College football duos: Ranking the 32 best dynamic duos in modern history
By Nick Villano
7. Chad Pennington and Randy Moss, Marshall
There was nobody better in the history of Marshall football than the connection between Chad Pennington and Randy Moss.
Most people know the story of how Moss, one of the most talented wide receivers in history, ended up at a Division I-AA school. He started at Notre Dame after signing a letter of intent, but they denied his entry into the university after what was called a racially-charged fight that landed him in jail. Fast forward through a short stint at Florida State and his eventual transfer back home to West Virginia.
It ended up being the best thing that could have ever happened to him.
In his first season at school, Moss set all kinds of records, including tying Jerry Rice’s record for touchdowns in a season. The next season was Marshall’s first in Division I-A. It was also the return of Pennington as the starting quarterback (he redshirted the season before). These two don’t seem to fit. Pennington is notorious for having a weak arm and Moss is the greatest deep threat in the history of the sport. However, something about them together just worked.
Moss broke the Division I-A touchdown record by four touchdowns in 1997 (which has since been broken but only by one person). He scored a touchdown in every single game he played in college. Obviously, Moss lifted Pennington, but Pennington did a lot to get Moss to a record-breaking year himself.