Grizzlies Take Championship Montana Beats Marshall 22-20 On Field Goal In Final Minute

The NCAA Division I-AA championship game looked certain to be a showcase for Montana quarterback Dave Dickenson, and it was. But two unexpected factors - Montana’s defense and kicker Andy Larson - came up just as big in Saturday’s 22-20 win over Marshall for the Grizzlies’ first title.

Dickenson, who finished with 12,580 career yards, was 29 of 48 for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Sixty-nine yards of that total came as Montana drove 72 yards for Larson’s game-winning, 25-yard field goal with 44 seconds left.

It was Larson’s second field goal of the day, but just his 10th of the year in 14 tries. Montana (13-2), of the Big Sky, outscored opponents 185-34 in the playoffs and seldom needed to call on him this season.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Dickenson said. “I’m happy, but in the same sense, I planned it. I wasn’t coming here to lose.”

The heroics wouldn’t have been possible without Montana’s defense. Grizzlies defenders accounted for two points, pressuring Herd freshman quarterback Chad Pennington to ground the ball in the end zone in the third quarter.

Montana also had a successful goal-line stand early in the fourth, forcing the Herd to settle for Tim Openlander’s 21-yard field goal after Marshall had first-and-goal from the 3.

The Grizzlies held Marshall’s Chris Parker, I-AA’s fifth-best career rusher, to just 94 yards on 23 carries.

“We knew coming in we had to stop Parker,” said linebacker Jason Crebo. “We knew if we stopped him, they’d have to go to Pennington. Our defense came up big today. On the big plays, we came together.”

The finish was strangely similar to Marshall’s only title, in 1992. That year, Thundering Herd quarterback Michael Payton, a senior who, like Dickenson, set a number of school records, drove the Herd for the game-winning field goal late against Youngstown State.

After Parker ran for a 26-yard touchdown with 4:45 left to put the Herd up 20-19, Montana marched almost at will.

Dickenson, sacked 10 times in the game, was crisp on the final drive. He completed six passes for 69 yards, then scrambled 11 yards to Marshall’s 8 to set the stage for Larson.

The safety was one of many mistakes by Marshall (12-3) of the Southern Conference.

Herd running back Erik Thomas fumbled on his own 20 to set up Montana’s only touchdown of the second half, a 2-yard pass from Dickenson to Matt Wells.

In the third quarter, Pennington grounded the ball in the end zone, costing the safety.

And in the first half, Marshall played like a team in its first championship game instead of its fourth in five seasons.

A late hit and a screen helped set Montana’s sluggish offense rolling late in the second quarter.

The hit out of bounds by Herd safety B.J. Summers moved the ball from Marshall’s 29 to its 44. A play later, the Grizzlies caught the Herd unprepared for the screen to wide receiver Joe Douglass, who went 31 yards down the sideline.

Two plays later, Wells faked to the inside, freezing Herd safety Scott Smythe, then curled outside for a 24-yard touchdown catch with 59 seconds left in the half to make it 10-3.

On Marshall’s first drive, Pennington pitched the ball at the feet of tailback Chris Parker on fourth-and-1 at Montana’s 40.

Marshall’s Thomas celebrated after a 7-yard gain, costing the Herd 15 yards and helping to kill another drive. The next time Marshall had the ball, Thomas dropped a pass on a deep route down the sideline on which he should have scored.

“We take pride in our discipline and execution,” said Marshall coach Jim Donnan. “With the penalties and missed assignments, you don’t give yourself a chance to win. We didn’t handle it well. I’m tremendously disappointed for us. We played sloppy. We made a lot of stupid mistakes. I’ll take the blame for not being prepared.”

Pennington finished 23 of 40 for 246 yards.

Douglass had eight catches for 102 yards to lead Montana’s receivers.

Marshall also was runner-up in 1987, 1991 and 1993. The Herd lost at home for only the fourth time since 1991.

Montana 22, Marshall 20

Montana 3 7 2 10 - 22

Marshall 0 3 7 10 - 20 Mon-FG Larson 48

Mar-FG Openlander 39

Mon-Wells 24 pass from Dickenson (Larson kick)

Mar-Parker 10 run (Openlander kick)

Mon-Safety, Pennington intentional grounding in end zone

Mon-Wells 2 pass from Dickenson (Larson kick)

Mar-FG Openlander 21

Mar-Parker 26 run (Openlander kick)

Mon-FG Larson 25

A-32,106.

Mon Mar First downs 21 17 Rushes-yards 29-49 32-112 Passing 281 246 Return Yards 23 0 Comp-Att-Int 29-48-1 23-41-1 Punts 8-28 5-37 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-1 Penalties-Yards 4-18 12-109 Time of Possession 30:14 29:46 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHINGMontana, Branen 6-33, Gales 1-11, Stesrud 4-5,

Dickenson 18-0. Marshall, Parker 23-94, Darling 3-8, Thomas 1-7, Gary 3-6, Pennington 2-(minus 3).

PASSINGMontana, Dickenson 29-48-1-281. Marshall, Pennington 23-40-1-246, Martin 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVINGMontana, Erhardt 9-90, Douglass 8-102, Wells 8-62, Stesrud 2-20, Branen 1-5, Gales 1-2. Marshall, Wiggins 5-81, Carter 5-56, Todd 5-44, Martin 4-50, Wicks 2-11, Thomas 1-7, Parker 1-(minus 3).