1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

College football game the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game the Division I-A (now FBS) champions 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season August 2023 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship I-AA National Championship Game 1991 NCAA Division I-AA 1991 December 21 Youngstown State University Youngstown State Penguins 11–3 Independent Jim Tressel 13 — 0 3 3 19 Marshall University Marshall Thundering Herd 11–3 SoCon Jim Donnan 8 — 0 0 17 0 Paulson Stadium Statesboro, Georgia 12,667 CBS Sports Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dan Jiggetts (color)https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30747505/tvradio/ TV/Radio Jennifer Williams Daily Press Newport News, Virginia B5 December 20, 1991 April 19, 2019 newspapers.com 1990 1992 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.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30746952/youngstown_state_wins_iaa/ Youngstown State wins I-AA Chicago Tribune 43 December 22, 1991 April 19, 2019 newspapers.com Teams The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1991 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30747378/division_iaa_playoffs/ Division I-AA Playoffs Montgomery Advertiser Montgomery, Alabama 2B December 21, 1991 April 19, 2019 newspapers.com 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.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30810481/georgia_southern_to_host_ncaa_title/ Georgia Southern to host NCAA title AP Rocky Mount Telegram Rocky Mount, North Carolina 11 February 24, 1989 April 21, 2019 newspapers.com Youngstown State Penguins 1991 Youngstown State Penguins football team Youngstown State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record.http://cfbinfo.com/team/youngstown-state-penguins/1991 Youngstown State Penguins 1991 Schedule cfbinfo.com April 19, 2019 November 12, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171112221414/http://cfbinfo.com/team/youngstown-state-penguins/1991 dead Unseeded in the tournament and ranked 13th in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30747278/final_ncaa_div_iaa_poll/ Final NCAA Div. I-AA Poll The Anniston Star Anniston, Alabama 2B November 25, 1991 April 19, 2019 newspapers.com 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 1991 Marshall Thundering Herd football team Marshall also finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–2 in conference).http://cfbinfo.com/team/marshall-thundering-herd/1991 Marshall Thundering Herd 1991 Schedule cfbinfo.com April 19, 2019 July 2021 InternetArchiveBot yes Unseeded and ranked eighth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll, 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. Scoring summary YSU MU 2 YSU FG 23 Jeff Wilkins 3 0 3 10:14 MU RecTD Troy Brown Michael Payton 13 good Dewey Klein 3 7 3 MU RecTD Ricardo Clark Payton 13 good Klein 3 14 3 YSU FG 37 Wilkins 6 14 3 0:00 MU FG 42 Klein 6 17 4 YSU RecTD Herb Williams Ray Isaac 33 pass failed 12 17 4 7:09 YSU 8 80 RushTD Ryan Wood 3 run failed 18 17 4 YSU 3 14 RushTD Tamron Smith 5 good Wilkins 25 17 25 17 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30761832/youngstown_state_claims_iaa_title/ Youngstown State claims I-AA title, handles Marshall AP Dayton Daily News Dayton, Ohio 4D December 21, 1991 April 19, 2019 newspapers.com Game statistics Penguins 0 3 3 19 Thundering Herd 0 0 17 0 thumb|right|upright|Youngstown State kicker Jeff Wilkins Youngstown State Penguins YSU Marshall Thundering Herd MU 16 65–319 50–121 198 9–15–0 32:35 22 85–412 42–49 363 30–43–2 27:25 Youngstown State Penguins Youngstown State Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall Ray Isaac 9–15, 198 yds, 1 TD Tamron Smith 30 car, 88 yds, 1 TD Andre Ballinger 4 rec, 89 yds Michael Payton 30–43, 363 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Glenn Pedro 13 car, 50 yds Ricardo Clark 8 rec, 154 yds, 1 TD https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30746777/youngstown_25_marshall_17/ Youngstown 25, Marshall 17 Pittsburgh Press D12 December 22, 1991 April 19, 2019 newspapers.com References Further reading https://www.ysusports.com/fan_zone/traditions/1991champs The 1991 National Champions ysusports.com April 19, 2019 https://www.ysusports.com/sports/fball/2016-17/releases/1991-season-recap 1991 Season Recap ysusports.com October 6, 2016 April 19, 2019 https://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/chuck-landon-tressel-ysu-cheat-mu-out-of-title/article_4de75aba-975b-55bd-9f94-3a7a21db31ff.html Tressel, YSU cheat MU out of 1991 title Chuck Landon The Herald-Dispatch Huntington, West Virginia June 4, 2011 April 19, 2019 External links Youngstown State 1991 National Championship Season via YouTube Part 1 -- 25 years later: Tressel, YSU remembers 1991 championship via YouTube Part 2 -- 25 years later: Tressel, YSU remembers 1991 championship via YouTube Championship Game Category:NCAA Division I Football Championship Games Category:Marshall Thundering Herd football games Category:Youngstown State Penguins football games Category:American football competitions in Georgia (U.S. state) NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game Category:Statesboro, Georgia