Randy Moss: College Football Dominance at Marshall University

Randy Gene Moss, born on February 13, 1977, is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Before Randy Moss became an NFL Hall of Famer, he got his start playing FCS (then Division I-AA) football in college at Marshall. His journey to Marshall was marked by challenges, but once he arrived, he quickly established himself as one of the most dominant players in college football history.

Early Years and High School Success

Moss was born in Rand, West Virginia. He attended DuPont High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track. Randy was also on the school's debate team. On the football field, Moss led the DuPont Panthers to back-to-back state championships in 1992 and 1993. He was a star at wide receiver, but also played free safety, returned kickoffs and punts, and was the team's kicker and punter. In 1994, he was honored with the Harrison H. Kennedy Award as the West Virginia Football Player of the Year. As a sophomore in 1992, at the age of 15, Moss joined the track & field team and was the West Virginia state champion in the 100 and 200 meters with times of 10.94 seconds and 21.95 seconds, respectively.

College Recruitment and Initial Setbacks

Moss's dream was to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but he also considered going to Ohio State, where his half-brother, Eric, had played offensive tackle. Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz said "Randy Moss was the best high school football player I've ever seen." Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden said "He was as good as Deion Sanders. After originally signing a letter of intent to play college football with Notre Dame in 1995, Moss took part in a racially charged fight at his high school that left one person hospitalized. On March 23, 1995, Moss had backed a friend in a hallway fight against a white student who had allegedly used racist comments towards Randy's friend. Moss was initially charged with a felony for kicking the student, but it was later reduced to a misdemeanor. On August 1, 1995, Moss pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 30 days behind bars at the South-Central Regional Jail in Charleston, West Virginia. Notre Dame subsequently denied his enrollment application, but this did not stop another high-profile college football program from giving him a chance. After signing with Notre Dame, he flipped to Florida State and was forced to redshirt his first year. After being dismissed from the Seminole program before the 1996 season, Moss headed back home to the state of West Virginia where he had immediate eligibility at the FCS level.

Arrival at Marshall University

Ultimately, Moss transferred to Marshall University, about an hour's drive from his home. Because Marshall was then a Division I-AA school, NCAA rules allowed him to transfer there without losing any further eligibility. Moss joined a Marshall squad that was coming off a runner-up finish in the 1995 FCS title game, with hopes of returning to glory. However, the Thundering Herd had a first-year head coach in Bobby Pruett, who hoped to continue the recent run of success at his alma mater. Luckily, the rookie coach seamlessly plugged Moss right into the lineup, leading the wideout to an impressive season that saw him catch the second-most regular-season touchdowns (19) in FCS history, only behind Jerry Rice (27).

1996 Season: A Record-Breaking Year

In 1996, he set the NCAA Division I-AA records for the most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), most touchdown passes caught in a season (28 - tying Jerry Rice's 1984 record), and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1,709 on 78 catches), a record which still stands. Moss was also the leading kickoff returner in Division I-AA on the season, with 612 total yards and a 34.0-yard average.

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Marshall finished the regular season undefeated to receive the No. 2 playoff seed. Moss' success continued in the playoffs, catching three touchdowns against Delaware in the first round and two touchdowns against Furman in the quarterfinals. The Thundering Herd defeated Northern Iowa without Moss finding the endzone in the semifinals, securing another title game appearance. The opponent? None other than defending champion No. 1 Montana, which defeated Marshall 22-20 for the national championship the year prior.

1996 National Championship Performance

Randy Moss made his presence known on the opening drive. His first catch of the game was a 19-yard touchdown reception on a corner route against double coverage. Moss' second catch of the game came on a simple six-yard hitch route, but even a regular play for most showed flashes of the spectacular with Moss as he broke a tackle and advanced 11 yards for a first down. As the second quarter began, FCS fans would see the highlight reel version of Randy Moss quickly emerge. If you're keeping track, that's three offensive drives for Marshall, and three catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns for Moss. The Thundering Herd led 20-0 with 14:08 to play in the second quarter, already matching their point total from the 1995 title game. Moss closed the first half with a 13-yard catch on a slant route, again finding the hole in the Montana coverage. The Thundering Herd opened the second half with a 23-6 lead, receiving the second-half kick. Moss' first second-half catch game on a hitch route on second-and-nine from the Marshall 38-yard line. On the very next play, Moss caught a slant route, took it all the way across the field, raced down the sideline, tiptoed the out-of-bounds line and scored a 54-yard touchdown. Later in the third quarter, Moss caught an eight-yard pass and an 11-yard pass, both for first downs, needing multiple tacklers for both catches. Moss's final catch of the game would come in the first minute of the fourth quarter. He beat the Cover 1 cornerback off the line on the fade, and Marshall quarterback Erik Kresser threw the ball in a perfect window before the safety could help, leading Moss up the sideline and into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown, Moss' fourth. Moss wouldn't catch another pass for the rest of the game, but he didn't need to for the Thundering Herd to hold on. The Thundering Herd left the FCS with a 49-29 championship win in the 1996 title game. Marshall won its second title in program history (1992), joining Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Southern as the only programs to do so at the time. Marshall finished the season 15-0 as the third (Youngstown State tied one game in 1994) undefeated and untied FCS champion ever. Randy Moss also made history after his performance. His four touchdowns in the title game set a single-game playoff record and tied Jerry Rice's single-season touchdown reception record (including the postseason) at 28.

1997 Season: Continued Dominance and Recognition

The first game of the season was on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers where Marshall lost 42-31. The second game of the season saw Moss pick up right where he left off in 1996. In the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl against Ole Miss, Moss added his 26th touchdown of the season on Marshall's first offensive play from scrimmage. He streaked down the right sideline and caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Pennington to tie the score at 7-7. NCAA rules at the time did not allow for statistics from bowl games to be combined with regular-season stats, so the touchdown did not officially increase his season touchdown record. The two teams traded the lead several times in the fourth quarter before Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds to play, giving them a 34-31 lead. Trying to pull out a last-second win, Pennington connected with Moss on a 40-yard pass on the final play of the game, but he was stripped of the ball as time expired. Moss finished his career at Marshall having scored at least one touchdown in all 28 games that he played. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the season's outstanding receiver regardless of position, and was a finalist for the 1997 Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth in the balloting. He was a Consensus All-American and won MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

Quotes and Accolades

Color analyst Gary Danielson after Moss' 54-yard touchdown catch: "Let's be honest here. Marshall head coach Bob Pruett after Moss was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame: "Randy wanted to be the best and he wanted to prove it every time on the field. If you didn't use him, he was upset - especially in a tight ballgame. He had that much confidence in his ability. Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore after a 1996 regular season loss to Marshall: "That's the best I-AA team ever and I don't see any way anyone can say any different. They have everything. Randy Moss didn't see it coming. "Man, I appreciate that," a shocked Moss said. "I want to send a shoutout to, first of all, my wife and my kids. But all of my teammates at Marshall, my coach, Coach (Bob) Pruett…. Marshall University, Go Herd, man! Stand up! College Football Hall of Fame! "His play, his ability got national recognition for us, because of ESPN, when we moved up to the MAC, and we started Thursday Night Football, we were the main attraction," said Pruett, who was Moss' head coach at Marshall. "He paved the way. "One guy couldn't cover him," Pruett said. "They just weren't good enough. So, they'd put two people on him, and we're 10-on-9 on the other side. "When he came to a game, he came to play. He didn't come to mess around," Pruett said. "He'd be dressed and ready to go an hour before he was supposed to go out, just pacing. "Kids nicknamed him 'The Freak,' not because he hurdled the guy against Navy, it was because he hurdled the guy in practice one day," Pruett said. "One of our short defensive backs. "I mean, time after time he would do something that was like, How'd he do that? Who in the world could do that? And there's only one. "It's awesome," Pruett said. "There's nobody in this world more deserving than he is.

Controversies

A controversial comment was made by Moss in 1997 at a ceremony at Marshall University where he was commenting in regards to the 1970 plane crash that killed most their football team that the crash "was a tragedy, but it really wasn't nothing big".

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College Statistics and Records

During his two years in Huntington, W.Va., Moss caught 174 passes for 3,529 yards and 54 touchdowns. These honors came amid a campaign in which Moss had an FBS-record 26 touchdown receptions in 1997, finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Moss scored at least one touchdown in all 28 games he played for the Herd.

Most touchdown receptions in a single game - 4 (vs.
Most yards receiving in a single game - 288 (vs.

NFL Draft and Early Career

Moss skipped his junior and senior seasons at Marshall and entered the NFL Draft. He did not attend the NFL Combine, opting instead for an individual workout at Marshall's pro day. After the pro day was complete, Marshall head coach Bob Pruett informed the media that Moss had run two 40 yard sprints which timed at 4.24 and 4.28 by scouts' hand timers. During the 1998 NFL draft, Moss, who was projected as a high first-round pick, was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick after a number of NFL clubs-even those in need of a WR-were concerned with Moss's well-documented legal problems. Before the draft Moss was quoted as saying teams that passed on him "will regret it once they see what kind of a player I am and what kind of guy I really am."

Draft Day Disappointment

The team most often cited for passing on Moss is the Dallas Cowboys. Moss grew up a Cowboys fan and wanted to play for the Cowboys. The Cowboys wanted Moss, but because of many off-field incidents of their own, team owner and GM Jerry Jones did not feel the team could draft Moss. Moss felt that the Cowboys lied to him because they had told him they would draft him. On draft day, Dallas went so far as to have a scout in Charleston, West Virginia, the same town where Moss and his mother were watching the draft. Dallas star receiver Michael Irvin even called to apologize to Moss, because Irvin's own off-field problems were a main reason Moss was not drafted by Dallas. After the draft, Moss made a point of beating the Cowboys any time he faced them, getting his first opportunity to do so in Week 13 of his rookie season.

NFL Career Highlights

The Vikings drafted Moss 21st overall in 1998, and he flashed from the start, setting the NFL rookie receiving touchdowns record. Moss becomes the fifth Marshall player to make the Hall of Fame.

1998 Season

The Vikings opened the season with a 31-7 rout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moss's first NFL game would also be his first multi-touchdown game as he recorded four receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. His first NFL reception came on the third play of the game on an 11-yard pass from Brad Johnson. His first Monday Night Football game came in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. He had five receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including touchdown receptions of 52 yards and 44 yards, and two other receptions of 46 yards and 41 yards. In Week 12, against the Packers in a second divisional matchup, Moss had eight receptions for 153 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 28-14 victory. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Green Bay. In Week 13, against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, Moss finished with three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns all for 50+ yards as the Vikings beat the Cowboys 46-36. Moss was the first rookie to score three touchdowns on Thanksgiving. The Vikings finished with a 15-1 record and were in position to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XXXIII. Moss had four receptions for 71 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 41-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional Round. However, the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Vikings by winning the 1998 NFC Championship Game 30-27 in overtime. Overall, Moss had another impressive season, catching 80 passes for 1,413 yards and 11 touchdowns, including a punt return for a touchdown.

1999 Season

He went on to record five receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings 27-10 NFC Wild Card Round playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota lost in the Divisional Round to the St. Louis Rams 49-37, despite Moss catching nine passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Moss was fined $40,000, which was later reduced to $25,000, during that game due to squirting an NFL referee with a water bottle.

2000 Season

The 2000 season featured second-year quarterback Daunte Culpepper leading the team. Culpepper had been the team's first-round draft pick in 1999; with a pick they received from the Redskins for quarterback Brad Johnson. He had been selected largely due to his extremely strong arm, which the team believed was perfectly suited for Moss's deep routes. The decision proved correct. Culpepper was a rookie sensation, the Vikings started 7-0, and Moss was a leading MVP candidate. In that stretch was a Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions, where Moss had seven receptions for 168 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the 31-24 victory. For the second time in three seasons, Moss punished the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, including a spectacular second half touchdown in which Moss caught the ball with his entire body out of bounds, aside from his toes. The play would be the feature shot in NFL commercials for years to come. In Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, Moss had four receptions for 136 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 33-28 loss. Moss finished the season with a career-high 1,437 yards and league-leading 15 touchdown receptions. In doing so, he became the youngest and fastest player to ever catch over 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns, earning him a third consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, and second selection to the All Pro team. In the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, Moss had two receptions for 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 34-16 victory. In the NFC Championship, the Vikings were defeated 41-0 by the New York Giants.

2001 Season

In the offseason, Moss and his agent Danté DiTrapano began negotiating a new contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He was scheduled to earn $3.5 million in 2001.

2002 Season and the "Randy Ratio"

After replacing Dennis Green on an interim basis to end the 2001 season, Mike Tice was officially named head coach on January 10, 2002. One of the strategies the Vikings' first-year head coach came up with was a formula to get Moss the ball more often. Coach Tice called it the Randy Ratio. It was an effort on the coaches part to throw 40% of the passes to Moss as a way to keep him involved in the offense more than he had been in the 2001 season when he had stretches in games where he was being shut out, and partly to use more game clock by sustaining long drives to give the Vikings defense a chance to rest. An assistant coach would stand on the sidelines during games and track how many times Moss had been thrown to, and then inform Tice of the percentages so that he is always aware of it. The strategy was a response to the 'Randy Rules,' as Vikings receiver Chris Walsh called them. The Randy Rules, similar to the Jordan Rules, were a defensive strategy that teams employed when facing the Vikings to try and eliminate or reduce Randy's impact on the game, and to prevent Moss from being matched up one-on-one with defenders because of his ability to burn them deep or outjump them in single coverage. Coach Tice discussed the strategy, explaining that Moss would be running more short and intermediate routes and fewer deep patterns. In training camp, Moss worked specifically on 12 new routes that he had rarely run in his first four NFL seasons, such as crossing patterns over the middle of the field and hook routes. Coach Tice said, "When we say Randy Ratio, everybody in the league thinks, 'OK, now they're going to throw the ball down the field to Randy more and more and more.' That's so far from the truth. The Randy Ratio did not last very long, as Tice scrapped the idea midway through the 2002 season. Randy Moss said "I didn't really care much about the Randy Ratio when it was brought up. I just wanted to win." In Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, he had 11 receptions for 113 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 32-31 victory. In Week 16, Moss threw a touchdown pass to D'Wayne Bates in the 20-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Moss had seven games with least 100 receiving yards on the year.

2003 Season

Moss's fortunes took a better turn on the football field during the 2003 regular season, where he became the second wide receiver in NFL history (behind Jerry Rice in 1995) to play more than 12 games (he played 16) while averaging over 100 yards and one touchdown per contest. In Week 1, against the Green Bay Packers, he had nine receptions for 150 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 30-25 victory. In Week 4, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had eight receptions for 172 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in the 35-7 victory. In Week 7 against the Denver Broncos, he had ten receptions for 151 yards in the 28-20 victory. In the following game against the New York Giants, he had seven receptions for…

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