2006 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

2006 Georgia Southern Eagles football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	3–8 (2–5 SoCon)
Head coach	Brian VanGorder (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Darin Hinshaw (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Deion Melvin (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Paulson Stadium
Seasons ←  2005 2007  →

2006 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Appalachian State $^		7	–	0					14	–	1
No. 12 Furman ^		6	–	1					8	–	4
No. 23 Wofford		5	–	2					7	–	4
The Citadel		4	–	3					5	–	6
Elon		2	–	5					5	–	6
Chattanooga		2	–	5					3	–	8
Georgia Southern		2	–	5					3	–	8
Western Carolina		0	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

The 2006 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern University during the 2006 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Brian VanGorder, in his first and only year as head coach for the Eagles.

On the Friday morning prior to the first game of the season, former Georgia Southern head coach Erk Russell died aged 80 from a stroke. Russell had addressed the team on the night before. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	7:00 pm	Central Connecticut *	No. 13	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		L 13–17	20,178	[2]
September 16	7:00 pm	Coastal Carolina *	No. 24	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 38–21	17,303	[3]
September 23	6:00 pm	at Chattanooga	No. 19	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN		L 26–27	8,228	[4]
September 30	6:00 pm	at No. 24 Western Carolina		E.J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		W 24–14	10,483	[5]
October 7	1:00 pm	No. 11 North Dakota State *	No. 21	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		L 14–34	13,892	[6]
October 14	1:00 pm	Elon		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		W 28–21	14,825	[7]
October 21	12:00 pm	No. 1 Appalachian State		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (rivalry)	SportSouth	L 20–27 2OT	19,438	[8]
October 28	2:00 pm	at The Citadel		Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC		L 21–24	12,129	[9]
November 4	1:00 pm	Wofford		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		L 10–28	12,486	[10]
November 11	3:30 pm	at No. 8 Furman		Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC		L 10–13	13,287	[11]
November 18	1:00 pm	Central Arkansas *		Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		L 31–34 OT	11,159	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^{[13] [14] [15]}

References

1. "Former GSU coach Erk Russell dies". WRDW-TV. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
2. "Central scores an upset". The Hartford Courant. September 10, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Georgia Southern rolls over Coastal Carolina, 38–21". The Times. September 17, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Chattanooga 27, Georgia Southern 26". The Jackson Sun. September 24, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Eagles prevail over Cats". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 1, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Eagles stampeded by undefeated Bison". The Atlanta Constitution. October 8, 2006. Retrieved October 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Foster comes through in clutch". The Macon Telegraph. October 15, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Appalachian State survives overtime to beat Georgia Southern". The News-Herald. October 22, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Bulldogs withstand Eagles' longest-ever pass play". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 29, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Two big plays spark Wofford past Georgia Southern". The State. November 5, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Paladins wrap up Eagles". The Greenville News. November 12, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Loss in finale sums up Eagles' season". The Macon Telegraph. November 19, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Georgia Southern Eagles Schedule 2006". ESPN . Retrieved July 10, 2025.
14. "2006 Football Schedule". Georgia Southern University . Retrieved July 10, 2025.
15. "2024 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Georgia Southern University. p. 128. Retrieved July 11, 2025.