1995 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 1995 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 16, 1995, at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The culminating game of the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Montana, 22–20.[3]

This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) championship game, see 1995 Orange Bowl.
1995 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Montana Grizzlies Marshall Thundering Herd
(12–2) (12–2)
Big Sky SoCon
22 20
Head coach: 
Don Read		 Head coach: 
Jim Donnan
TSNSeed
86
TSNSeed
65
1234 Total
Montana 37210 22
Marshall 03710 20
DateDecember 16, 1995
Season1995
StadiumMarshall University Stadium
LocationHuntington, West Virginia
FavoriteMontana by 7[1]
RefereeJim Maconaghy[2]
Attendance32,106[3]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersJoel Meyers (play by play), Todd Christensen (color), and Adrian Karsten (sideline)

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1995 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.[4] The site of the title game, Marshall University Stadium, had been determined in March 1994.[5]

Montana Grizzlies
Main article: 1995 Montana Grizzlies football team

Montana finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference).[6] One of their wins was over Eastern New Mexico of Division II, while one of their losses was to Washington State of Division I-A. Seeded sixth in the playoffs, the Grizzlies defeated 10-seed Eastern Kentucky, 14-seed Georgia Southern, and seventh-seed Stephen F. Austin to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Montana in a Division I-AA championship game.

Marshall Thundering Herd
Main article: 1995 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Marshall also finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference).[7] One of their losses was to NC State of Division I-A. The Thundering Herd, seeded fifth, defeated 12-seed Jackson State, 16-seed Northern Iowa, and top-seed McNeese State to reach the final. This was the fifth appearance for Marshall in a Division I-AA championship game, having one prior win (1992) and three prior losses (1987, 1991, and 1993).

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP MONT MAR
1 6:09 6 13 MONT 48-yard field goal by Andy Larson 3 0
2 12:54 11 51 MAR 39-yard field goal by Tim Openlander 3 3
2 0:59 5 77 MONT Matt Wells 24-yard touchdown reception from Dave Dickenson, Larson kick good 10 3
3 9:46 11 48 MAR Chris Parker 10-yard touchdown run, Openlander kick good 10 10
3 6:54 MONT Safety: intentional grounding in the end zone by Marshall QB Chad Pennington 12 10
4 12:30 4 20 MONT Wells 1-yard touchdown reception from Dickenson, Larson kick good 19 10
4 10:05 7 51 MAR 21-yard field goal by Tim Openlander 19 13
4 4:45 8 76 MAR Parker 26-yard touchdown run, Openlander kick good 19 20
4 0:39 12 72 MONT 25-yard field goal by Andy Larson 22 20
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 22 20

[8]

Game statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
No. 6 Grizzlies 3 7 2 10 22
No. 5 Thundering Herd 0 3 7 10 20
Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington
StatisticsMONTMAR
First downs2117
Plays–yards77–33373–358
Rushes–yards29–4932–112
Passing yards281246
Passing: Comp–Att–Int29–48–123–41–1
Time of possession30:1429:46
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
MontanaPassingDave Dickenson29–48, 281 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
RushingJosh Branen6 car, 33 yds
ReceivingJoe Douglass8 rec, 102 yds
MarshallPassingChad Pennington23–40, 246 yds, 1 INT
RushingChris Parker23 car, 94 yds, 2 TD
ReceivingJermaine Wiggins5 rec, 81 yds

[8]

References
  1. "Latest Line". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. December 16, 1995. p. 11C. Retrieved April 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  2. "Ivy League Coordinator of Football Officiating Maconaghy Announces Retirement". ivyleague.com. December 5, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  3. Briggeman, Kim (December 17, 1995). "Heart of the Matter". Missoulian. p. G6. Retrieved March 20, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. "Division I-AA championship". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. November 20, 1995. p. B3. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "Marshall to host next two I-AA football finals". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Waterloo, Iowa. AP. March 18, 1994. p. C3. Retrieved April 17, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "Montana Grizzlies 1995 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  7. "Marshall Thundering Herd 1995 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  8. "Summary (box score)". Missoulian. December 17, 1995. p. G6. Retrieved March 20, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading
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