1987 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

1987 Georgia Southern Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 0–19 at Appalachian State
Conference	Independent
Record	9–4
Head coach	Erk Russell (6th season)
Home stadium	Paulson Stadium
Seasons ←  1986 1988  →

1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Georgia Southern ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
No. 8 James Madison ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 12 Arkansas State ^			–					8	–	4	–	1
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^			–					7	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State			–					5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary			–					5	–	6	–	0
Towson State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Tennessee State			–					3	–	7	–	1
Lamar			–					3	–	8	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					3	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1987 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College (now known as Georgia Southern University) during the 1987 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 sixth year as head coach for the Eagles.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Catawba	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 27–0	9,128	[1]
September 12	vs. Florida A&M	No. 1	Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL (Bold City Classic)	L 14–17	17,268	[2]
September 19	No. 5 Middle Tennessee		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 17–13	4,527	[3]
September 26	at East Carolina	No. 10	Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	L 13–16	27,411	[4]
October 3	No. 8 (D-II) UCF	No. 13	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 34–32	15,540	[5]
October 10	vs. Bethune–Cookman	No. T–7	Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL	W 14–13	5,100	[6]
October 17	at No. T–6 Northeast Louisiana	No. 8	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	L 17–26	17,231	[7]
October 24	at No. 8 Western Carolina	No. 20	E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 37–16	13,460	[8]
October 31	No. 7 Western Kentucky	No. 13	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 23–20	13,066	[9]
November 7	No. 3 James Madison	No. 12	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 26–7	16,734	[10]
November 21	at South Carolina State	No. 6	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 30–13	10,048	[11]
November 28	No. 13 Maine	No. 6	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 31–28 OT	9,440	[12]
December 5	at No. 2 Appalachian State *	No. 6	Conrad Stadium Boone, NC (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 0–19	9,229	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^{[14] [15]}

References

1. "Georgia Southern turns back Catawba, 27–0". The Salisbury Post. September 6, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "FAMU shocks Ga. Southern". The Miami Herald. September 13, 1987. Retrieved December 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Late touchdown beats Middle Tennessee". The Commercial Appeal. September 20, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Ga. Southern loses another one to East Carolina 16–13". The Atlanta Constitution. September 27, 1987. Retrieved March 5, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. "UCF throws away chance at victory". Florida Today. October 4, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Eagles edge Bethune–Cookman". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 11, 1987. Retrieved September 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Northeast Louisiana gets its kicks at Southern's expense". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 18, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Defending champ Georgia Southern rips Catamounts". The Charlotte Observer. October 25, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Western falls 23–20". The Park City Daily News. November 1, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "63-yard FG inspires Eagles". The Atlanta Constitution. November 8, 1987. Retrieved October 12, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Gross, Foley lead Georgia Southern over S.C. State". Florence Morning News. November 22, 1987. Retrieved September 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Second-half blitz key for Eagles". The Bangor Daily News. November 30, 1987. Retrieved December 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Appalachian State grounds Eagles 19–0". The Atlanta Constitution. December 6, 1987. Retrieved November 18, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1987 Football Schedule". Georgia Southern University . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
15. "2024 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Georgia Southern University. p. 126. Retrieved July 11, 2025.

External links

• 1987 Football Media Guide at gseagles.com