1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Last updated

1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
1234Total
Youngstown State0331925
Marshall0017017
DateDecember 21, 1991
Season 1991
Stadium Paulson Stadium
Location Statesboro, Georgia
Attendance12,667 [1]
United States TV coverage
Network CBS Sports
Announcers Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dan Jiggetts (color) [2]
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
 < 1990 1992 > 

The 1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Youngstown State Penguins and the Marshall Thundering Herd. The game was played on December 21, 1991, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The culminating game of the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Youngstown State, 25–17. [3]

Contents

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1991 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket. [4] The location of the final, the Georgia Southern Eagles' Paulson Stadium, had been predetermined via a three-year agreement the university reached with the NCAA in February 1989. [5]

Youngstown State Penguins

Youngstown State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record. [6] Unseeded in the tournament and ranked 13th in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll, [7] the Penguins defeated Villanova, top-seed Nevada, and Samford to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Youngstown State in a Division I-AA championship game.

Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall also finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–2 in conference). [8] Unseeded and ranked eighth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll, [7] the Thundering Herd defeated Western Illinois, third-seed Northern Iowa, and second-seed Eastern Kentucky to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Marshall in a Division I-AA championship game, having lost in 1987.

Game summary

After a low-scoring first half, Youngstown State held a 3–0 lead at halftime. Marshall then scored all of their points in the third quarter, taking a 17–6 lead. Youngstown State rallied for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and a 25–17 win. [9]

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP YSUMU
2YSU23-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins 30
310:14MU Troy Brown 13-yard touchdown reception from Michael Payton, Dewey Klein kick good37
3MURicardo Clark 13-yard touchdown reception from Payton, Klein kick good314
3YSU37-yard field goal by Wilkins614
30:00MU42-yard field goal by Klein617
4YSUHerb Williams 33-yard touchdown reception from Ray Isaac, 2-point pass failed1217
47:09880YSURyan Wood 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed1817
4314YSUTamron Smith 5-yard touchdown run, Wilkins kick good2517
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.2517

[1] [9]

Game statistics

1234Total
Penguins0331925
Thundering Herd0017017
Youngstown State kicker Jeff Wilkins Jeff Wilkins.jpg
Youngstown State kicker Jeff Wilkins
StatisticsYSUMU
First downs1622
Plays–yards65–31985–412
Rushes–yards50–12142–49
Passing yards198363
Passing: comp–att–int9–15–030–43–2
Time of possession32:3527:25
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Youngstown StatePassing Ray Isaac 9–15, 198 yds, 1 TD
RushingTamron Smith30 car, 88 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingAndre Ballinger4 rec, 89 yds
MarshallPassing Michael Payton 30–43, 363 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingGlenn Pedro13 car, 50 yds
ReceivingRicardo Clark8 rec, 154 yds, 1 TD

[1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Youngstown 25, Marshall 17". Pittsburgh Press . December 22, 1991. p. D12. Retrieved April 19, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  2. Williams, Jennifer (December 20, 1991). "TV/Radio". Daily Press . Newport News, Virginia. p. B5. Retrieved April 19, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  3. "Youngstown State wins I-AA". Chicago Tribune . December 22, 1991. p. 43. Retrieved April 19, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  4. "Division I-AA Playoffs". Montgomery Advertiser . Montgomery, Alabama. December 21, 1991. p. 2B. Retrieved April 19, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  5. "Georgia Southern to host NCAA title". Rocky Mount Telegram . Rocky Mount, North Carolina. AP. February 24, 1989. p. 11. Retrieved April 21, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  6. "Youngstown State Penguins 1991 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Final NCAA Div. I-AA Poll". The Anniston Star . Anniston, Alabama. November 25, 1991. p. 2B. Retrieved April 19, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  8. "Marshall Thundering Herd 1991 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved April 19, 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. 1 2 "Youngstown State claims I-AA title, handles Marshall". Dayton Daily News . Dayton, Ohio. AP. December 21, 1991. p. 4D. Retrieved April 19, 2019 via newspapers.com.

Further reading