2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team
The 2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by fourth-year head coach Eric Morris.
2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football | |
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Southland champion | |
FCS Playoffs, L 42–49, vs. Sam Houston State | |
Conference | Southland Conference |
Ranking | |
STATS | No. 12 |
FCS Coaches | No. 13 |
2021 record | 10–3 (7–1 Southland) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Cody Crill (4th season) |
Defensive coordinator | Justin Deason (4th season) |
Home stadium | Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium (Capacity: 6,000) |
2021 Southland Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 12 Incarnate Word $^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nicholls | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McNeese State * | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern State | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston Baptist | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On November 12, 2021, Incarnate Word announced that this will be the last season for the team in the Southland and will then join the Western Athletic Conference in July 1, 2022.
Previous season
The Cardinals finished the 2020 season with a 3–3 record in regular and conference play (3rd in the Southland) during the shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 13, 2020, Incarnate Word announced it was is postponing all competition for the Fall 2020 and instead opted for a Spring 2021 season, which was soon followed suit with majority of FCS deciding to play in the spring as well. Two of the Cardinals' three wins were against FCS ranked teams. Incarnate Word did not qualify for postseason tournament play for the second year in a row. At the conclusion of the season, Cardinals' starting quarterback Cameron Ward received the highly coveted STATS Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman player in the FCS level.
Preseason
Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their preseason poll in July 2021. The Cardinals were picked to finish third in the conference.[1] In addition, fifteen Cardinals were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team.[2]
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
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1 | Southeastern Louisiana | 48 (8) |
2 | Nicholls | 43 (4) |
3 | Incarnate Word | 32 |
4 | McNeese State | 26 |
5 | Northwestern State | 21 |
6 | Houston Baptist | 10 |
Preseason All–Southland Teams
Offense 1st Team
2nd Team
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Defense 1st Team
2nd Team
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Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | at Youngstown State* | ESPN+ | L 41–44 OT | 8,637 | ||
September 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Prairie View A&M* | ESPN+ | W 40–9 | 2,517 | ||
September 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas State* | ESPN3 | W 42–34 | 16,107 | ||
September 25 | 11:00 a.m. | McNeese State |
| ESPN+ | W 31–0 | 1,633 | |
October 2 | 6:00 p.m. | at Northwestern State | No. 24 | ESPN+ | W 38–27 | 6,125 | |
October 16 | 11:00 a.m. | Nicholls | No. 18 |
| ESPN+ | W 38–21 | 1,369 |
October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | at McNeese State | No. 16 | ESPN+ | L 20–28 | 7,498 | |
October 30 | 3:00 p.m. | Houston Baptist![]() | No. 22 |
| ESPN+ | W 49–21 | 2,711 |
November 6 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 6 Southeastern Louisiana | No. 22 |
| ESPN+ | W 55–52 | 3,220 |
November 13 | 3:00 p.m. | at Nicholls | No. 17 | ESPN+ | W 27–23 | 6,392 | |
November 20 | 2:00 p.m. | at Houston Baptist | No. 18 | ESPN+ | W 55–14 | 1,931 | |
November 27 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 20 Stephen F. Austin* | No. 13 |
| ESPN+ | W 35–28 OT | 3,448 |
December 4 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 1 Sam Houston State* | No. 13 | ESPN+ | L 42–49 | 6,722 | |
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Personnel
Coaching staff
Source: [5]
Name | Position | Alma Mater | Joined Staff |
Eric Morris | Head Coach | Texas Tech (2008) | 2018 |
Jordan Davis | Assistant Head Coach / Wide Receivers | Texas Tech (2014) | 2018 |
Justin Deason | Defensive Coordinator | Central Oklahoma (2003) | 2018 |
Cody Crill | Offensive Coordinator | Angelo State (2002) | 2018 |
Brandon Lechtenberg | Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator | Nebraska | 2018 |
Clint Killough | Inside Receivers / Academic Coordinator | Incarnate Word (2015) | 2018 |
Darren Garrigan | Defensive Backs / Pass Game Coordinator | West Texas A&M (2009) | 2018 |
Matthew Gregg | Outside Linebackers | Southern Nazarene | 2019 |
Mack Leftwich | Quarterbacks | UTEP (2017) | 2018 |
Jordan Shoemaker | Offensive Line / Run Game Coordinator | Houston (2011) | 2018 |
Brett Watson | Interior Defensive Line / Academic Coordinator | West Texas A&M (2009) | 2018 |
Scotty Yates | Quality Control / Defensive Backs | Texas A&M University–Commerce (2015) | 2019 |
Rolando Surita III | Chief of Staff | 2020 | |
Bret Huth | Director of Strength and Conditioning | John Carroll (2010) | 2018 |
Jimmy Fowler | Director of Football Operations | 2021 | |
Roster
Source: [6]
2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football | ||||||||||
Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
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Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Kicker
Punter
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Linebacker
Defensive Back
Long Snapper
Legend
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Depth chart
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Postseason honors
The following Cardinals received postseason honors for the 2021 season:[7]
Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year
QB Cameron Ward – Sophomore
All–Southland Conference First–Team
RB Kevin Brown – Graduate Senior
WR Taylor Grimes – Junior
OL Nash Jones – Sophomore
DL Cameron Preston – Senior
LB Kelechi Anyalebechi – Senior
DB Kaleb Culp – Sophomore
PR Robert Ferrel – Senior
All–Southland Conference Second–Team
QB Cameron Ward – Sophomore
WR Robert Ferrel – Senior
P Keven Nguyen – Senior
DL Brandon Bowen – Graduate Senior
LB Isaiah Paul – Sophomore
DB Rashon Davis – Graduate Senior
All–Southland Conference Third–Team
RB Marcus Cooper – Graduate Senior
WR Darion Chafin – Senior
OL Reid Francis – Junior
OL Caleb Johnson – Senior
OL Dawson Kier – Senior
DL Blaine Hoover – Senior
DB Elliott Davison – Sophomore
DB Moses Reynolds – Senior
DB Brandon Richard – Junior
Game summaries
@ Youngstown State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
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Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 41 |
Penguins | 14 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 44 |
Game information | ||
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Prairie View A&M
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
Cardinals | 17 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 40 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
- Date: September 11
- Game time: 7:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 88 • Wind: E 10 mph • Weather: Clear
- Game attendance: 2,517
- Referee: Ed Bourgeois
- TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play), Taylor McHargue (analyst)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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@ Texas State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cardinals | 14 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
Bobcats | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
Game information | ||
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McNeese State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cardinals | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
- Date: September 25
- Game time: 11:00 a.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 81 • Wind: SE 4 mph • Weather: Sunny and clear
- Game attendance: 1,633
- Referee: Ed Bourgeois
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst), & Lainie Fritz (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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@ Northwestern State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 24 Cardinals | 14 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
Demons | 0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, LA
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 6:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 80 • Wind: SSE 4 mph • Weather: Scattered storms
- Game attendance: 6,125
- Referee: Gary Leeper
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Rene Nadeau (analyst) & Laura Sadler (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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Nicholls
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Colonels | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
No. 18 Cardinals | 0 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
- Date: October 16
- Game time: 11:00 a.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 69 • Wind: SSW 14 mph • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 1,369
- Referee: Ed Bourgeois
- TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play), Taylor McHargue (analyst), & Lainie Fritz (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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@ McNeese State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 16 Cardinals | 0 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 20 |
Cowboys | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, LA
- Date: October 23
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 83 • Wind: SE 10 mph • Weather: Mostly cloudy
- Game attendance: 7,498
- Referee: Nolan Dumas
- TV announcers (ESPN+): John Liddle (play-by-play, LaDarrin McLane (analyst), Shavonne Herndon (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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Houston Baptist
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Huskies | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
No. 22 Cardinals | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
- Date: October 30
- Game time: 3:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 79 • Wind: SW 7 mph • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 2,711
- Referee: Gary Leeper
- TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play, Shea Walker (analyst), Laura Sadler (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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No. 6 Southeastern Louisiana
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 6 Lions | 7 | 10 | 21 | 14 | 52 |
No. 22 Cardinals | 7 | 21 | 14 | 13 | 55 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
- Date: November 6
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 68 • Wind: SE 2 mph • Weather: Clear, sunny
- Game attendance: 3,220
- Referee: Ed Bourgeois
- TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play), Taylor McHargue (analyst), Lainie Fritz (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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@ Nicholls
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 17 Cardinals | 0 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
Colonels | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
- Date: November 13
- Game time: 3:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 60 • Wind: NNW 11 mph • Weather: Clear
- Game attendance: 6,392
- Referee: Craig Helser
- TV announcers (ESPN+): John Liddle (play-by-play), Gary Reasons (analyst), Lainie Fritz (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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@ Houston Baptist
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 18 Cardinals | 35 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 55 |
Huskies | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
- Date: November 20
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 78 • Wind: NW 9 mph • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 1,931
- Referee: Craig Helser
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst), Laura Sadler (sideline)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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FCS Playoffs
Stephen F. Austin–First Round
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
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No. 20 Lumberjacks | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
No. 13 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
- Date: November 27, 2021
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 51 • Wind: Calm • Weather: Cloudy & overcast
- Game attendance: 3,448
- Referee: Jason Soistman
- TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play) & Taylor McHargue (analyst)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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@ Sam Houston State–Second Round
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 13 Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
No. 1 Bearkats | 10 | 21 | 3 | 15 | 49 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX
- Date: December 4, 2021
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 76 • Wind: S 5 mph • Weather: Overcast
- Game attendance: 6,722
- Referee: Matt Gallagher
- TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play), Forrest Conoly (analyst)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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Rankings
Week | |||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
STATS FCS | RV | — | — | RV | 24 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
References
- "Southeastern Voted to Top Spot in 2021 Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- "2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals Football Schedule".
- "2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.
- "Football Coaches". University of the Incarnate Word. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- "2021 Football Roster". University of the Incarnate Word. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- "Southland Announces 2021 All-Conference Football Teams". Southland Conference. Retrieved December 23, 2021.