1989 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

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.

1989 Georgia Southern Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship, W 37–34 vs. Stephen F. Austin
Conference	Independent
Record	15–0
Head coach	Erk Russell (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Stowers (2nd season)
Home stadium	Paulson Stadium
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Georgia Southern ^			–					15	–	0	–	0
No. 14 Youngstown State ^			–					9	–	4	–	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			–					5	–	6	–	0
Northeastern			–					3	–	7	–	0
Fordham			–					2	–	6	–	0
Towson State			–					2	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Valdosta State	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 31–10	16,007	[1]
September 9	West Georgia	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 48–7	11,939	[2]
September 16	vs. Florida A&M	No. 2	Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL (Bold City Classic)	W 28–0	13,481	[3]
September 21	Middle Tennessee	No. 3	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 26–0	16,449	[4]
October 7	Savannah State	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 35–14	20,507	[5]
October 14	at Nicholls State	No. 2	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 21–13	5,286	[6]
October 21	UCF	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 31–17	19,640	[7]
October 28	at Samford	No. 2	Seibert Stadium Homewood, AL	W 52–7	6,042	[8]
November 4	at James Madison	No. 2	JMU Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 36–21	11,685	[9]
November 11	Chattanooga	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 34–13	24,078	[10]
November 18	Marshall	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 63–31	16,323	[11]
November 25	No. 16 Villanova	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 52–36	10,161	[12]
December 2	No. 10 Middle Tennessee	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 45–3	11,272	[13]
December 9	No. 6 Montana	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 45–15	10,421	[14]
December 16	No. 3 Stephen F. Austin	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	W 37–34	25,725	[15]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Sharpe sparks Southern to win". The Macon Telegraph. September 3, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Southern takes no prisoners". The Macon Telegraph. September 10, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Eagles shut out Rattlers". Tallahassee Democrat. September 17, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "MTSU staggered by hurricane forces". The Tennessean. September 22, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Georgia Southern rolls, 35–14". The Greenville News. October 8, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Ga. Southern turns back Nicholls upset bid 21–13". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 15, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Efford guides Georgia Southern past UCF 31–17". Florida Today. October 22, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Unbeaten Georgia Southern rumbles past Samford 52–7". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 29, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rally pushes Southern to 9–0". The Atlanta Constitution. November 5, 1989. Retrieved October 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "No. 1 Georgia Southern pulls away in fourth quarter". The Springfield News-Leader. November 12, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Ross, Southern stampede Herd". The Macon Telegraph. November 19, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Eagles rally past Villanova 52–36". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. November 26, 1989. Retrieved April 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "MTSU stomped". The Daily News-Journal. December 3, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Grizzlies' hopes die in Dixie". The Montana Standard. December 10, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "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.

External links

• 1989 Football Media Guide at gseagles.com