So I’ve been wondering where Marc Mariani, the subject of my Wednesday column, ranked in the annals of FCS title games with his two 170-yard outings in 2008-09. The NCAA doesn’t do such a great job with its record books, so it seemed it was up to me to find out.

So I found out. Sort of.

One thing I found is that even in this internet age, you can still have trouble tracking down box scores for each of the 33 Division I Football Championships, which began in 1978 in what we called the I-AA.

It was after I wrote that Mariani had the second- and third-best totals in the game’s history that I found a Marshall media guide, and saw that Mike Barber had 9 catches for 195 yards in the Herd’s 43-42 loss to Louisiana Monroe in 1987. That game was played in Pocatello, Idaho. I also saw that Marshall’s Tony Peterson threw for 474 yards in that game – a record.

A game story can be found in the Missoulian, but no boxscore. Sigh. Since Stan Humphries suited up for La.-Monroe, it’s safe to say there were big numbers for some of the Warhawks, too. I’m also still hunting for the 1980 Boise State win over Eastern Kentucky. But for now here’s my almost complete list of 100-yard title games receiving and rushing, and 300-yard title games passing:

Receiving yards
220 – Randy Moss, Marshall, vs. Montana, 1996 (9 catches)
195 – Mike Barber, Marshall, vs. La. Monroe, 1988 (9)
178 – Marc Mariani, Montana, vs. Villanova, 2009 (9)
172 – Mariani, Montana, vs. Richmond, 2008 (7)
163 – Jerry Bird, Idaho State, vs. E. Kentucky, 1981 (9)
154 – Ricardo Clark, Marshall, vs. Youngstown St., 1991 (8)
143 – Frank Johnson, Ga. Southern, vs. Arkansas St., 1985 (7)
130 – Joe Bignell, Montana State, vs. La. Tech, 1984 (10)
117 – Joe Douglass, Montana, vs. Marshall, 1996 (13)
115 – Troy Brown, Marshall, vs. Youngstown St., 1992 (10)
110 – Chris Johnson, Georgia Southern, vs. Montana, 2000 (4)
105 – Williams, Youngstown St., vs. Marshall, 1992 (5)
102 – Joe Bradford, Stephen F. Austin, vs. Ga. Southern, 1989 (4)
102 – Joe Douglass, Montana, vs. Marshall, 1995 (8)
101 – Johnson, App State, vs. Northern Iowa, 2005 (6)
101 – Love, Delaware, vs. App State, 2007 (7)

Mariani, for now, holds down spots 3 and 4.

Rushing yards
247 – Adrian Peterson, Ga. Southern, vs. Youngstown St., 1999 (25 carries)
244 – Marcel Schipp, UMass, vs. Ga. Southern, 1998 (35)
228 – Hill, Ga. Southern, vs. UMass, 1998 (29)
203 – Mike Solomon, Florida A&M, vs. UMass, 1978 (27)
180 – Tracy Ham, Ga. Southern, vs. Furman, 1985 (24)
179 – Kevin Richardson, App State, vs. UMass, 2006 (30)
177 – Melvin McFayden, Florida A&M, vs. Umass, 1978 (22)
164 – Maurice Fenner, James Madison, vs. Montana, 2004 (29)
162 – Josh Vaughn, Richmond, vs. Montana, 2008 (23)
160 – Brown, Youngstown State, vs. Ga. Southern, 1999 (22)
159 – Matt Szczur, Villanova, vs. Montana, 2009 (14)
159 – Frazier, Western Kentucky, vs. McNeese State, 2002 (27)
152 – Joe Ross, Ga. Southern, vs. Stephen F. Austin, 1989 (31)
148 – Adrian Peterson, Georgia Southern, vs. Montana, 2000
145 – Raymond Gross, Ga. Southern, vs. Nevada, 1990 (31)
142 – Yohance Humphery, Montana, vs. Furman, 2001 (30)
140 – Shawn Patten, Youngstown St., vs. Boise State, 1994 (27)
136 – Ron Darby, Marshall, vs. La. Monroe, 1987
134 – Kimble, Arkansas State, vs. Ga. Southern, 1986 (13)
133 – Steve Baylark, UMass, vs. App State, 2006 (24)
129 – Cunningham, Ga. Southern, vs. Youngstown, 1999 (4)
118 – Kevin Richardson, App State, vs. Delaware, 2007 (22)
114 – Erik Thomas, Marshall, vs. Montana, 1996 (20)
112 – Hatchett, Marshall, vs. Youngstown St., 1992 (15)
111 – Hill, Ga. Southern, vs. Youngstown St., 1999 (14)
110 – Terrance Thompson, Eastern Kentucky, vs. Delaware, 1982 (24)
109 – Tamron Smith, Youngstown St., 1993, vs. Marshall (24)
103 – Raymond Cross, Ga. Southern, vs. Stephen F. Austin, 1989 (26)
102 – Chris Whitney, Villanova, vs. Montana, 2009 (16)
102 – David Horne, Northern Iowa, vs. App State, 2005 (22)
101 – Josh Branen, Montana, vs. Marshall, 1996 (19)

It pays to run the ball: 15 of the top 20 performances came from the winning team’s tailback, and 12 of the top 14. Out of those dozen wins, four came against the Griz.

Passing yards
474 – Tony Peterson, Marshall, vs. La. Monroe, 1987
371 – Craig Ochs, Montana, vs. James Madison, 2004 (29-31-1)
363 – Michael Payton, Marshall, vs. Youngstown St.,1991 (30-43-3)
351 – Andrew Selle, Montana, vs. Villanova, 2009 (27-35-0)
335 – Brian Ah Yat, Montana, vs. Marshall, 1996 (36-55-1)
334 – Joe Flacco, Delaware, vs. App State, 2007 (23-48-0)
334 – Kelly Bradley, Montana State, vs. La. Tech, 1984 (37-52-1)
330 – Mike Machurek, Idaho State, vs. E. Kentucky, 1981 (29-44-0)
324 – Erik Kresser, Marshall, vs. Montana, 1996 (18-28-0)
306 – Tracy Ham, Ga. Southern, vs. Arkansas St., 1986 (12-21-0)
303 – Todd Hammel, Stephen F. Austin, vs. Ga. Southern, 1989 (15-40-5)

Again, I’m missing the complete box from the 1987 game, so apologies to Stan Humphries. Three of the top five yardage totals belong to Montana QBs. All are losses (Dave Dickenson threw for 282 in 1995, when the Griz beat Marshall 22-20). In fact, the only guy in the top seven yardage-wise to win is Montana State’s Kelly Bradley in 1984.

-Fritz Neighbor, Missoulian