MAC Football Championship Game 2001

MAC Football Championship Game 2001

1 2 3 4th total Toledo Rockets 0 10 25th 6th 41 Marshall Thundering stove 20th 3 6th 7th 36
date	November 30, 2001
Stadion	Glass bowl
city	Toledo , Ohio
Television broadcast
Network	ESPN2

The 2001 MAC Football Championship Game was the final of the American football championship in the Mid-American Conference of the 2001 season. The East Division winner, Marshall Thundering Herd , met the West Division winner, the Toledo Rockets . The Rockets defeated the Thundering Herd 41:36. The game took place on November 30, 2001 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo , Ohio . It was the first and so far last championship game in Toledo.

Course of the game

Toledo met the 18th ranked Marshall Thundering Herd in their own stadium, who had won all previous Championship Games. Marshall quickly started to score. After two touchdown passes from quarterback Byron Leftwich , a 62-yard touchdown run and a field goal, they led 4 seconds in the second quarter already 23-0. In the last six minutes before half-time, however, the Rockets were able to score ten points, reducing the gap to 13 points. After half-time, however, the Rockets took over the game and scored 25 points, leaving only six points for Marshall. The Rockets could always score points during the first four attack attempts ( possesions ). In the fourth attempt, the Rockets were able to take the lead with 35:29 for the first time after a 16-yard fake field goal touchdown run by kicker Todd France . Four minutes in the fourth quarter, Marshall was able to take the lead again with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Leftwich to wide receiver Denero Marriott - Marriott's fourth touchdown in this game - 36:35. Running back Chester Taylor was able to bring the Rockets back into the lead with 41:36 with an 8-yard touchdown run six minutes before the end of the game. It remained the final score and the Rockets won the championship for the first time since 1995.

statistics

	Toledo	Marshall
1st downs	25th	28
3rd down conversion	7-16	6-14
4th down conversion	2-3	1-2
Total yards	463	541
Thrown yards	175	421
Comp-Att	16-25	32-52
Yards run	288	120
Running attempts	56	21st
Turnovers	1	3
Thrown interceptions	0	1
Time in possession	33:34	26:26
Source:

Honors

Wide receiver Denero Marriott was voted best player by Marshall, running back Chester Taylor was voted best player in the Rockets.

Importance to the Toledo Rockets

The victory after the temporary deficit of 23 points represented the second biggest comeback in school history for Toledo. On the 100th anniversary of the football team, the 41:36 victory over Marshall became one of the ten biggest victories in team history ( All-Time Greatest Rocket Victories ). The play called Nerd Up the Middle , in which Todd France ran over 16 yards to the touchdown, was voted one of the ten most significant moments in team history.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} 2018 MAC Football Record Book . S. 106 ( online [PDF; accessed September 14, 2019]).
2. ^ MAC Selects Site For 2001 Football Championship Game. In: bgsufalcons.com. Bowling Green State University Athletics, accessed September 14, 2019 . 
3. ^ MAC Championship: Toledo 41, Marshall 36. In: upi.com. UPI, accessed September 14, 2019 . 
4. ^ Dave Drury: Ranking All 16 MAC Championship Games. In: hustlebelt.com. Hustle Belt, 2013, accessed September 14, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Football: Rockets Capture MAC Championship With 41-36 Win Over Marshall. In: utrockets.com. University of Toledo Athletics, accessed September 14, 2019 . 
6. ^ MAC Championship: Toledo 41, Marshall 36. In: upi.com. UPI, accessed September 14, 2019 . 
7. ↑ 2018 MAC Football Record Book . S. 104 ( online [PDF; accessed September 14, 2019]).
8. ↑ John Robinson Block (Ed.): 100 Years of Toledo Football . Toledo Blade Company , 2017, ISBN 978-0-692-94023-5 , pp. 69 .
9. ↑ John Robinson Block (Ed.): 100 Years of Toledo Football . Toledo Blade Company , 2017, ISBN 978-0-692-94023-5 , pp. 73 .