# 2021 MAC Championship Game

The 2021 MAC Championship Game was a college football game played on December 4, 2021, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It was the 25th edition of the MAC Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the 2021 season. The game began at 12:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. The game featured the Northern Illinois Huskies, the Western Division champions, and the Kent State Golden Flashes, the Eastern Division champions. Sponsored by mortgage lending company Quicken Loans through their Rocket Mortgage brand, the game was officially known as the Rocket Mortgage MAC Championship Game.

## Teams

The 2021 MAC Championship Game will feature the Kent State Golden Flashes, champions of the East Division, and the Northern Illinois Huskies, champions of the West Division. This will be the teams' 30th all-time meeting; Northern Illinois enters the game leading the series 21–8. The teams first met in 1949, and have been Mid-American Conference opponents since 1975. The teams last met earlier in the season, with Kent State defeating Northern Illinois 52–47, to break a ten-game losing streak to the Huskies; prior to 2021, the teams last faced off in 2017, with Northern Illinois winning, 24–3.

### Kent State

Kent State clinched a spot in the championship game following their win over Miami (OH). It marked their first Eastern Division title since 2012; Kent State is looking for their first MAC title since 1972.

### Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois clinched a berth in the championship game following their win over Buffalo.

## Game summary

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kent State | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Northern Illinois | 10 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
at Ford Field • Detroit, Michigan
* Date: December 4, 2021
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: n/a (game played indoors)
* Game attendance: 10,317
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV announcers (ESPN): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
* Box score
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Kent State | Northern Illinois |
| 1 | 9:43 | 10 | 41 | 5:17 | Northern Illinois | 37-yard field goal by John Richardson | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 2:09 | 10 | 78 | 4:57 | Northern Illinois | Clint Ratkovich 2-yard touchdown run, John Richardson kick good | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | 8:33 | 15 | 81 | 7:52 | Northern Illinois | Rocky Lombardi 1-yard touchdown run, John Richardson kick good | 0 | 17 |
| 3 | 11:38 | 9 | 56 | 3:22 | Kent State | 41-yard field goal by Andrew Glass | 3 | 17 |
| 3 | 3:55 | | | | Northern Illinois | Interception returned 26 yards for touchdown by CJ Brown, John Richardson kick good | 3 | 24 |
| 3 | 0:27 | 9 | 75 | 3:28 | Kent State | Nykeim Johnson 17-yard touchdown reception from Dustin Crum, Andrew Glass kick good | 10 | 24 |
| 4 | 10:54 | 8 | 75 | 4:33 | Northern Illinois | Rocky Lombardi 5-yard touchdown run, John Richardson kick good | 10 | 31 |
| 4 | 6:55 | 5 | 21 | 2:48 | Northern Illinois | Rocky Lombardi 2-yard touchdown run, John Richardson kick good | 10 | 38 |
| 4 | 4:16 | 10 | 78 | 2:39 | Kent State | Collin Schlee 4-yard touchdown run, Andrew Glass kick good | 17 | 38 |
| 4 | 2:01 | 5 | 17 | 2:15 | Northern Illinois | 30-yard field goal by John Richardson | 17 | 41 |
| 4 | 0:00 | 10 | 92 | 2:01 | Kent State | Luke Floriea 17-yard touchdown reception from Collin Schlee, kick not attempted, time expired | 23 | 41 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 23 | 41 |

### Statistics

| Statistics | KENT | NIU |
| First downs | 24 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 62–391 | 76–368 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–195 | 61–266 |
| Passing yards | 196 | 102 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–26–2 | 7–15–1 |
| Time of possession | 19:59 | 40:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Dustin Crum | 11/21, 128 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Xavier Williams | 8 carries, 93 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Dante Cephas | 7 receptions, 102 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Rocky Lombardi | 7/15, 102 yards, 1 INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Jay Ducker | 29 carries, 146 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Trayvon Rudolph | 3 receptions, 50 yards |