1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
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This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) champions, see 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season.
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]
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[]
See also: 1991 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
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]