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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
1995 Orange Bowl .
Postseason college football game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Montana Grizzlies
College football 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]
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
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
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
Statistics
MONT
MAR
First downs
21
17
Plays–yards
77–333
73–358
Rushes–yards
29–49
32–112
Passing yards
281
246
Passing: comp –att –int
29–48–1
23–41–1
Time of possession
30:14
29:46
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Montana
Passing
Dave Dickenson
29–48, 281 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Josh Branen
6 car, 33 yds
Receiving
Joe Douglass
8 rec, 102 yds
Marshall
Passing
Chad Pennington
23–40, 246 yds, 1 INT
Rushing
Chris Parker
23 car, 94 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
Jermaine Wiggins
5 rec, 81 yds
[ 8]
References
^ "Latest Line" . Sun-Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Florida . December 16, 1995. p. 11C. Retrieved April 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Ivy League Coordinator of Football Officiating Maconaghy Announces Retirement" . ivyleague.com . December 5, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2019 .
^ a b Briggeman, Kim (December 17, 1995). "Heart of the Matter" . Missoulian . p. G6. Retrieved March 20, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Division I-AA championship" . The News Journal . Wilmington, Delaware . November 20, 1995. p. B3. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ "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.
^ "Montana Grizzlies 1995 Schedule" . cfbinfo.com . Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019 .
^ "Marshall Thundering Herd 1995 Schedule" . cfbinfo.com . Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019 .
^ a b "Summary (box score)" . Missoulian . December 17, 1995. p. G6. Retrieved March 20, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading
External links
Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†).
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1995–96 NCAA Division I championships
† Not an officially sanctioned NCAA championship