Two all-time FCS (or I-AA) legends, North Dakota State's Trey Lance and Marshall's Randy Moss only graced the subdivision with their talents for one full season. But what a season they each had, putting together iconic, championship-winning performances.
But who had the better season between the two?
To answer that question, we'll look at a side-by-side breakdown of the lone FCS seasons of Lance and Moss, from the statistics to the accolades.
Why were they one-year wonders?
Both Lance and Moss played one year at the FCS level because of circumstances beyond their control. Lance was a one-year wonder because his final FCS season was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Moss, Marshall moved up to FBS in his final college football season.
That said, let's get into the comparison.
FCS CHAMPIONSHIP: How the FCS playoffs work | Schools with most titles | Full championship history
Vitals
| Trey Lance | VITALS | Randy Moss |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | School | Marshall |
| 6'3'' | Height | 6'4'' |
| 221 | Weight | 210 |
| 2019 | Year | 1996 |
| Redshirt freshman | Class | Redshirt freshman |
Wins and losses
| Trey LanCE | STATS | Randy Moss |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Games played | 15 |
| 16-0 | Record | 15-0 |
| MVFC | Conference | SoCon |
| National Champion | Postseason finish | National Champion |
Both Lance and Moss went undefeated in their lone FCS seasons. Lance quarterbacked North Dakota State to the first 16-0 finish in college football since 1894, while Moss led Marshall to a 15-0 finish as the third unbeaten and untied FCS champion ever. To date, Lance and Moss have led two of the six FCS programs that have ever had an unbeaten championship season.
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Season stats
Trey Lance
Here are Trey Lance's passing stats in college.
| SZN | GAMES | COMP | ATT | COMP % | YARDS | YD/GM | YD/ATT | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reg. | 12 | 151 | 219 | 68.9% | 2,187 | 182.25 | 14.5 | 23 |
| Post. | 4 | 41 | 68 | 60.1% | 599 | 149.8 | 14.6 | 5 |
Here are Trey Lance's rushing stats in college.
| SZN | GAMES | CARRIES | RUSH/G | YARDS | YD/GM | YD/CAR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reg. | 12 | 106 | 8.8 | 741 | 61.8 | 7.0 | 10 |
| Post. | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 359 | 89.8 | 5.7 | 4 |
Randy Moss
Here are Randy Moss' regular season and postseason stats from 1996.
| SZN | Games | Receptions | Rec. Yards | Rec. TDS | YPC | Rush TDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reg. | 55 | 1,073 | 19 | 19.5 | 1 | |
| Post. | 23 | 636 | 9 | 27.7 | 0 |
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Championship performance
Trey Lance
Lance won Most Outstanding Player honors in the 2019 FCS championship game after completing 6-of-10 passes for 72 yards and no touchdowns. However, he ran the ball 30 times for 166 yards and one touchdown.
Randy Moss
Moss set a single-game playoff record after catching four touchdowns in the 1996 FCS championship game. He finished the game with nine catches for 220 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 24.4 yards per catch.
NCAA VIDEO VAULT: Randy Moss scores four TDs to lead Marshall to 1996 FCS title
Records set
Trey Lance
College football records
- 1st in most passing attempts in a complete season without an interception: 287 attempts
- Quarterbacked the first 16-0 finish in college football since 1894
FCS records
- 1st in lowest percentage of passes had intercepted in a season (Min. 175 atts.): 0.00%
- 1st freshman to win the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award
- 1st player to win the Walter Payton and Jerry Rice Award in the same season
- 1st freshman voted MVFC Offensive Player of the Year
MORE: See all of Trey Lance's career stats, highlights and records
Randy Moss
FCS records
- 1st in single-season touchdown receptions (including the postseason): 28 touchdowns
- 1st in FCS freshman regular season receiving yards: 1,073 yards
- 1st in FCS games with a touchdown catch: 14 games
- 1st in single-game playoff touchdown receptions: 4 touchdowns
- 1st in single-season playoff receiving yards: 636 yards
- 1st in single-season playoff receiving touchdowns: 9 touchdowns
Who was the better one-year FCS wonder?
Now you’ve seen how all-time FCS greats Lance and Moss stack up and compare during their lone seasons in the subdivision. The stats and the facts have been presented for each.
So, who was the more impressive one-year wonder between Trey Lance and Randy Moss?
That’s for you to decide.
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