Ranking the 10 best small school college football QBs of all time
By Zach Bigalke
Chad Pennington’s career at Marshall spanned their time in both the I-AA and I-A ranks. As a freshman, the Thundering Herd were forced to burn Pennington’s redshirt in 1995. That year he led Marshall to the I-AA championship game, where the Herd lost to Montana 22-20. He was redshirted the following season. It was Marshall’s last in I-AA, and they went out as champions. Pennington returned as starter for the 1997 season as the Herd transitioned to the MAC.
With Randy Moss still at Marshall in 1997, Pennington threw for 3,800 yards and 42 touchdowns. The Herd went 10-3 and won their first of six straight MAC championships. The following year, Pennington improved as a passer. He completed 65 percent of his throws as the Herd went 12-1. Then, as a senior, Pennington actually threw for the lowest yardage total of his FBS career while improving his efficiency and touchdown rate. During that 1999 season, Marshall challenged for a spot in the BCS. The Herd was ultimately shut out of receiving a major bowl invitation despite a perfect 13-0 record that included a season-opening upset of Clemson.
Related Story: The Saga of Undefeated Marshall and the 1999 BCS
As a four-year starter, Pennington went 47-7 between his one year of I-AA play and three years in the MAC. The New York Jets drafted Pennington 18th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. There he spent eight seasons as the on-again, off-again starter before concluding his career with three seasons in Miami. Between the regular season and playoffs, Pennington threw for over 19,000 yards and 110 touchdowns in his NFL career.