View source for 2021 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 2021
| team = Holy Cross Crusaders
| sport = football
| image = Holy Cross Athletics logo.svg
| image_size = 150
| conference = [[Patriot League]]
| short_conf = Patriot
| STATSRank = 19
| FCSCoachRank = 22
| record = 10–3
| conf_record = 6–0
| head_coach = [[Bob Chesney]]
| hc_year = 4th
| off_coach = [[Justin Roper]]
| oc_year = 2nd
| off_scheme = [[Multiple offense|Multiple]]
| dc_year = 4th
| def_coach = Scott James
| def_scheme = [[4–3 defense|4–3]]
| captain =
| stadium = [[Fitton Field]]
| champion = Patriot League champion
| bowl = [[2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season#Postseason|NCAA Division I Second Round]]
| bowl_result = L 16–21 vs. [[2021 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
}}
{{2021 Patriot League football standings}}
The '''2021 Holy Cross Crusaders football team''' represented the [[College of the Holy Cross]] as a member of the [[Patriot League]] during the [[2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season]]. Led by fourth-year head coach [[Bob Chesney]], Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the Patriot League title. The Crusaders advanced to the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship]] playoffs, where they beat [[2021 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team|Sacred Heart]] in the first round before losing to [[2021 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]] in the second round. They played their home games at [[Fitton Field]] in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]].
==Schedule==
{{CFB schedule
| time = y
| tv = y
| attend = y
| rank = y
| opprank = y
| rankyear = 2021
| rankdivision = NCAA Division I FCS
| poll = STATS
| timezone = Eastern
| September 4 | 12:00 p.m. | at | [[2021 UConn Huskies football team|UConn]]<ncg> | | [[Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field|Rentschler Field]] | [[East Hartford, Connecticut|East Hartford, CT]] | [[CBS Sports Network|CBSSN]] | W 38–28 | 18,782
| September 11 | 2:00 p.m. |  | [[2021 Merrimack Warriors football team|Merrimack]]<ncg> | 24 |[[Fitton Field]] | [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester, MA]] | [[ESPN+]] | L 21–35 | 8,211
| September 18  | 12:00 p.m. | at | [[2021 Yale Bulldogs football team|Yale]]<ncg> | |[[Yale Bowl]] | [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven, CT]] | ESPN+ | W 20–17 | 3,987
| September 25 | 1:00 p.m. | at | No. 20 [[2021 Monmouth Hawks football team|Monmouth]]<ncg> | |[[Kessler Stadium]] | [[West Long Branch, New Jersey|West Long Branch, NJ]] | ESPN+ | W 45–15| 4,235
| October 2 | 1:30 p.m. | | [[2021 Harvard Crimson football team|Harvard]]<ncg> | | Fitton Field | Worcester, MA | [[Spectrum News 1 (Massachusetts)|Spectrum News 1]]  | L 13–38 | 10,023
| October 16 | 1:30 p.m. | | [[2021 Georgetown Hoyas football team|Georgetown]] | |Fitton Field | Worcester, MA | ESPN+ | W 48-14 | 4,518
| October 23 | 5:00 p.m. | | [[2021 Colgate Raiders football team|Colgate]] |  | [[Polar Park (baseball park)|Polar Park]] | Worcester, MA | Spectrum News 1| W 42-10 | 9,508
| October 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at | [[2021 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team|Lehigh]] | | [[Goodman Stadium]] | [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem, PA]] | ESPN+ | W 31-12 | 3,211
| November 6 | 12:30 p.m. | | [[2021 Lafayette Leopards football team|Lafayette]] | |Fitton Field | Worcester, MA | ESPN+ | W 35-10 | 6,514
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at | [[2021 Fordham Rams football team|Fordham]] | | [[Coffey Field]] | [[The Bronx|Bronx, NY]] | ESPN+ | W 52-24 | 3,265
| November 20 | 1:00 p.m. | at | [[2021 Bucknell Bison football team|Bucknell]] | | [[Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium]] | [[Lewisburg, Pennsylvania|Lewisburg, PA]] | | W 45–6 | 864
| November 27 | 12:00 p.m. | | [[2021 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team|Sacred Heart]]<ncg> | 24 | Fitton Field | Worcester, MA ([[2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season#Postseason|FCS Playoffs First Round]]) | ESPN+ | W 13–10  | 4,163
| December 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at | No. 6 [[2021 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]<ncg> | 24 | [[Villanova Stadium]] | [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, PA]] ([[2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season#Postseason|FCS Playoffs Second Round]]) | ESPN+ | L 16–21 | 5,109
}}
<ref>{{cite web |title=2021 Holy Cross Football Schedule |url=https://fbschedules.com/holy-cross-football-schedule/ |website=FBSchedules.com |access-date=March 15, 2021}}</ref>
==Rankings==
{{further|2021 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings}}
{{Ranking movements
|poll1title      = [[Stats Perform|STATS]]
|poll1firstweek  = 0
|poll1lastweek   = 13
|poll2title      = FCS Coaches
|poll2firstweek  = 0
|poll2lastweek   = 13
|poll1_0 = RV
|poll2_0 = RV
|poll1_1 = 24
|poll2_1 = RV
|poll1_2 = RV
|poll2_2 = NR
|poll1_3 = NR
|poll2_3 = RV
|poll1_4 = RV
|poll2_4 = 24т
|poll1_5 = NR
|poll2_5 = RV
|poll1_6 = NR
|poll2_6 = RV
|poll1_7 = NR
|poll2_7 = RV
|poll1_8 = RV
|poll2_8 = RV
|poll1_9 = NR
|poll2_9 = RV
|poll1_10 = RV
|poll2_10 = RV
|poll1_11 = RV
|poll2_11 = RV
|poll1_12 = 24
|poll2_12 = 24
|poll1_13 = 19
|poll2_13 = 22
}}
==Game summaries==
===At UConn===
{{see also|2021 UConn Huskies football team}}
{{Americanfootballbox
|titlestyle= {{CollegeSecondaryStyle|Holy Cross Crusaders}} ;text-align:center;
|state=autocollapse
|title=Holy Cross Crusaders at UConn Huskies &nbsp;– Game summary
|date=September 4
|time= 12:00 p.m.
|road='''Crusaders'''
|R1=7|R2=17|R3=7|R4=7
|home=Huskies
|H1=14|H2=7|H3=7|H4=0
|stadium=[[Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field]], [[East Hartford, Connecticut]]
|attendance= 18,782
|weather=Sunny, {{convert|79|F|C}}
|referee=Jeff Pruitt
|TV=[[CBS Sports Network|CBSSN]]
|TVAnnouncers= [[Ed Cohen]] (play-by-play), [[Ross Tucker]] (color), and [[Tina Cervasio]] (sideline)
|reference=[https://goholycross.com/sports/football/stats/2021/connecticut/boxscore/9337 Box score], [https://goholycross.com/news/2021/9/4/football-holy-cross-tops-fbs-foe-uconn-38-28-in-2021-season-opener.aspx Recap]
|scoring=
'''First quarter'''
*HC – Matthew Sluka 6-yard run (Derek Ng kick), 10:36. ''Crusaders 7–0. '''Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:21.'''''
*CONN – Keelan Marion 50-yard pass from Jack Zergiotis (Joe McFadden kick), 4:23. ''Tied 7–7. '''Drive: 2 plays, 61 yards, 0:29.'''''
*CONN – Jack Zergiotis 1-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 2:22. ''Huskies 14–7. '''Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:13.'''''
'''Second quarter'''
*HC – Jason Modak 29-yard interception return (Derek Ng kick), 14:44. ''Tied 14–14.''
*HC – Ayir Asante 24-yard pass from Matthew Sluka (Derek Ng kick), 6:54. ''Crusaders 21–14. '''Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:47.'''''
*CONN – Keelan Marion 3-yard pass from Jack Zergiotis (Joe McFadden kick), 2:57. ''Tied 21–21. '''Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:57.'''''
*HC – Derek Ng 30-yard field goal, 0:03. ''Crusaders 24–21. '''Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 2:54.'''''
'''Third quarter'''
*HC – Tyler Purdy 3-yard pass from Matthew Sluka (Derek Ng kick), 6:43. ''Crusaders 31–21. '''Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:39.'''''
*CONN – Jayce Medlock 8-yard pass from Jack Zergiotis (Joe McFadden kick), 3:18. ''Crusaders 31–28. '''Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 3:25.'''''
'''Fourth quarter'''
*HC – Tyler Purdy 14-yard run (Derek Ng kick), 8:19. ''Crusaders 38–28. '''Drive: 4 plays, 98 yards, 2:06.'''''
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float: left;"
! Statistics !! style="{{CollegeSecondaryStyle|Holy Cross Crusaders}}"|HC!!style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|UConn Huskies|color=white}}"|CONN
|-
| First downs || 19 || 18
|-
| Total yards || 363 || 262
|-
| Rushing yards || 226 || 88
|-
| Passing yards || 137 || 174
|-
| Turnovers || 1 || 4
|-
| Time of possession || 33:13 || 26:47
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right;"
! Team !! Category !! Player !! Statistics
|-
|rowspan=3 style="{{CollegeSecondaryStyle|Holy Cross Crusaders}}; text-align:center;"|'''Holy Cross''' || Passing || [[Matthew Sluka]] || 9/16, 140 yards, 2 TD
|-
| Rushing || Matthew Sluka || 14 rushes, 112 yards, TD
|-
| Receiving || [[Jalen Coker]] || 4 receptions, 75 yards
|-
|rowspan=3 style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|UConn Huskies|color=white}}; text-align:center;"|'''UConn''' || Passing || Jack Zergiotis || 17/41, 174 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
|-
| Rushing || Kevin Mensah || 21 rushes, 66 yards
|-
| Receiving || Keelan Marion || 3 receptions, 60 yards, 2 TD
|}
{{Clear}}
This was the Crusaders' first win over an FBS opponent since [[2002 Holy Cross Crusaders football team|2002]].
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Holy Cross Crusaders football navbox}}
{{Patriot League football champions}}
{{2021 NCAA Division I FCS playoff navbox}}
[[Category:2021 Patriot League football season|Holy Cross]]
[[Category:Holy Cross Crusaders football seasons]]
[[Category:Patriot League football champion seasons]]
[[Category:2021 NCAA Division I FCS playoff participants]]
[[Category:2021 in sports in Massachusetts|Holy Cross Crusaders football]]
{{collegefootball-2020s-season-stub}}