# 1994 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

The 1994 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Jim Donnan, the Thundering Herd compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Marshall advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship playoffs for the fourth straight season, where they defeated Middle Tennessee in the first round and James Madison in the quarterfinals, before losing to Boise State in the semifinals. Marshall played home games at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.

## Regular season

Marshall went undefeated at home during the regular season and lost one game on the road to Appalachian State. Marshall's 7–1 conference record earned them the Southern Conference championship.

## Postseason

By winning the Southern Conference championship, Marshall was awarded a bid in the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Marshall defeated Middle Tennessee State and James Madison in Huntington before falling to Boise State in Boise in the semifinal game.
During the James Madison playoff game Marshall cornerback Melvin Cunningham set a 1-AA playoff record with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | Morehead State* | No. 1 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 71–7 | 23,855 |
| September 10 | No. 16 Tennessee Tech* | No. 1 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 24–10 | |
| September 17 | at No. 21 Georgia Southern | No. 1 | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | W 34–13 | 14,411 |
| September 24 | West Virginia State* | No. 1 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 48–0 | 20,037 |
| October 1 | Chattanooga | No. 1 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 62–21 | |
| October 8 | at VMI | No. 1 | Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, VA | W 49–7 | 9,538 |
| October 15 | No. 16 Western Carolina | No. 1 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 38–14 | 24,968 |
| October 22 | at No. 24 Appalachian State | No. 1 | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | L 14–24 | 19,781 |
| October 29 | The Citadel | No. 5 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 42–30 | 23,260 |
| November 5 | at East Tennessee State | No. 3 | Memorial CenterJohnson City, TN | W 42–12 | 9,417 |
| November 12 | Furman | No. 2 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | W 35–14 | 20,405 |
| November 26 | No. 16 Middle Tennessee* | No. 2 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA First Round) | W 49–14 | 17,349 |
| December 3 | No. 13 James Madison* | No. 2 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal) | W 28–21 $^{OT}$ | 16,494 |
| December 10 | at No. 3 Boise State* | No. 2 | Bronco StadiumBoise, ID (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal) | L 24–28 | 20,068 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Awards and honors

* William Pannell, 1st Team All-Southern Conference
* Travis Colquitt. 1st Team All-Southern Conference
* Shannon Morrison, 1st Team All-Southern Conference
* Billy Lyon, 1st Team All-Southern Conference
* Jamie Wilson, 2nd Team All-Southern Conference
* David Merrick, 2nd Team All-Southern Conference