | Kellen Pachot | 6 receptions, 84 yards |

### Eastern New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Greyhounds | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 6 | 21 | 44 |
at Grande Communications Stadium, Midland, Texas
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,280
* Referee: Joshua Bannerman
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ENM | TPB |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Total yards | 290 | 397 |
| Rushing yards | 195 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 95 | 231 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:52 | 28:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern New Mexico | Passing | Nathan Valencia | 12/26, 95 yards, 3 INT |
| Eastern New Mexico | Rushing | Howard Russell | 26 rushes, 168 yards, TD |
| Eastern New Mexico | Receiving | Martavius Dill | 5 receptions, 44 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 19/36, 231 yards, 3 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Jayvon Davis | 15 rushes, 91 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Marcus Molina | 5 receptions, 90 yards, TD |

### At Texas A&M–Commerce

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lions | 0 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 41 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: October 31
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: W 6 MPH
* Game attendance: 4,827
* Referee: Rickey Herron
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | AMC |
| First downs | 12 | 21 |
| Total yards | 167 | 321 |
| Rushing yards | 47 | 183 |
| Passing yards | 120 | 138 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:14 | 33:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 11/21, 96 yards, 3 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Kevin Young Jr. | 4 rushes, 33 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Kobe Robinson | 4 receptions, 33 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Miklo Smalls | 12/21, 138 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Koby Leavatts | 7 rushes, 59 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Andrew Armstrong | 4 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD |

### Texas A&M–Kingsville

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Javelinas | 6 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 29 |
| Falcons | 0 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 22 |
at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,255
* Referee: Randy Adams
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | AMK | TPB |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Total yards | 370 | 382 |
| Rushing yards | 125 | 86 |
| Passing yards | 245 | 296 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 34:13 | 25:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Passing | Wade Freeman | 13/20, 218 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Rushing | Amonte Bowen | 7 rushes, 57 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Receiving | Ty Chisum | 4 receptions, 88 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Suddin Sapien | 12/24, 200 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Nathan Tilford | 13 rushes, 57 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Kobe Robinson | 6 receptions, 108 yards |

### At Midwestern State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 14 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 30 |
| Mustangs | 10 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 36 |
at Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls, Texas
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 15 MPH
* Game attendance: 7,222
* Referee: Kerry Moore
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | MSU |
| First downs | 25 | 17 |
| Total yards | 480 | 380 |
| Rushing yards | 198 | 215 |
| Passing yards | 282 | 165 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:15 | 30:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Suddin Sapien | 18/34, 263 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Kevin Young Jr. | 20 rushes, 106 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Jordan Smart | 8 receptions, 156 yards, 2 TD |
| Midwestern State | Passing | Neiko Hollins | 15/31, 165 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Midwestern State | Rushing | Jalen March | 21 rushes, 158 yards, TD |
| Midwestern State | Receiving | Kylan Harrison | 6 receptions, 94 yards, TD |

### Vs. Oklahoma Baptist (Heritage Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bison | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Tiger Stadium, Corsicana, Texas
* Date: December 4
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 9 MPH
* Game attendance: 3,576
* Referee: Joe Horn
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OBU | TPB |
| First downs | 26 | 18 |
| Total yards | 368 | 298 |
| Rushing yards | 187 | 18 |
| Passing yards | 181 | 280 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 39:16 | 20:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Passing | Preston Haire | 25/41, 181 yards, TD, INT |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Rushing | Tyler Stuever | 30 rushes, 150 yards, TD |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Receiving | Josh Cornell | 8 receptions, 72 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Clayton Roberts | 12/24, 161 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Kevin Young Jr. | 15 rushes, 46 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Jordan Smart | 6 receptions, 138 yards, TD |

## Statistics
### Scoring
#### Scores against non-conference opponents

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Opponents | 3 | 41 | 16 | 14 | 74 |
| UT Permian Basin | 40 | 14 | 27 | 48 | 129 |

#### Scores against the Lone Star Conference

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Opponents | 39 | 85 | 64 | 23 | 211 |
| UT Permian Basin | 49 | 33 | 41 | 56 | 179 |

#### Scores against all opponents

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Opponents | 42 | 126 | 80 | 37 | 285 |
| UT Permian Basin | 89 | 47 | 68 | 104 | 308 |