1988 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

1988 Georgia Southern Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA Championship, L 12–17 vs. Furman
Conference	Independent
Record	12–3
Head coach	Erk Russell (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Stowers (1st season)
Home stadium	Paulson Stadium
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Georgia Southern ^			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Western Kentucky ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
Liberty			–					8	–	3	–	0
Nicholls State			–					7	–	4	–	0
William & Mary			–					6	–	4	–	1
Towson State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Arkansas State			–					5	–	6	–	0
James Madison			–					5	–	6	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					4	–	7	–	0
Northeastern			–					4	–	7	–	0
Youngstown State			–					4	–	7	–	0
Lamar			–					3	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1988 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College (now known as Georgia Southern University) during the 1988 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 seventh year as head coach for the Eagles.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Newberry	No. 6	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 55–7	12,084	[1]
September 10	vs. Florida A&M	No. 6	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL		W 42–14	18,556	[2]
September 17	at Chattanooga	No. 6	Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN		W 13–3	8,717	[3]
September 24	at No. 20 Middle Tennessee	No. T–6	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN		L 10–26	6,800	[4]
October 8	at No. 6 (I-A) Florida State	No. T–7	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		L 10–28	59,109	[5]
October 15	Northeast Louisiana	No. 10	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 43–11	20,228	[6]
October 22	Bethune–Cookman	No. 6	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 38–14	16,592	[7]
October 29	at UCF	No. 6	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL		W 31–17	28,682	[8]
November 5	at James Madison	No. 6	JMU Stadium Harrisonburg, VA		W 27–13	10,126	[9]
November 12	Samford	No. 3	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 49–21	20,340	[10]
November 19	South Carolina State	No. 3	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 53–0	17,034	[11]
November 26	No. 14 The Citadel	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)		W 38–20	11,011	[12]
December 3	No. 9 Stephen F. Austin	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)		W 27–6	12,289	[13]
December 10	No. 7 Eastern Kentucky	No. 2	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)		W 21–17	14,023	[14]
December 17	vs. No. 4 Furman	No. 2	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	ESPN	L 12–17	9,714	[15]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Southern clubs Newberry, 55–7". The Greenville News. September 4, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Georgia Southern rips Rattlers 42–14". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 11, 1988. Retrieved March 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Southern's defense drills UTC 13–3". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 18, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Raiders electrif(r)y Eagles". The Daily News-Journal. September 25, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "FSU escapes with victory". The Tampa Tribune. October 9, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Southern pulls away, routs national champs". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 16, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Georgia Southern drops Bethune–Cookman 38–14". St. Petersburg Times. October 23, 1988. Retrieved March 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Georgia Southern pounds UCF 31–17". Florida Today. October 30, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia Southern tops James Madison 27–13; Cool kicks 60-yarder". The Atlanta Constitution. November 6, 1988. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Southern rushes for 515 yards in 49–21 victory over Samford". The Macon Telegraph. November 13, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Ga. Southern batters South Carolina State". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. November 20, 1988. Retrieved September 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Eagles end Citadel dream season". The State. November 27, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Eagles soar into I-AA semifinals". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. December 4, 1988. Retrieved February 25, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Eagles get another title shot". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. December 11, 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Furman gets revenge on Ga. Southern 17–12". The Atlanta Constitution. December 18, 1988. Retrieved September 18, 2022– via Newspapers.com.

External links

• 1988 Football Media Guide at gseagles.com