1989 Southwest Missouri State Bears football team

1989 Southwest Missouri State Bears football
GFC champion
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 25–55 at Stephen F. Austin
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Record	10–3 (5–1 GFC)
Head coach	Jesse Branch (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Dave Wommack (4th season)
Home stadium	Briggs Stadium
Seasons ←  1988 1990  →

1989 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Southwest Missouri State $^	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Eastern Illinois ^	4	–	2	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
No. 20 Northern Iowa	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Illinois State	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Indiana State	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Western Illinois	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Southern Illinois	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1989 Southwest Missouri State Bears football team represented Southwest Missouri State University (now known as Missouri State University) as a member of the Gateway Football Conference (GFC) during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Jesse Branch, the Bears compiled an overall record of 10–3, with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, and finished as GFC champion. Southwest Missouri State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinals and were defeated by Stephen F. Austin.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2		Northwestern State *		Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 20–10		[1]
September 9		Indiana State		Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 31–10		[2]
September 16		at Western Illinois		Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 31–24		[3]
September 23		at Austin Peay *	No. T–5	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 41–3	2,493	[4]
September 30	1:30 p.m.	Northern Iowa	No. T–5	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 37–22	7,512	[5]
October 7		Illinois State	No. T–5	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 42–7	9,000	[6]
October 14		at Western Kentucky *	No. 4	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 33–42	9,000	[7]
October 21		at Southern Illinois	No. 8	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 31–25	10,000	[8]
October 28		No. 20 Alcorn State *	No. 7	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 59–19	9,148	[9]
November 11		at Eastern Illinois	No. 5	O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	L 15–16	10,128	[10]
November 18		at Liberty *	No. 9	Willard May Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 31–20		[11]
November 25		No. 8 Maine *	No. 9	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 38–35	7,270	[12]
December 2		at No. 3 Stephen F. Austin *	No. 9	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 25–55		[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[14]

References

1. "NSU stumbles to Southwest Missouri in opener". The Shreveport Times. September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Southwest Missouri blasts Indiana State". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 10, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Two big plays give Bears 31–24 victory". The Springfield News-Leader. September 17, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "SMSU roars past Governors 41–3". The Leaf-Chronicle. September 24, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Northern Iowa can't keep up with No. 5 S.W. Missouri State". The Des Moines Register. October 1, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "ISU no match for these Bears". The Pantagraph. October 8, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Western rallies past SW Missouri". The Courier-Journal. October 15, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Salukis pass up opportunity". The Southern Illinoisan. October 22, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "SMS rolls Alcorn St. in 59–19 win". The Springfield News-Leader. October 29, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Late FG try fails as Bears fall to Eastern Illinois". The Kansas City Star. November 12, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "SW Missouri ends LU playoff dream". The News and Advance. November 19, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "SWMO wins wild opener". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 26, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Lumberjacks flatten hobbled SMS". The Springfield News-Leader. December 3, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Missouri State Football 2023 Media Guide" (PDF). Missouri State University Athletics. p. 65. Retrieved June 30, 2024.