1994 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
American college football season
The 1994 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA football season . Led by fifth-year head coach Jim Donnan , the Thundering Herd compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Marshall advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship playoffs for the fourth straight season, where they defeated Middle Tennessee in the first round and James Madison in the quarterfinals, before losing to Boise State in the semifinals. Marshall played home games at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia .
Regular season
Marshall went undefeated at home during the regular season and lost one game on the road to Appalachian State . Marshall's 7–1 conference record earned them the Southern Conference championship.
Postseason
By winning the Southern Conference championship, Marshall was awarded a bid in the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs . Marshall defeated Middle Tennessee State and James Madison in Huntington before falling to Boise State in Boise in the semifinal game.
During the James Madison playoff game Marshall cornerback Melvin Cunningham set a 1-AA playoff record with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.[ 1]
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 3 Morehead State * No. 1 W 71–7
September 10 No. 16 Tennessee Tech * No. 1 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV W 24–10
September 17 at No. 21 Georgia Southern No. 1 W 34–1314,411
September 24 West Virginia State * No. 1 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV W 48–0
October 1 Chattanooga No. 1 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV W 62–21
October 8 at VMI No. 1 W 49–79,538 [ 2]
October 15 No. 16 Western Carolina No. 1 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV W 38–14
October 22 at No. 24 Appalachian State No. 1 L 14–2419,781 [ 3]
October 29 The Citadel No. 5 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV W 42–3023,260
November 5 at East Tennessee State No. 3 W 42–12
November 12 Furman No. 2 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV W 35–1420,405 [ 4]
November 26 No. 16 Middle Tennessee * No. 2 W 49–14
December 3 No. 13 James Madison * No. 2 Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal) W 28–21 OT 16,494 [ 5]
December 10 at No. 3 Boise State * No. 2 L 24–2820,068
Roster
1994 Marshall Thundering Herd football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Awards and honors
William Pannell, 1st Team All-Southern Conference [ 6]
Travis Colquitt. 1st Team All-Southern Conference
Shannon Morrison, 1st Team All-Southern Conference
Billy Lyon , 1st Team All-Southern Conference
Jamie Wilson, 2nd Team All-Southern Conference
David Merrick, 2nd Team All-Southern Conference
References
^ "Marshall's All-Americans" (PDF) . CSTV. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2015.
^ "Marshall 49, VMI 7" . The News and Observer . October 9, 1994. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "No. 1 Marshall suffers setback" . The Billings Gazette . October 23, 1994. Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Donnan guides Marshall over Furman" . The Times and Democrat . November 13, 1994. Retrieved September 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Marshall ousts JMU by 28–21" . Daily Press . December 4, 1994. Retrieved October 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Marshall's All-Americans" (PDF) . Grfx.cstv.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Pre-SEC Pre-ACC Post-ACC I-AA/FCS National championships in bold
Champion – Youngstown State Penguins