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Marshall offensive lineman Ethan Driskell (52) throws up wide receiver Cam Pedro (80) as they celebrate a touchdown against Notre Dame during the first half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.
Marshall defensive back Steven Gilmore (3) jumps into the stands after returning an interception for a score against Notre Dame during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. Marshall won 26-21.
Marshall tight end Devin Miller (83) catches a touchdown against Notre Dame during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. Marshall won 26-21.
Marshall offensive lineman Ethan Driskell (52) throws up wide receiver Cam Pedro (80) as they celebrate a touchdown against Notre Dame during the first half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.
Marshall defensive back Steven Gilmore (3) jumps into the stands after returning an interception for a score against Notre Dame during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. Marshall won 26-21.
Marshall tight end Devin Miller (83) catches a touchdown against Notre Dame during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. Marshall won 26-21.
The Western Michigan marching band would not stay quiet.
The large crowd at Joan C. Edwards Stadium was already filled with anxious and angry fans at the 1999 Mid-American Conference championship game.
No. 11 Marshall’s undefeated season hung in the balance after the Broncos jumped out to an early lead. Western Michigan led 23-0 midway through the third quarter when the game started to change its tune.
The musicians from Kalamazoo, Michigan, relentlessly kept tooting their horns and banging their drums during each Thundering Herd possession after halftime. Even as Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington went under center, waiting for the snap of the football, you could still hear the taunting tones of the Broncos band in the background.
The Herd found its first promising drive at the 6:00 mark of the third frame and the band would not let up. It led to the referee stopping play to admonish the group, much to the delight of the 30,000 ticked-off fans.
It sparked the football team as well. Pennington found Nate Poole for a 38-yard touchdown pass on the next play to get Marshall on the board.
The rally was on. It became the biggest comeback in school history – until the 2001 GMAC Bowl – and it came down to one final play.
Still trailing 30-27 with seven seconds left, the Herd had moved the ball to the 1-yard line. Pennington had just been stuffed on a quarterback sneak, leaving Marshall with no timeouts.
Coach Bobby Pruett kept the offense on the field for third down. Pennington rolled to his right and found tight end Eric Pinkerton alone in the corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown toss. It was Pinkerton’s only TD catch in a Marshall uniform.
He had three career receptions, but his lone grab will be remembered as one of the program’s biggest catches.
The winning play happened just a few feet from where I was standing. I wasn’t a sports writer at the time, just a proud Marshall alum and fan. I secured a second-row seat in the same corner of the field where Pinkerton made the fateful catch and got an up-close view of history.
Someone behind me spilled their drink on my back in the celebration but I didn’t care. It had been raining most of the contest and I already soaked.
That game will always be my favorite Marshall memory. Two I-AA national championships had a profound impact on the program, but that night introduced the Herd back to the national stage.
The events that transpired last Saturday on the hallowed grounds of Notre Dame Stadium were a reintroduction. Pinkerton’s catch still stands at the top of my list, but Marshall’s 26-21 win over the Irish will be a close second.
Notre Dame is not a top-10 team in its current form. It doesn’t mean that Marshall’s victory was any less significant.
The Herd defeated one of the premier programs in college history. They did it on the same field where legendary coaches like Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Lou Holtz roamed the sideline.
They competed inside the same lines where players like George Gipp, Paul Hornung, Joe Montana and Tim Brown, just a few of countless names who guided the Fighting Irish to prominence, left a lasting impact in South Bend. It was also the team the produced perhaps the greatest sports underdog, Rudy Ruettiger.
I recalled the Western Michigan game because it has a succinct correlation with the win last Saturday.
Every team needs them, and they can have a lasting effect on not only a season but the longevity of a program. Even powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia have them, but they are far more subtle these days.
The college football landscape is vastly different now. In 1999, it didn’t matter if Marshall was ranked 11th in the nation and held an 11-0 record entering its conference title game. The MAC only had one bowl tie-in that year. One.
It was win or bust for Marshall. A victory meant a trip to the Motor City Bowl, where the Herd completed an undefeated season with a 21-3 win over BYU, and that’s it.
A loss, and they’d have been sitting at home with a 12-1 mark watching the postseason unfold from the couch.
In today’s pigskin paradise, those same credentials would lead to greener pastures and possibly a shot at a national title, with the future expanded playoff field.
Marshall’s program will be forever linked to an unspeakable tragedy, but its football history is filled with so many defining moments in the 52 years since that horrible night in 1970.
Reggie Oliver’s TD pass in the final seconds of the Herd’s miraculous 1971 win over Xavier was the first. Marshall broke a string of 20 straight losing seasons in 1984. Two national championships, nine conference titles and 12 bowl wins followed.
That set of accolades pales in comparison to most Power Five teams. But it bears repeating that the school wanted to terminate the football program, and even if it was reinstated, who knows how long it would have taken to find the same kind of success that it’s had over the last two decades.
Marshall celebrated a victory over an 11-time national champion on its home turf last week, and we can hope the win can be a starting point for the Herd’s climb up the college football ladder.
The transfer portal dominates college sports. A victory of this magnitude attracts more eyes, more national exposure and perhaps mention on highly rated pregame shows. Now, Marshall just has to back it up.
It helps with recruiting. Soon, teams will start the season knowing there are eight more slots up for grabs in the championship playoff. Mid-majors keep improving and want a greater stake in the game.
The newly formed Sun Belt Conference may have future staying power. It became the first FBS conference since the FBS/FCS split in 1978 to have three teams win games on the same day in which they were at least a 15-point underdog, according to ESPN.
The company took notice and College GameDay will emanate from Boone, North Carolina, today before Appalachian State hosts Troy. The show usually doesn’t travel to a mid-major this early in the season.
Along with Marshall’s big win, Georgia Southern won at Nebraska and App State defeated No. 6 Texas A&M in front of the 12th Man at College Station seven days ago.
Change happens slowly. We are headed for giant conferences where big-time money will be tossed around, and powerhouse programs will try to dominate the sport.
The little guy just wants an opportunity to sit at the cool kids’ table. Several got a taste and showed what they are capable of last Saturday.
Marshall opened the 1999 season with a win over Clemson in Death Valley, which some might have considered unthinkable at the time, considering the Herd had just moved back to Division I two years prior.
The Herd’s triumph in South Bend might not be the biggest win in school history, but it is their most significant to date. It will be interesting to see how Marshall responds with several strong conference contenders in front of it.
Time will tell. But in sports and in life, defining moments matter.
Reach MATTHEW SPARKS at msparks@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654. Follow @SparksWillFly35 on Twitter.
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