BYU completed an improbable run to another AP Top 25 finish by going 5-0 against the PAC-12 including a win over PAC-12 Champ Utah. The Cougars season was somewhat soured by an upset loss to BYU in the Independence Bowl, but it did not diminish their accomplishments in their 10-3 season. In addition to BYU, Army and Liberty also enjoyed solid seasons, both ending with big bowl wins.
Coming off last year’s 10-1 and 17th place finish in the final AP poll, expectations were sky high for Liberty. However, after a hot 5-1 start (including a 3-point road loss to Syracuse), the Flames hit a rough stretch. An unexpected loss to UL Monroe was followed by two victories before a turnover plagued streak of three consecutive losses put the Flames at 7-5 entering their bowl game. They responded with a resounding win over Eastern Michigan to close an 8-5 campaign.
Similarly, Army was coming off a strong 2020 season (9-3) and looking to accomplish even more in 2021. A 4-0 start showed promise, but the Black Knights stumbled dropping three consecutive games, including a wild 70-56 loss to #16 Wake Forest. Army rallied for 4 straight wins before a demoralizing season-ending loss to Navy in their annual meeting. But the Black Knights once again showed their resolve, topping P5 Missouri 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
2021 G5 Independents Final Performance
| Division/Team | All Games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | Pct | Points | Against |
 Brigham Young | 10 | 3 | 0.769 | 430 | 322 |
 Army | 9 | 4 | 0.692 | 427 | 290 |
 Liberty | 8 | 5 | 0.615 | 437 | 280 |
 New Mexico State | 2 | 10 | 0.167 | 271 | 485 |
 Massachusetts | 1 | 11 | 0.083 | 196 | 517 |
 Connecticut | 1 | 11 | 0.083 | 187 | 462 |
2021 G5 Independents Team Statistical Leaders
| Statistic | Team | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Team Scoring Offense and Defense | ||
| Points Scored Per Game-Total | Liberty | 33.6 |
| Average Game Margin-Total | Liberty | 12.1 |
| Points Scored Per Game-Conf | ||
| Average Game Margin – Conf | ||
| Passing Offense | ||
| Pass Attempts Per Game | New Mexico State | 43.2 |
| Pass Completions Per Game | New Mexico State | 24.7 |
| Completion Percentage | Brigham Young | 65.1 |
| Passing Yards Per Game | New Mexico State | 269.4 |
| Passing TDs Per Game | Liberty | 2.5 |
| Rushing Offense | ||
| Rushing Attempts Per Game | Army | 58.3 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | Army | 281.1 |
| Average Yards Per Carry | Brigham Young | 5.1 |
| Rushing TDs Per Game | Army | 3.5 |
| Total Offense | ||
| Plays Per Game | New Mexico State | 74 |
| Total Yards Per Game | Brigham Young | 452.5 |
| Average Yards Per Play | Brigham Young | 6.8 |
| Penalties | ||
| Penalties Per Game (Fewest) | Army | 3.8 |
| Penalty Yards Per Game (Fewest) | Army | 36.8 |
| Offense Turnovers | ||
| Fumbles Per Game (Fewest) | Army | 0.4 |
| Interceptions Per Game (Fewest) | Army | 0.2 |
| Total Turnovers Per Game (Fewest) | Army | 0.6 |
| Team Scoring Defense | ||
| Points Allowed Per Game-Total | Liberty | 21.5 |
| Points Allowed Per Game-Conf | ||
| Passing Defense | ||
| Completions Allowed Per Game | Liberty | 15.4 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | Liberty | 180.3 |
| Passing Completion % Per Game | Liberty | 56.5 |
| Passing TDs Allowed Per Game | Liberty | 1.1 |
| Rushing Defense | ||
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | Army | 118.2 |
| Rushing Yards Per Carry Allowed | Liberty | 3.5 |
| Rushing TDs Allowed Per Game | Liberty | 1.5 |
| Total Defense | ||
| Yards Allowed Per Game | Liberty | 320.2 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Play | Liberty | 4.8 |
| Turnovers | ||
| Interceptions Per Game (Most) | Brigham Young | 1.2 |
| Fumbles Recovered Per Game (Most) | New Mexico State | 0.8 |
| Total turnovers Forced Per Game | New Mexico State | 1.7 |
2020 G5 Independents Individual Statistical Leaders
| Statistic | Player | Team | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | |||
| Completions | Jonah Johnson | New Mexico State | 257 |
| Completion % | Jaren Hall | BYU | 63.9% |
| Passing Yards | Malik Willis | Liberty | 2,857 |
| Passing Yards Per Att | Jaren Hall | BYU | 8.7 |
| Passing TDs | Malik Willis | Liberty | 27 |
| Passer Efficiency | Jaren Hall | BYU | 156.1 |
| Rushing | |||
| Rushing Attempts | Tyler Allgeier | BYU | 276 |
| Rushing Yardage | Tyler Allgeier | BYU | 1606 |
| Rush Yards Per Att | Christian Anderson | Army | 5.8 |
| Rushing TDs | Tyler Allgeier | BYU | 23 |
| Receiving | |||
| Receptions | Demario Douglas | Liberty | 52 |
| Receiving Yards | Puka Nacua | BYU | 805 |
| Yards Per Reception | Puka Nacua | BYU | 18.7 |
| Receiving TDs | CJ Daniels | Liberty | 7 |
| Total Offense | |||
| Yards From Scrimmage | Tyler Allgeier | BYU | 1,805 |
| Total Yards | Malik Willis | Liberty | 3,735 |
| Total Yards Per Play | |||
| Touchdowns | Tyler Allgeier | BYU | 23 |
| TDs Responsible For | Malik Willis | Liberty | 40 |
| Kicking | |||
| Extra Points Made | Cole Talley | Army | 44 |
| Field Goals Made | Ethan Albertson | New Mexico St | 17 |
| Field Goal Pct | Ethan Albertson | New Mexico St | 77.30% |
| Avg. Punt Yards | Ryan Rehkow | BYU | 48.6 |
| Defense | |||
| Solo Tackles | Storey Jackson, Ben Bywater | Liberty, BYU | 57 |
| Total Tackles | Jackson Mitchell | Connecticut | 114 |
| Tackles for Loss | Andre Carter II | Army | 17 |
| Sacks | Andre Carter II | Army | 14.5 |
| Interceptions | Syrus Dumas, Malik Moore, DJ McCullough, Jakob Robinson | New Mexico State, BYU, New Mexico State, BYU | 3 |
| Passes Defended | Josh Wallace, Kaleb Hayes | Umass, BYU | 11 |
| Fumbles Forced | Andre Carter II | Army | 4 |