Before Randy Moss saw his last name become a verb and before he became an NFL Hall of Famer, he got his start playing FCS (then Division I-AA) football in college at Marshall. As a redshirt freshman, Moss put up a historically great season that culminated in a national championship win.
As we go inside the NCAA Video Vault, we'll take a look at Moss' all-time championship performance in the FCS championship game.
The stage
Randy Moss was a redshirt freshman wide receiver that ended up at Marshall after a rocky road. Moss was a heralded high school prospect originally signing with Notre Dame before flipping to Florida State and being forced to redshirt his first year. After being dismissed from the Seminole program before the 1996 season, Moss headed back home to the state of West Virginia where he had immediate eligibility at the FCS level. That's where Moss' legendary story begins.
Moss joined a Marshall squad that was coming off a runner-up finish in the 1995 FCS title game, with hopes of returning to glory. However, the Thundering Herd had a first-year head coach in Bobby Pruett, who hoped to continue the recent run of success at his alma mater. Luckily, the rookie coach seamlessly plugged Moss right into the lineup, leading the wideout to an impressive season that saw him catch the second-most regular-season touchdowns (19) in FCS history, only behind Jerry Rice (27). He also set an FCS freshman receiving record with 1,073 yards in the regular season.
Moss and Marshall finished the regular season undefeated to receive the No. 2 playoff seed. Moss' success continued in the playoffs, catching three touchdowns against Delaware in the first round and two touchdowns against Furman in the quarterfinals. The Thundering Herd defeated Northern Iowa without Moss finding the endzone in the semifinals, securing another title game appearance. Marshall would get to play for a national championship on December 21, 1996, on its home turf in Huntington, West Virginia — a site determined before the playoffs started.
The competition
The opponent? None other than defending champion No. 1 Montana, which defeated Marshall 22-20 for the national championship the year prior. Montana and Marshall both entered undefeated at 14-0, with the Grizzlies entering on a 21-game win streak.
Marshall entered the game scoring an average of 48 points per game in the playoffs, but its high-powered offense would have to get by a Montana defense that allowed 48 total points in its last five games combined.
Montana also had championship luck on its side, entering 1-0 in national title games compared to Marshall's 1-4 program record in title games.
Yet, Montana didn't have a secret weapon — Marshall's wide receiver in striped socks.
The championship game
First Half
Randy Moss made his presence known on the opening drive. His first catch of the game was a 19-yard touchdown reception on a corner route against double coverage. The score capped off a drive that took just 5:47 off the clock and put Marshall ahead 7-0.
Moss' second catch of the game came on a simple six-yard hitch route, but even a regular play for most showed flashes of the spectacular with Moss as he broke a tackle and advanced 11 yards for a first down. Seconds later, Marshall running back Doug Chapman burst through the line for a 61-yard touchdown run to give the Thundering Herd a 14-0 lead.
As the second quarter began, FCS fans would see the highlight reel version of Randy Moss quickly emerge. On first-and-10 from the Marshall 30-yard line, Moss routed up the Montana Cover 3 defense on a go-ball for a 70-yard trip to the end zone.
If you're keeping track, that's three offensive drives for Marshall, and three catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns for Moss. The Thundering Herd led 20-0 with 14:08 to play in the second quarter, already matching their point total from the 1995 title game. Moss was making a difference.
Moss closed the first half with a 13-yard catch on a slant route, again finding the hole in the Montana coverage. Moss' first-half stats were: 4 catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Second half
The Thundering Herd opened the second half with a 23-6 lead, receiving the second-half kick. It wasn't long after the second-half kickoff that Marshall kicked the ball back to Montana, thanks to Randy Moss.
Moss' first second-half catch game on a hitch route on second-and-nine from the Marshall 38-yard line. The catch went for seven yards — a pedestrian amount considering what would come on the next play.
On the very next play, Moss caught a slant route, took it all the way across the field, raced down the sideline, tiptoed the out-of-bounds line and scored a 54-yard touchdown. Moss turned a regular slant into a spectacular score, giving him six catches for 174 yards and three touchdowns with most of the second half remaining.
Later in the third quarter, Moss caught an eight-yard pass and an 11-yard pass, both for first downs, needing multiple tacklers for both catches. Moss's final catch of the game would come in the first minute of the fourth quarter. He beat the Cover 1 cornerback off the line on the fade, and Marshall quarterback Erik Kresser threw the ball in a perfect window before the safety could help, leading Moss up the sideline and into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown, Moss' fourth. The catch gave Moss 220 yards for the game and put Marshall up 46-6, the largest lead of the game.
Moss wouldn't catch another pass for the rest of the game, but he didn't need to for the Thundering Herd to hold on. As Marshall fans stormed the field with nine seconds left on the clock, leading Montana coach Mick Dennehy to concede a 49-29 defeat.
Final stats
Here are Randy Moss' final stats for the game
| Receptions | Rec. Yds | Rec. TDs | YPC | Kickoff Ret. | KOR yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 220 | 4 | 24.4 | 1 | 28 |
Records
The Thundering Herd left the FCS with a 49-29 championship win in the 1996 title game. Marshall won its second title in program history (1992), joining Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Southern as the only programs to do so at the time. Marshall finished the season 15-0 as the third (Youngstown State tied one game in 1994) undefeated and untied FCS champion ever. To date, only six FCS programs have ever had an unbeaten championship season.
Randy Moss also made history after his performance. His four touchdowns in the title game set a single-game playoff record and tied Jerry Rice's single-season touchdown reception record (including the postseason) at 28. He also set the FCS record for most games with a touchdown catch at 14 games.
What did they say
Color analyst Gary Danielson after Moss' 54-yard touchdown catch: "Let's be honest here. Randy Moss is just a better football player than anybody on the field for Montana."
Marshall head coach Bob Pruett after Moss was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame: "Randy wanted to be the best and he wanted to prove it every time on the field. If you didn't use him, he was upset – especially in a tight ballgame. He had that much confidence in his ability. He was a leader and so smart."
Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore after a 1996 regular season loss to Marshall: "That's the best I-AA team ever and I don't see any way anyone can say any different. They have everything. There are absolutely no weaknesses."
Watch it again
You can watch the Randy Moss' legendary FCS championship game performance one more time below.
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