1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

The 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University as a member of Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Bob Pruett, the Thundering Herd compiled an overall record of 15–0 with mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Marshall advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship playoffs, where they beat Delaware in the first round, Furman in the quarterfinals, Northern Iowa in the semifinals, and Montana in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game to win the program's second NCAA Division I-AA title. 1996 was Marshall's final season competing at the NCAA Division I-AA level as they moved to NCAA Division I-A competition and joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 1997.

1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football
NCAA Division I-AA champion SoCon champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 49–29 vs. Montana
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 1[1]
Record	15–0 (8–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Bob Pruett (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinators	Gunter Brewer (1st season) Larry Kueck (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Kevin Kelly (1st season)
Captains	Eric Kresser Tim Martin Aaron Ferguson Melvin Cunningham Billy Lyon Jermaine Swafford
Home stadium	Marshall University Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Marshall $^		8	–	0					15	–	0
No. T–8 East Tennessee State ^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 13 Furman ^		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 25 Appalachian State		5	–	3					7	–	4
The Citadel		3	–	5					4	–	7
Georgia Southern		2	–	6					4	–	7
VMI		2	–	6					3	–	8
Chattanooga		2	–	6					3	–	8
Western Carolina		1	–	7					4	–	7
$ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	7:00 pm	Howard*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 55–27	26,054	[2]
September 14	7:00 pm	West Virginia State*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 42–7	21,851	[3]
September 21	3:30 pm	at No. 13 Georgia Southern	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	WSAZ	W 29–13	13,977	[4]
September 28	7:00 pm	No. 12 Western Kentucky*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 37–3	20,755	[5]
October 5	7:00 pm	Chattanooga	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	WSAZ	W 45–0	22,078	[6]
October 12	1:00 pm	at VMI	No. 1	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA		W 45–20	9,165	[7]
October 19	7:00 pm	Western Carolina	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	WSAZ	W 56–21	19,330	[8]
October 26	1:00 pm	at No. 20 Appalachian State	No. 1	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC (rivalry)	SS	W 24–10	23,458	[9]
November 2	1:00 pm	The Citadel	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	WSAZ	W 56–25	21,038	[10]
November 9	2:00 pm	at No. 7 East Tennessee State	No. 1	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	WSAZ	W 34–10	13,131	[11]
November 16	1:00 pm	No. 12 Furman	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 42–17	22,615	[12]
November 30	1:00 pm	No. 11 Delaware*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	WSAZ	W 59–14	15,429	[13]
December 7	1:00 pm	No. 13 Furman	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	WSAZ	W 54–0	14,096	[14]
December 14	1:00 pm	No. 3 Northern Iowa*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	WSAZ	W 31–14	14,414	[15]
December 21	2:00 pm	No. 2 Montana*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	ESPN	W 49–29	30,052	[16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Howard

Howard at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	10	10	7	0	27
• Thundering Herd	10	14	24	7	55

• Date: September 7
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 26,054

^[17]

West Virginia State

West Virginia State at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Yellow Jackets	0	0	0	7	7
• Thundering Herd	21	14	7	0	42

• Date: September 14
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 21,851

at Georgia Southern

See also: 1996 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

#1 Marshall at #13 Georgia Southern

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Thundering Herd	10	7	6	6	29
Eagles	0	7	6	0	13

• Date: September 21
• Location:
  Paulson Stadium
  Statesboro, GA
• Game attendance: 13,977

   

Scoring summary

1		Marshall	Tim Openlander 26-yard field goal	Marshall 3–0
	4:08	Marshall	Randy Moss 42-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 10–0
1		GSU	Corey Johnson 1-yard run (kick)	Marshall 10–7
	4:52	Marshall	Randy Moss 4-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 17–7
3		GSU	Grant Chestnut fumble recovery in end zone (kick failed)	Marshall 17–13
		Marshall	Doug Chapman 3-yard run (conversion failed)	Marshall 23–13
4		Marshall	Jason Wellman 6-yard pass from Eric Kresser (conversion failed)	Marshall 29–13

^[18]

Western Kentucky

See also: 1996 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

#12 Western Kentucky at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	3	0	0	3
• Thundering Herd	10	7	6	14	37

• Date: September 28
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 20,755

    

Scoring summary

1	10:57	Marshall	Randy Moss 3-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 7-0
	0:21	Marshall	Tim Openlander 22-yard field goal	Marshall 10–0
1	2:11	WKU	Jeff Poisel 37-yard field goal	Marshall 10–3
	1:12	Marshall	Doug Chapman 19-yard run (Openlander kick)	Marshall 17–3
3	7:55	Marshall	Tim Openlander 42-yard field goal	Marshall 20–3
	4:30	Marshall	Tim Openlander 37-yard field goal	Marshall 23–3
4	9:11	Marshall	Mark Wicks 35-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 30–3
	1:49	Marshall	Llow Turner 15-yard run (Openlander kick)	Marshall 37–3

^[19]

Chattanooga

Chattanooga at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Mocs	0	0	0	0	0
• Thundering Herd	17	14	7	7	45

• Date: October 5
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 22,078

at VMI

#1 Marshall at VMI

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Thundering Herd	21	14	0	10	45
Keydets	7	0	10	3	20

• Date: October 12
• Location:
  Alumni Memorial Field
  Lexington, VA
• Game attendance: 9,165

Western Carolina

Western Carolina at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Catamounts	0	7	7	7	21
• Thundering Herd	28	21	7	0	56

• Date: October 19
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 19,330

at Appalachian State

#1 Marshall at #20 Appalachian State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Thundering Herd	7	0	10	7	24
Mountaineers	7	3	0	0	10

• Date: October 26
• Location:
  Kidd Brewer Stadium
  Boone, NC
• Game attendance: 23,458

The Citadel

The Citadel at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	9	3	6	25
• Thundering Herd	7	14	14	21	56

• Date: November 2
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 21,038

at East Tennessee State

See also: 1996 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

#1 Marshall at #7 East Tennessee State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Thundering Herd	0	10	14	10	34
Buccaneers	3	0	0	7	10

• Date: November 9
• Location:
  Memorial Center
  Johnson City, TN
• Game attendance: 13,131

Furman

#12 Furman at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Paladins	0	17	0	0	17
• Thundering Herd	7	7	14	14	42

• Date: November 16
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 22,615

Delaware (Division I-AA First Round Playoff Game)

See also: 1996 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

#11 Delaware at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Fightin' Blue Hens	0	14	0	0	14
• Thundering Herd	7	14	24	14	59

• Date: November 30
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 15,429

Randy Moss caught 8 passes (3 TD) for a school record 288 yards.^[20]

Furman (Division I-AA Quarterfinal Playoff Game)

#13 Furman at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Paladins	0	0	0	0	0
• Thundering Herd	14	10	16	14	54

• Date: December 7
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 14,096

^[21]

Northern Iowa (Division I-AA Semifinal Playoff Game)

#3 Northern Iowa at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	14	14
• Thundering Herd	7	3	14	7	31

• Date: December 14
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game attendance: 14,414

^[22]

Montana (Division I-AA National Championship)

See also: 1996 Montana Grizzlies football team and 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

#2 Montana at #1 Marshall

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Grizzlies	0	6	0	23	29
• Thundering Herd	14	9	16	10	49

• Date: December 21
• Location:
  Marshall Stadium
  Huntington, WV
• Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
• Elapsed time: 3:25
• Game attendance: 30,052
• Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), Sunny, Wind NE 10–15 mph (16–24 km/h)
• TV announcers (ESPN): Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson

          

Scoring summary

1	9:13	Marshall	Randy Moss 19-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 7–0
	2:09	Marshall	Doug Chapman 61-yard run (Openlander kick)	Marshall 14–0
2	14:08	Marshall	Randy Moss 70-yard pass from Eric Kresser (kick blocked)	Marshall 20–0
	8:14	Marshall	Openlander 20-yard field goal	Marshall 23–0
	5:05	Montana	Larson 40-yard field goal	Marshall 23–3
	0:15	Montana	Larson 27-yard field goal	Marshall 23–6
3	14:05	Marshall	Randy Moss 54-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 30–6
	5:03	Marshall	Doug Chapman 9-yard run (Openlander kick)	Marshall 37–6
	3:34	Marshall	Safety, intentional grounding by Ah Yat in the end zone	Marshall 39–6
4	14:51	Marshall	Randy Moss 28-yard pass from Eric Kresser (Openlander kick)	Marshall 46–6
	10:52	Montana	Douglass 4-yard pass from Ah Yat (Neil pass from Ah Yat)	Marshall 46–14
	7:09	Montana	Branen 2-yard run (Douglass from Ah Yat)	Marshall 46–22
	4:18	Marshall	Openlander 37-yard field goal	Marshall 49–22
	2:09	Montana	Paffhausen 18 pass from Ah Yat (Larson kick)	Marshall 49–29

Randy Moss hauled in 9 passes for 220 yards and 4 TD as the Thundering Herd avenged the previous season's loss to Montana in the title game.^{[23] [24]}

Roster

1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 39 Jason Balwanz Fr RB 22 Doug Chapman Fr WR 18 LaVorn Colclough So OT 63 Mike Guilliams Fr QB 15 Eric Kresser Sr WR 1 Tim Martin Sr WR 88 Randy Moss Fr QB 10 Chad Pennington So G 52 Brian Reed  Sr G 65 Burt Scarbrough So C 62 Jason Starkey Fr RB 3 Erik Thomas Sr RB 32 Llow Turner Fr C 66 John Wade Jr OT 60 Jamie Wilson Sr TE 87 John White So WR 2 Mark Wicks Jr QB 7 Mark Zban Jr WR 89 Jerrald Long So C 59 Aaron Ferguson Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 42 Rogers Beckett Fr DE 5 B. J. Cohen Jr DB 12 Andy Cowan Fr DB 25 Melvin Cunningham Sr LB 4 John Grace Fr DL 6 Ricky Hall So DT 86 Billy Lyon Sr DE 94 Mike Williams So CB 9 Thomas Maxwell Jr SS 21 Scott Smythe Sr LB 28 Larry McCloud Jr DE 93 Giradie Mercer Fr DB 11 Larry Moore Jr LB 55 Andre O'Neal Fr CB 8 B. J. Summers Jr DE 58 Paul Totten So DT 97 Joe Zeglowitsch So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 41 Chris Hanson So K 40 Tim Openlander Sr	Head coach Bob Pruett Coordinators/assistant coaches Kevin Kelly – Defensive coordinator Larry Kueck – co-Offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer – co-Offensive coordinator Brian Dowler – Wide receivers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt