1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
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| 1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| I-AA National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 21, 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Paulson Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Statesboro, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 12,667[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS Sports | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dan Jiggetts (color)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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]
Youngstown State Penguins
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 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
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Game statistics
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penguins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 25 |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Statistics | YSU | MU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 16 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 65–319 | 85–412 |
| Rushes–yards | 50–121 | 42–49 |
| Passing yards | 198 | 363 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 9–15–0 | 30–43–2 |
| Time of possession | 32:35 | 27:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | Passing | Ray Isaac | 9–15, 198 yds, 1 TD |
| Rushing | Tamron Smith | 30 car, 88 yds, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Andre Ballinger | 4 rec, 89 yds | |
| Marshall | Passing | Michael Payton | 30–43, 363 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Glenn Pedro | 13 car, 50 yds | |
| Receiving | Ricardo Clark | 8 rec, 154 yds, 1 TD |