1989 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

1989 Georgia Southern Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
ConferenceIndependent
Record15–0
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTim Stowers (2nd season)
Home stadiumPaulson Stadium
Seasons
← 1988
1990 →
1989 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Georgia Southern ^   –   12 – 0 – 0
No. 14 Youngstown State ^   –   9 – 3 – 0
No. T–10 William & Mary ^   –   8 – 3 – 1
Liberty   –   7 – 3 – 0
Western Kentucky   –   6 – 5 – 0
James Madison   –   5 – 4 – 1
Lamar   –   5 – 5 – 0
Arkansas State   –   5 – 6 – 0
Nicholls State   –   5 – 6 – 0
Samford   –   4 – 7 – 0
Northeastern   –   3 – 7 – 0
Fordham   –   2 – 6 – 0
Towson   –   2 – 8 – 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1989 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern College (now known as Georgia Southern University) as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Erk Russell in his eighth and final year as head coach, the Eagles compiled a record of 15–0 and won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, the program's third national title in five seasons. After completing an 11–0 regular season, Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, beating Villanova in the first round, Middle Tennessee, in the quarterfinals, Montana in the semifinals, and Stephen F. Austin in NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 2Valdosta StateNo. 2
W 31–1016,007
September 9West GeorgiaNo. 2
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 48–711,939
September 16vs. Florida A&MNo. 2
W 28–013,481
September 21Middle TennesseeNo. 3
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 26–016,449
October 7Savannah StateNo. 2
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 35–1420,507
October 14at Nicholls StateNo. 2
W 21–135,286
October 21UCFNo. 2
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 31–1719,640
October 28at SamfordNo. 2
W 52–76,042
November 4at James MadisonNo. 2
W 36–2111,685[1]
November 11ChattanoogaNo. 1
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 34–1324,078
November 18MarshallNo. 1
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 63–3116,323
November 25No. 16 VillanovaNo. 1
W 52–3610,161[2]
December 2No. 10 Middle TennesseeNo. 1
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)
W 45–311,272
December 9No. 6 MontanaNo. 1
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)
W 45–1510,421
December 16No. 3 Stephen F. AustinNo. 1
W 37–3425,725[3]

References

  1. ^ "Rally pushes Southern to 9–0". The Atlanta Constitution. November 5, 1989. Retrieved October 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Eagles rally past Villanova 52–36". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. November 26, 1989. Retrieved April 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "It's the Eagles! Ga. Southern wins 37–34, claims third I-AA title". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. December 17, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.


Stub icon

This college football 1980s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.