1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Youngstown State Penguins Marshall Thundering Herd
(11–3) (11–3)
Independent SoCon
25 17
Head coach: 
Jim Tressel		 Head coach: 
Jim Donnan
NCAASeed
13—
NCAASeed
8—
1234 Total
Youngstown State 03319 25
Marshall 00170 17
DateDecember 21, 1991
Season1991
StadiumPaulson Stadium
LocationStatesboro, Georgia
Attendance12,667[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS Sports
AnnouncersBrad 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]

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
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP YSU MU
2 YSU 23-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins 3 0
3 10:14 MU Troy Brown 13-yard touchdown reception from Michael Payton, Dewey Klein kick good 3 7
3 MU Ricardo Clark 13-yard touchdown reception from Payton, Klein kick good 3 14
3 YSU 37-yard field goal by Wilkins 6 14
3 0:00 MU 42-yard field goal by Klein 6 17
4 YSU Herb Williams 33-yard touchdown reception from Ray Isaac, 2-point pass failed 12 17
4 7:09 8 80 YSU Ryan Wood 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed 18 17
4 3 14 YSU Tamron Smith 5-yard touchdown run, Wilkins kick good 25 17
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 25 17

[1][9]

Game statistics

1 2 3 4 Total
Penguins 0 3 3 19 25
Thundering Herd 0 0 17 0 17
Youngstown State kicker Jeff Wilkins
Statistics YSU MU
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 State PassingRay Isaac9–15, 198 yds, 1 TD
RushingTamron Smith30 car, 88 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingAndre Ballinger4 rec, 89 yds
Marshall PassingMichael Payton30–43, 363 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingGlenn Pedro13 car, 50 yds
ReceivingRicardo Clark8 rec, 154 yds, 1 TD

[1]

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.
  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

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