1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship, W 44–42 vs. Furman
Conference	Independent
Record	13–2
Head coach	Erk Russell (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Paul Johnson (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Option
Defensive coordinator	Len Gravelson (1st season)
Base defense	4–4
Home stadium	Paulson Stadium
Seasons ←  1984 1986  →

1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Georgia Southern ^			–					13	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Eastern Washington ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Richmond			–					8	–	3	–	0
Colgate			–					7	–	3	–	1
Delaware			–					7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee State			–					7	–	4	–	0
No. 16 William & Mary			–					7	–	4	–	0
Lafayette			–					6	–	5	–	0
James Madison			–					5	–	6	–	0
Lehigh			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					4	–	6	–	1
Florida A&M			–					4	–	7	–	0
Western Kentucky			–					4	–	7	–	0
Bucknell			–					3	–	7	–	0
Northeastern			–					2	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College (now known as Georgia Southern University) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his fourth year as head coach for the Eagles.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	vs. Florida A&M		Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL (Bold City Classic)	W 27–21	18,086	[1]
September 14	Middle Tennessee		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	L 10–35	9,227	[2]
September 21	at Troy State		Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	W 17–10	6,400	[3]
September 28	at Chattanooga		Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	W 19–14	8,892	[4]
October 5	Tennessee Tech		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 34–0	9,152	[5]
October 12	Bethune–Cookman	No. 19	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 46–24	8,063	[6]
October 26	Newberry	No. 8	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 38–17	12,831	[7]
November 2	at James Madison	No. 7	JMU Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	L 6–21	5,000	[8]
November 9	UCF	No. 16	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 35–18	7,759	[9]
November 16	East Tennessee State	No. 12	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 46–7	8,142	[10]
November 23	at South Carolina State	No. 10	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 43–30	6,543	[11]
November 30	No. 15 Jackson State	No. 9	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 27–0	4,128	[12]
December 7	at No. 1 Middle Tennessee	No. 9	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 28–21	9,500	[13]
December 14	at No. 4 Northern Iowa	No. 9	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 40–33	12,300	[14]
December 21	vs. No. T–2 Furman	No. 9	Tacoma Dome Tacoma, WA (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	W 44–42	5,306	[15]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Georgia So. outlasts FAMU, 27–21". Pensacola News Journal. September 16, 1984. Retrieved November 13, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "MTSU rambles 35–10 over Georgia Southern". The Tennessean. September 15, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Ham paces Ga. Southern to 17–10 win". The Atlanta Constitution. September 22, 1985. Retrieved November 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Ham leads Eagles over UTC 19–13". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 29, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Southern routs Tech". The Daily News-Journal. October 6, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Southern takes 46–24 victory". The Macon Telegraph & News. October 13, 1985. Retrieved September 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Georgia Southern rolls past Newberry". The Greenville News. October 27, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "James Madison Dukes upend Georgia Southern, 21–6". The Daily News Leader. November 3, 1985. Retrieved October 12, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia Southern rallies to down Central Florida". Indian River Press Journal. November 10, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Ham leads Southern ro 46–7 win". The Macon Telegraph & News. November 17, 1985. Retrieved November 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Georgia Southern explosion buries S.C. State 43–30". The State. November 24, 1985. Retrieved September 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Georgia Southern advances". The Columbus Ledger. December 1, 1985. Retrieved April 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Georgia Southern earns date against UNI with upset win". The Waterloo Courier. December 8, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Southern wins, moves into final with Furman". The Macon Telegraph & News. December 15, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Erk's Eagles land with a title". The Atlanta Constitution. December 22, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022– via Newspapers.com.

External links

• 1985 Football Media Guide at gseagles.com