1988 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

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1988 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Georgia Southern Eagles Furman Paladins
(12–2)(12–2)
Independent SoCon
1217
Head coach: 
Erk Russell 		Head coach: 
Jimmy Satterfield
NCAA Seed
22
NCAA Seed
44
1234Total
Georgia Southern303612
Furman737017
DateDecember 17, 1988
Season 1988
Stadium Holt Arena
Location Pocatello, Idaho
Favorite Georgia Southern by 5 [1]
Referee Larry Farina [2]
Attendance9,714 [2]
United States TV coverage
Network ESPN
Announcers Tim Brando (play-by-play), Stan White (color) [3]
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
 < 1987 1989 > 

The 1988 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Furman Paladins. The game was played on December 17, 1988, at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. The culminating game of the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Furman, 17–12. [4]

Contents

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1988 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket. [5]

Georgia Southern Eagles

Georgia Southern finished their regular season with a 9–2 record; one of their losses was to Florida State of Division I-A. [6] Ranked second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll [7] and seeded second in the tournament, the Eagles defeated The Citadel, Stephen F. Austin, and Eastern Kentucky to reach the final. This was the third appearance for Georgia Southern in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1985 and 1986.

Furman Paladins

Furman also finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference); one of their losses was to Clemson of Division I-A. [8] Ranked fourth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll [7] and seeded fourth in the tournament, the Paladins defeated Delaware, Marshall, and top-seed Idaho to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Furman in a Division I-AA championship game, having lost to Georgia Southern in 1985.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP GSCFUR
17:139364:10GSC55-yard field goal by David Cool 30
10:5413886:19FURGreg Key 19-yard touchdown reception from Frankie DeBusk, Glenn Connally kick good37
21:098503:06FUR36-yard field goal by Connally310
35:0715295:34GSC48-yard field goal by Cool610
30:389804:29FURDwight Sterling 5-yard touchdown run, Connally kick good617
412:24GSCMark Giles returned blocked punt 30 yards for touchdown, 2-point pass incomplete1217
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.1217

[2]

Game statistics

1234Total
Eagles303612
Paladins737017
Holt Arena, site of the 1988 Division I-AA championship game Holt Arena, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho.jpg
Holt Arena, site of the 1988 Division I-AA championship game
StatisticsGSCFUR
First downs1417
Plays–yards69–19865–355
Rushes–yards52–13454–231
Passing yards64124
Passing: comp–att–int5–17–27–11–1
Time of possession26:5133:09
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Georgia SouthernPassingRaymond Gross5–17, 64 yds, 2 INT
RushingJoe Ross15 car, 58 yds
ReceivingDeryl Belser2 rec, 26 yds
FurmanPassing Frankie DeBusk 7–11, 124 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingDwight Sterling12 car, 70 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingDonald Lipscomb3 rec, 53 yds

[2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furman Paladins</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Furman University

The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season</span> American college football season

The 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, commenced in August 1985, and concluded with the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 21, 1985, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The Georgia Southern Eagles won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Furman Paladins by a score of 44–42.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season</span> American college football season

The 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1988, and concluded with the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 17, 1988, at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. The Furman Paladins won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles by a score of 17−12.

The 1988 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their third year under head coach Jimmy Satterfield, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a conference mark of 6–1, sharing the SoCon title with Mashall. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Delaware in the first round, Marshall in the quarterfinals, Idaho in the semifinals, and Georgia Southern in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game.

The 1989 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jimmy Satterfield, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a conference mark of 7–0, winning the SoCon title. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated William & Mary in the first round and Youngstown State in the quarterfinals before losing to Stephen F. Austin in the semifinals.

The 1999 Furman Paladins football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bobby Johnson, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a conference mark of 7–1, sharing the SoCon title with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they were upset by UMass in the first round.

The 2001 Furman Paladins football team represented the Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Bobby Johnson in his eighth and final year as head coach, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 12–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the SoCon title with Georgia Southern. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Western Kentucky in the first round, Lehigh in the quarterfinals, and Georgia Southern in the semifinals before losing to Montana in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game.

The 1985 Furman Paladins football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their eighth year under head coach Dick Sheridan, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a conference mark of 6–0, winning the SoCon title. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Rhode Island in the quarterfinals, Nevada in the semifinals, and were upset by Georgia Southern in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game.

The 1999 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Paul Johnson, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a conference mark of 7–1, winning the SoCon title. Georgia Southern defeated Youngstown State in the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game to win the program's fifth NCAA Division I-AA title. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 2001 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Montana Grizzlies and the Furman Paladins. The game was played on December 21, 2001, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Montana, 13–6.

The 1999 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Youngstown State Penguins. The game was played on December 18, 1999, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 59–24.

The 1998 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 19, 1998, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by UMass, 55–43.

The 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Montana Grizzlies. The game was played on December 21, 1996, and was the last I-AA title game contested at Marshall University Stadium, now known as Joan C. Edwards Stadium, in Huntington, West Virginia. The culminating game of the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was a rematch of the prior season's final, and was won by Marshall, 49–29. It was also Marshall's final game in Division I-AA, now known as Division I FCS; the Herd would move to Division I-A the following July, joining the Mid-American Conference.

The 1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Youngstown State Penguins and the Marshall Thundering Herd. The game was played on December 21, 1991, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The culminating game of the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Youngstown State, 25–17.

The 1990 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Nevada Wolf Pack. The game was played on December 15, 1990, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The culminating game of the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 36–13. It was the second consecutive Division I-AA title, and fourth overall, for Georgia Southern.

The 1989 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. The game was played on December 16, 1989, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The culminating game of the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 37–34.

The 1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Arkansas State Indians and the Georgia Southern Eagles. The game was played on December 19, 1986, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The culminating game of the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 48–21. Georgia Southern, the defending champion from 1985, became the first program to win consecutive Division I-AA titles.

The 1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Furman Paladins and the Georgia Southern Eagles. The game was played on December 21, 1985, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The culminating game of the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 44–42.

The 1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Southern Illinois Salukis and the Western Carolina Catamounts. The game was played on December 17, 1983, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating game of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Southern Illinois, 43–7.

The 2005 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Bobby Lamb, the Paladins compiled and overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, trying for second place in the SoCon. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoff, where they beat Nicholls State in the first round and Richmond in the quarterfinals before falling to SoCon and eventual national champion Appalachian State in the semifinals.

References

  1. ↑ "America's Line". New York Daily News . December 17, 1988. p. 32. Retrieved April 27, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NCAA Official Scoring Summary" (PDF). December 17, 1988. Retrieved April 27, 2019– via Amazon Web Services.
  3. ↑ "1988 I-AA National Championship - Furman vs Ga. Southern". June 21, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2019– via YouTube.
  4. ↑ "Furman Edges Ga. Southern for Div. I-AA Title". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. December 18, 1988. Retrieved April 27, 2019.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ Hardesty, Abe (November 21, 1988). "Citadel, Furman get I-AA berths". The Greenville News . Greenville, South Carolina. p. 5D. Retrieved April 27, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Georgia Southern Eagles 1988 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Final I-AA poll". The Greenville News . Greenville, South Carolina. November 21, 1988. p. 5D. Retrieved April 27, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Furman Paladins 1988 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

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