# 1999 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

The 1999 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Thundering Herd played their home games at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, and competed in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The team was coached by fourth-year head coach Bob Pruett. Marshall became the second non-automatic qualifying team in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era to finish the year ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll.
Marshall outscored its opponents 463–137 en route to an undefeated, 13–0, season. The season-opener at Clemson (13–10) and the MAC Championship Game vs. Western Michigan (34–30) were the only games decided by less than 12 points.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 6:00 pm | at Clemson* | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | WSAZ | W 13–10 | 79,186 |
| September 11 | 7:00 pm | Liberty* | | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | WSAZ | W 63–3 | 26,374 |
| September 18 | 7:00 pm | Bowling Green | | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | FSNP | W 35–16 | 29,741 |
| September 25 | 8:00 pm | Temple* | No. 21 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | FSNP | W 34–0 | 30,194 |
| October 2 | 2:00 pm | at Miami (OH) | No. 17 | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPN Plus | W 32–14 | 30,087 |
| October 14 | 8:00 pm | Toledo | No. 15 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN | W 38–13 | 30,203 |
| October 23 | 12:00 pm | at Buffalo | No. 15 | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | FSNP | W 59–3 | 13,120 |
| October 30 | 4:00 pm | Northern Illinois | No. 13 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV | FSN | W 41–9 | 30,081 |
| November 6 | 2:00 pm | at Kent State | No. 13 | Dix StadiumKent, OH | WSAZ | W 28–16 | 12,280 |
| November 13 | 12:00 pm | at Western Michigan | No. 12 | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | | W 31–17 | 30,472 |
| November 26 | 12:30 pm | Ohio | No. 12 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV (Battle for the Bell) | FSN | W 34–3 | 26,053 |
| December 3 | 8:00 pm | Western Michigan | No. 11 | Marshall University StadiumHuntington, WV (MAC Championship Game) | ESPN2 | W 34–30 | 28,069 |
| December 27 | 1:30 pm | vs. BYU* | No. 11 | Pontiac SilverdomePontiac, MI (Motor City Bowl) | ESPN | W 21–3 | 52,449 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Tigers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### Liberty

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Thundering Herd | 14 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 63 |

### Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Thundering Herd | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |

### Temple

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #21 Thundering Herd | 14 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 34 |

### Miami (OH)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #17 Thundering Herd | 9 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 32 |
| RedHawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |

### Toledo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| #15 Thundering Herd | 7 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 38 |

### Buffalo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #15 Thundering Herd | 14 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 59 |
| Bulls | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| #13 Thundering Herd | 14 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 41 |

### Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #13 Thundering Herd | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 16 |

### Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #12 Thundering Herd | 7 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 31 |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| #12 Thundering Herd | 0 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 34 |

### Western Michigan–MAC Championship

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 10 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
| #11 Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 20 | 14 | 34 |

### BYU–Motor City Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| #11 Thundering Herd | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |

## Team players drafted in the NFL

The following players were selected in the 2000 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Chad Pennington | Quarterback | 1 | 17 | New York Jets |
| Rogers Beckett | Defensive Back | 2 | 43 | San Diego Chargers |
| Doug Chapman | Running Back | 3 | 88 | Minnesota Vikings |
| James Williams | Wide Receiver | 6 | 175 | Seattle Seahawks |

## Awards and honors

* Chad Pennington, Davey O'Brien Trophy finalist
* Chad Pennington, Heisman Trophy Finalist
* Chad Pennington, MAC Championship Game MVP and MAC Offensive Player of the Year
* Chad Pennington, 1st Team All-MAC
* Nate Poole, 1st Team All-MAC
* Giradie Mercer, 1st Team All-MAC
* Doug Chapman, 1st Team All-MAC
* John Grace, 1st Team All-MAC
* Rogers Beckett, 1st Team All-MAC
* James Williams, 1st Team All-MAC

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Coaches | RV | | RV | 25 | 22 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 14 | 14 | — | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | Not released |