1997 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Youngstown-McNeese postseason game the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game the Division I-A (now FBS) championship game 1997 Sugar Bowl August 2023 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship I-AA National Championship Game 1997 NCAA Division I-AA 1997 December 20 Youngstown State University Youngstown State Penguins 12–2 Gateway Jim Tressel 4 8 0 3 0 7 McNeese State University McNeese State Cowboys 13–1 Southland Bobby Keasler 7 6 3 0 6 0 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee Ron Buckner (SoCon)https://www.nchsaa.org/sites/default/files/attachments/bulletin-summer-2013.pdf NCHSAA Bulletin 65 4 Summer 2013 Recipients Named For Seventh Annual Golden Whistle Merit Awards 4 February 21, 2019 14,771 ESPN 1996 1998 The 1997 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Youngstown State Penguins and the McNeese State Cowboys. The game was played on December 20, 1997, and was the first I-AA title game contested at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Youngstown State, 10–9.http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/dec/21/youngstown-wins-4th-chionship-penguins-use/ Youngstown Wins 4th Championship Penguins Use Improvised Play To Squeeze By Mcneese State AP The Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington December 21, 1997 February 21, 2019 Teams The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1997 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28198268/iaa_football_playoffs/ I-AA football playoffs Missoulian Missoula, Montana D4 November 24, 1997 February 8, 2019 newspapers.com Youngstown State Penguins 1997 Youngstown State Penguins football team Youngstown State finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (4–2 in conference).https://cfbinfo.com/team/youngstown-state-penguins/1997 Youngstown State Penguins 1997 Schedule cfbinfo.com February 21, 2019 Seeded eighth in the playoffs, the Penguins defeated ninth-seed Hampton, first-seed Villanova, and third-seed Eastern Washington to reach the final. This was the fifth appearance for Youngstown State in a Division I-AA championship game, having won three titles (1991, 1993, and 1994) against one loss (1992). McNeese State Cowboys 1997 McNeese State Cowboys football team McNeese State finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (6–1 in conference).https://cfbinfo.com/team/mcneese-state-cowboys/1997 McNeese State Cowboys 1997 Schedule cfbinfo.com February 21, 2019 The Cowboys, seeded sixth, defeated 11-seed Montana, second-seed Western Illinois, and fourth-seed Delaware to reach the final. This was the first appearance for McNeese State in a Division I-AA championship game. Game summary Scoring summary YSU MSU 1 5:30 MSU 10 54 4:01 FG 22 Shonz LaFrenz 0 3 2 2:19 YSU 14 52 6:22 FG 21 Mark Griffith 3 3 3 8:08 MSU 5 28 2:51 FG 37 LaFrenz 3 6 3 0:51 MSU 9 38 4:45 FG 46 LaFrenz 3 9 4 8:08 YSU 9 66 3:54 RecTD Renauld Ray Demond Tidwell 9 good Griffith 10 9 10 9 https://www.ysusports.com/sports/fball/1997-98/Files/game15.htm Youngstown State vs McNeese State December 20, 1997 ysusports.com February 21, 2019https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28712910/ncaa_iaa_championship/ NCAA I-AA Championship The Advocate Newark, Ohio 2B December 21, 1997 February 21, 2019 newspapers.com Game statistics No. 8 Penguins 0 3 0 7 No. 6 Cowboys 3 0 6 0 thumb|right|upright|Youngstown State head coach Jim Tressel Youngstown State Penguins YSU McNeese State Cowboys MSU 12 60–200 39–73 127 12–21–0 31:37 11 57–201 29–58 143 14–28–1 28:23 Youngstown State Penguins Youngstown State McNeese State Cowboys McNeese State Demond Tidwell 11–20, 110 yds, 1 TD Jake Andreadis 16 car, 47 yds Tim Tyrrell 4 rec, 54 yds Blake Prejean 14–28, 143 yds, 1 INT William Davis 19 car, 59 yds Donnie Ashley 4 rec, 45 yds References Further reading https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28711684/division_iaa_top_25/ Division I-AA Top 25 The Sports Network Daily Press Newport News, Virginia C2 November 27, 1997 February 21, 2019 newspapers.com https://mcneesesports.com/news/2012/11/12/FB_1112123316.aspx McNeese's 1997 football team to be recognized at Saturday's game Louis Bonnette mcneesesports.com November 12, 2012 February 21, 2019 External links 1997 McNeese Football National Championship Run Highlights via YouTube Championship Game Category:20th century in Chattanooga, Tennessee Category:NCAA Division I Football Championship Games Category:McNeese Cowboys football games Category:Youngstown State Penguins football games Category:American football competitions in Chattanooga, Tennessee NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game Category:College football in Tennessee