1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

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This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) championship game, see 1996 Fiesta Bowl.

1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Montana Grizzlies Marshall Thundering Herd
(14–0) (14–0)
Big Sky SoCon
29 49
Head coach: 
Mick Dennehy		 Head coach: 
Bob Pruett
TSNSeed
21
TSNSeed
12
1234 Total
Montana 06023 29
Marshall 1491610 49
DateDecember 21, 1996
Season1996
StadiumMarshall University Stadium
LocationHuntington, West Virginia
FavoriteMarshall by 6.5[1]
RefereeChuck Feevey[2]
Attendance30,052[3]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersBrad 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.

Teams[edit]

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[edit]

Main article: 1996 Montana Grizzlies football team

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[edit]

Main article: 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

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[edit]

Scoring summary[edit]

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP MONT MAR
1 9:13 MAR Randy Moss 19-yard touchdown reception from Eric Kresser, Tim Openlander kick good 0 7
1 2:09 MAR Doug Chapman 61-yard touchdown run, Openlander kick good 0 14
2 14:08 MAR Moss 70-yard touchdown reception from Kresser, Openlander kick no good (blocked) 0 20
2 8:14 MAR 20-yard field goal by Openlander 0 23
2 5:05 MONT 40-yard field goal by Andy Larson 3 23
2 0:15 MONT 27-yard field goal by Larson 6 23
3 14:05 MAR Moss 54-yard touchdown reception from Kresser, Openlander kick good 6 30
3 5:03 MAR Chapman 9-yard touchdown run, Openlander kick good 6 37
3 3:34 MAR Safety: intentional grounding in the end zone by Montana QB Brian Ah Yat 6 39
4 14:51 MAR Moss 28-yard touchdown reception from Kresser, Openlander kick good 6 46
4 10:52 MONT Joe Douglass 28-yard touchdown reception from Ah Yat, 2-point pass good (Dallas Neil from Ah Yat) 14 46
4 7:09 MONT Josh Branen 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good (Douglass from Ah Yat) 22 46
4 4:18 MAR 37-yard field goal by Openlander 22 49
4 2:09 MONT Josh Paffhausen 18-yard touchdown reception from Ah Yat, Larson kick good 29 49
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 29 49

[9]

Game statistics[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 1 Grizzlies 0 6 0 23 29
No. 2 Thundering Herd 14 9 16 10 49
Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss
Statistics MONT MAR
First downs 31 21
Plays–yards 90–430 64–541
Rushes–yards 35–95 36–217
Passing yards 335 324
Passing: comp–att–int 36–55–1 18–28–0
Time of possession 31:13 28:47
Team Category Player Statistics
Montana Passing Brian Ah Yat 36–55, 335 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Josh Branen 19 car, 101 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Joe Douglass 13 rec, 117 yds, 1 TD
Marshall Passing Eric Kresser 18–28, 324 yds, 4 TD
Rushing Erik Thomas 20 car, 114 yds
Receiving Randy Moss 9 rec, 220 yds, 4 TD

[3]

References[edit]

  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. ^ a b "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.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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