1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Last updated

1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Montana Grizzlies Marshall Thundering Herd
(14–0)(14–0)
Big Sky SoCon
2949
Head coach: 
Mick Dennehy 		Head coach: 
Bob Pruett
TSN Seed
21
TSN Seed
12
1234Total
Montana0602329
Marshall149161049
DateDecember 21, 1996
Season 1996
Stadium Marshall University Stadium
Location Huntington, West Virginia
Favorite Marshall by 6.5 [1]
Referee Chuck Feevey [2]
Attendance30,052 [3]
United States TV coverage
Network ESPN
Announcers Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Gary Danielson (analyst)
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
 ← 1995 1997 → 

The 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Montana Grizzlies. The game was played on December 21, 1996, and was the last I-AA title game contested at Marshall University Stadium, now known as Joan C. Edwards Stadium, in Huntington, West Virginia. The culminating game of the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was a rematch of the prior season's final, and was won by Marshall, 49–29. [4] It was also Marshall's final game in Division I-AA, now known as Division I FCS; the Herd would move to Division I-A (now Division I FBS) the following July, joining the Mid-American Conference.

Contents

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1996 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket. [5] The location of the title game, Marshall University Stadium, was determined before the playoffs started. [6]

Montana Grizzlies

Montana finished their regular season with a 14–0 record (8–0 in conference). [7] Seeded first in the playoffs, the Grizzlies defeated 16-seed Nicholls State, sixth-seed East Tennessee State, and fourth-seed Troy State to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Montana in a Division I-AA championship game, as the team was the defending champion from 1995.

Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall also finished their regular season with a 14–0 record (8–0 in conference). [8] The Thundering Herd, seeded second, defeated 15-seed Delaware, tenth-seed Furman, and third-seed Northern Iowa to reach the final. This was the sixth appearance for Marshall in a Division I-AA championship game, having one prior win (1992) and four prior losses (1987, 1991, 1993, and 1995).

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP MONTMAR
19:13MAR Randy Moss 19-yard touchdown reception from Eric Kresser, Tim Openlander kick good07
12:09MAR Doug Chapman 61-yard touchdown run, Openlander kick good014
214:08MARMoss 70-yard touchdown reception from Kresser, Openlander kick no good (blocked)020
28:14MAR20-yard field goal by Openlander023
25:05MONT40-yard field goal by Andy Larson323
20:15MONT27-yard field goal by Larson623
314:05MARMoss 54-yard touchdown reception from Kresser, Openlander kick good630
35:03MARChapman 9-yard touchdown run, Openlander kick good637
33:34MAR Safety: intentional grounding in the end zone by Montana QB Brian Ah Yat 639
414:51MARMoss 28-yard touchdown reception from Kresser, Openlander kick good646
410:52MONT Joe Douglass 28-yard touchdown reception from Ah Yat, 2-point pass good (Dallas Neil from Ah Yat)1446
47:09MONTJosh Branen 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good (Douglass from Ah Yat)2246
44:18MAR37-yard field goal by Openlander2249
42:09MONTJosh Paffhausen 18-yard touchdown reception from Ah Yat, Larson kick good2949
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.2949

[9]

Game statistics

1234Total
No. 1 Grizzlies0602329
No. 2 Thundering Herd149161049
Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss Randy Moss with Vikings.jpg
Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss
StatisticsMONTMAR
First downs3121
Plays–yards90–43064–541
Rushes–yards35–9536–217
Passing yards335324
Passing: comp–att–int36–55–118–28–0
Time of possession31:1328:47
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
MontanaPassing Brian Ah Yat 36–55, 335 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
RushingJosh Branen19 car, 101 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Joe Douglass 13 rec, 117 yds, 1 TD
MarshallPassing Eric Kresser 18–28, 324 yds, 4 TD
RushingErik Thomas20 car, 114 yds
Receiving Randy Moss 9 rec, 220 yds, 4 TD

[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Latest Line". Sun-Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Florida. December 21, 1996. p. 9C. Retrieved April 13, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Briggeman, Kim (December 22, 1996). "UM falls 49-29 to Marshall". Billings Gazette . p. 1B. Retrieved March 6, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Football vs Marshall". gogriz.com. December 21, 1996. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  4. ↑ Rothschild, Richard (December 22, 1996). "Marshall Routs Montana to Capture NCAA I-AA Title". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Division I-AA tournament". The News Journal . Wilmington, Delaware. November 25, 1996. p. B7. Retrieved February 9, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Griz No. 2 in latest I-AA poll". Great Falls Tribune . Great Falls, Montana. November 12, 1996. p. 1C. Retrieved April 17, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Montana Grizzlies 1996 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Marshall Thundering Herd 1996 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Marshall 49, Montana 29 (box score)". Billings Gazette . December 22, 1996. p. 3B. Retrieved March 6, 2019– via newspapers.com.

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