1989 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

1989 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football
SLC champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship, L 34–37 vs. Georgia Southern
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	12–2–1 (5–0–1 Southland)
Head coach	Lynn Graves (1st season)
Home stadium	Homer Bryce Stadium
Seasons ←  1988 1990  →

1989 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Stephen F. Austin $^	5	–	0	–	1			12	–	2	–	1
Northwestern State	3	–	1	–	2			4	–	5	–	2
SW Texas State	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana	2	–	3	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
McNeese State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
North Texas	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Sam Houston State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1989 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Stephen F. Austin State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their first year under head coach Lynn Graves, the team compiled an overall record of 12–2–1, with a mark of 5–0–1 in conference play, and finished as Southland champion. Stephen F. Austin advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship and were defeated by Georgia Southern.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	at Jackson State *		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 41–28		[1]
September 9	at Boise State *		Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	L 12–23	19,918	[2] [3]
September 23	Nicholls State *	No. 17	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	W 24–7		[4]
September 30	at Lamar *	No. 14	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	W 44–20		[5]
October 7	Southwest Texas State	No. 12	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	W 32–21		[6]
October 14	at No. 16 North Texas	No. 10	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 35–16	20,252	[7]
October 21	at McNeese State	No. 5	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 42–14		[8]
October 28	at Eastern Washington *	No. 5	Woodward Field Cheney, WA	W 42–36		[9]
November 4	Sam Houston State	No. 4	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (rivalry)	W 45–7	16,137	[10]
November 11	Northeast Louisiana	No. 3	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	W 66–45	10,218	[11] [12]
November 18	at Northwestern State	No. 3	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	T 17–17		[13]
November 25	No. 13 Grambling State *	No. 3	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 59–56		[14]
December 2	No. 9 Southwest Missouri State *	No. 3	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 55–25		[15]
December 9	at No. 2 Furman *	No. 3	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 21–19	7,015	[16]
December 16	at No. 1 Georgia Southern *	No. 3	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	L 34–37	25,725	[17]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "SFA finds soft spot, picks J-State apart". The Clarion-Ledger. September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Backup QB rallies Boise State". The Idaho Statesman. September 10, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "BSU rallies past Stephen F. Austin". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 10, 1989. p. 4B.
4. "Centers, Lumberjacks rattle Nicholls, 24–7". Longview News-Journal. September 24, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Lumberjacks pummel Cards". The Orange Leader. October 1, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "S.F. Austin tops Southwest Texas, 32–21". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 8, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Lumberjacks hammer Eagles, 35–16". The Marshall News Messenger. October 15, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "McNeese gets 42–14 pounding from SFA". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 22, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Eagles grounded by Texas air assault". The Spokesman-Review. October 29, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "SFA 45, Sam Houston 7". The Tyler Courier-Times. November 5, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "SFA gets 66 points". The Shreveport Times. November 12, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Stephen F. Austin 66, NE Louisiana 45". Austin American-Statesman. November 12, 1989. p. C2. Retrieved January 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
13. "NSU ties Stephen F. Austin, 17–17". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. November 19, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "SFA snares a wild 59–56 win from Grambling". The Tyler Courier-Times. November 26, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Lumberjacks flatten hobbled SMS". The Springfield News-Leader. December 3, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
16. "'Jacks move ahead to title game, 21–19". Longview News-Journal. December 10, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
17. "It's the Eagles! Ga. Southern wins 37–34, claims third I-AA title". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. December 17, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.