The 1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the

Youngstown State Penguins The Youngstown State Penguins are the athletic teams of Youngstown State University of Youngstown, Ohio. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, and the Penguins compete in football as memb ...

and the

Marshall Thundering Herd The Marshall Thundering Herd is the intercollegiate athletic collection of teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, which are member ...

. The game was played on December 21, 1991, at

Paulson Stadium Allen E. Paulson Stadium is a 25,000-seat on-campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park. Paulson Stadium was dedicated on September 29, ...

Statesboro, Georgia Statesboro is the largest city and county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States, located in the southeastern part of the state. Statesboro is home to the flagship campus of Georgia Southern University and is part of the Savannah–Hine ...

. The culminating game of the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Youngstown State, 25–17.

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1991 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket. The location of the final, the

Georgia Southern Eagles The Georgia Southern Eagles are the athletic team(s) of Georgia Southern University (GS). The Eagles compete in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A) and are members of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. Prior to jo ...

, had been predetermined via a three-year agreement the university reached with the NCAA in February 1989.

Youngstown State Penguins

Youngstown State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record. Unseeded in the tournament and ranked 13th in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll, the Penguins defeated Villanova, top-seed

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, 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). Unseeded and ranked eighth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll, the Thundering Herd defeated Western Illinois, third-seed

Northern Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, and second-seed

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

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

Game statistics

References

External links

Youngstown State 1991 National Championship Season
via

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Part 1 -- 25 years later: Tressel, YSU remembers 1991 championship
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Part 2 -- 25 years later: Tressel, YSU remembers 1991 championship
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Championship Game In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

NCAA Division I Football Championship Games Marshall Thundering Herd football games Youngstown State Penguins football games American football in Georgia (U.S. state) Sports competitions in Georgia (U.S. state) NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game