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College football game
The 1997 MAC Championship Game was the inaugural conference championship game of the
Mid-American Conference , and was played on December 5, 1997, at Marshall Stadium, now known as
Joan C. Edwards Stadium , in
Huntington, West Virginia . The game featured the
Marshall Thundering Herd of the East Division, and the
Toledo Rockets of the West Division. It snowed the entire game.
[1] The Thundering Herd defeated the Rockets 34–14.
[2]
[3]
Teams
Toledo
Toledo entered the championship game as West Division champions, having compiled a 9–2 record, 7–1 record in MAC play. The Rockets started the season 8–0 and reaching No. 18 in the AP Poll before losing to
Ball State for its only conference loss.
Marshall
Marshall entered the championship game as East Division champions, having compiled a 9–2 record, 7–1 record in MAC play.. After losing its season-opener to
West Virginia , the Thundering Herd won nine of its next ten games. This marked Marshall's first season back in the MAC since it was suspended from the conference after the
1968 season .
Game summary
Game information
First quarter
(10:51) MRSH – Billy Malashevich 22 yard field goal (Marshall 3–0 )
Second quarter
(13:16) TOL – Ray Curry 56 yard pass from
Chris Wallace , Chris Merrick kick (Toledo 7–3 )
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
(10:42) MRSH – Billy Malashevich 25 yard field goal (Marshall 20–7 )
(7:01) MRSH –
Randy Moss 20 yard pass from
Chad Pennington , Billy Malashevich kick (Marshall 27–7 )
(6:24) MRSH –
Doug Chapman 5 yard rush, Billy Malashevich kick (Marshall 34–7 )
(3:02) TOL – Mel Long Jr. 33 yard pass from
Chris Wallace , Chris Merrick kick (Marshall 34–14 )
Statistics
Statistics
TOL
MRSH
First downs
16
24
Plays–yards
70–319
63–442
Rushes–yards
42–73
29–120
Passing yards
246
322
Passing: comp–att–int
12–28–1
20–34–1
Time of possession
29:44
30:16
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Toledo
Passing
Chris Wallace
12/28, 246 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Dwayne Harris
30 carries, 105 yards
Receiving
Brock Kreitzburg
3 receptions, 65 yards
Marshall
Passing
Chad Pennington
20/34, 322 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Doug Chapman
20 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Randy Moss
7 receptions, 170 yards, 3 TD
References
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People
Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People
Seasons