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The 1994
National Champions
Coach Jim Tressel’s ninth
Youngstown State football team was arguably his best. The 1994 Penguins
opened the year with a tie and then rolled to 14 straight victories
while wrapping up the school’s second straight national championship
beating Boise State 28-14 in the title game.
After tying
Stephen F. Austin in the season opener, YSU went on to set a school
record for victories in a season and set the mark for the school’s best
winning streak in finishing the entire campaign without a loss.
In the 1994
season, YSU averaged 27.9 points per game and held their opponents to
10.1 points per contest. The Penguins won eight games by more than 20
points and scored more than 27 points nine times. Eight times, YSU’s
opponents failed to score double figures.
The year
culminated with a 28-14 win over Boise State in the National
Championship Game in Huntington, W. Va. By beating the Broncos, YSU
became just the second school in Division I-AA history to repeat as
National Champions.
Against Boise
State, YSU trailed 7-0 before scoring the next 28 points to take over
the game. The Broncos added a score late in the fourth quarter but the
day, much like the season, belonged to YSU. The Penguins outgained the
Broncos 422 yards to 225 and won the time of possession battle by almost
eight minutes.
In the second
quarter of the title game, Marc Brungard scored on a two-yard run and
just before the half scored on a 38-yard scamper to give the Penguins a
lead they never lost. In the third, Brungard capped a 91-yard scoring
drive with a five-yard touchdown toss to Don Zwisler. In the fourth,
Shawn Patton scored on a 55-yard rush with just over seven minutes
remaining.
The game was a
microcosm of YSU’s season -- slow start followed by a tremendous finish.
After kicking
a field goal on the game’s final play to tie Stephen F. Austin, the
Penguins won 14 straight. In 1994, YSU won nine home games and in four
away games allowed just 18 points in four victories.
In the
playoffs, YSU opened with a 63-20 win over a Steve McNair led Alcorn
State team in a game that was nationally televised on ESPN. McNair
finished with 514 yards passing, throwing the ball 82 times and he was
sacked six times.
YSU’s dream
season hung in the balance in the quarterfinals against Eastern
Kentucky. YSU led 11-0 in the fourth before EKU rallied for 15 straight
points. But Brungard led the troops back when he threw an eight-yard
touchdown pass to Darnell Bracy with 1:02 remaining to cap an eight-play
80-yard drive.
Against
Montana in the semifinals, YSU scored the first 21 points of the game
building a 21-0 third-quarter advantage. The victory over the Grizzlies
sent the Penguins back to the championship game for the third straight
season where they defeated Boise State.
In the regular
season, YSU won six straight home contests over Eastern Kentucky,
Slippery Rock, McNeese State, North Alabama, Kent State and Akron. The
Penguins concluded the regular season with road victories over
SUNY-Buffalo, UMass and Indiana State. YSU also won at Delaware State in
September to begin its 14-game winning streak.
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