| 1995Marshall Thundering Herd football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, L 22–20 vs.Montana | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 6 |
| Record | 12–3 (7–1 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Chris Scelfo (3rd season) |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Marshall University Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2Appalachian State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6Marshall ^ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15Georgia Southern ^ | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Tennessee State | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Carolina | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1995 Marshall Thundering Herd football team representedMarshall University as a member of theSouthern Conference (SoCon) during the1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by sixth-year head coachJim Donnan, the Thundering Herd compiled an overall record of 12–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the SoCon. Marshall advanced to theNCAA Division I-AA Championship playoffs for the fifth straight season, where they defeatedJackson State in the first round,Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals, andMcNeese State in the semifinals, before losing toMontana in theNCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. Marshall played home games atMarshall University Stadium inHuntington, West Virginia.
Marshall wasquarterbacked by true freshman and future NFL starterChad Pennington after starting sophomore quarterback Mark Zban re-injured his knee delivering a touchdown pass to future NFL starterJermaine Wiggins. Startingrunning backChris Parker set the Marshall single season rushing record with 1,833 rushing yards.
Marshall advanced to the1995 NCAA I-AA playoffs with an at large bid, but held home field advantage for the first two games, defeatingJackson State andNorthern Iowa in Huntington before going on the road againstMcNeese State in the semifinal game. Marshall defeated McNeese State and advanced to the I-AA National Championship game, which was held at Marshall's stadium against theMontana Grizzlies. This was the fourth consecutive I-AA National Championship game hosted by Marshall. Marshall lost the championship game, 22–20.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | atNC State* | No. 2 | L 16–33 | 44,259 | [1] | |
| September 9 | Tennessee Tech* | No. 3 | W 45–14 | [2] | ||
| September 16 | No. 13Georgia Southern | No. 4 |
| W 37–7 | 19,983 | [3] |
| September 30 | atChattanooga | No. 3 | W 35–32 | 8,576 | [4] | |
| October 7 | VMI | No. 3 |
| W 56–21 | 19,702 | [5] |
| October 14 | atWestern Carolina | No. 3 | W 42–3 | 3,858 | [6] | |
| October 21 | No. 2Appalachian State | No. 3 |
| L 3–10 | 26,982 | [7] |
| October 28 | atThe Citadel | No. 7 | W 21–19 | 11,833 | [8] | |
| November 4 | East Tennessee State | No. 7 |
| W 52–0 | 18,749 | [9] |
| November 11 | atFurman | No. 7 | W 31–6 | 10,688 | [10] | |
| November 18 | No. 7Hofstra* | No. 6 |
| W 30–28 | 17,080 | [11] |
| November 25 | Jackson State* | No. 6 |
| W 38–8 | 13,035 | [12] |
| December 2 | No. 18Northern Iowa* | No. 6 |
| W 41–24 | 14,472 | [13] |
| December 9 | at No. 1McNeese State* | No. 6 |
| W 25–13 | 18,018 | [14] |
| December 16 | No. 8Montana* | No. 6 |
| L 20–22 | 32,106 | [15] |
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