2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Last updated

2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football
Georgia Southern Eagles wordmark.svg
Sun Belt champion
Conference Sun Belt Conference
Record9–3 (8–0 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDoug Ruse (1st season)
Offensive scheme Spread option
Defensive coordinatorJack Curtis (1st season)
Home stadium Paulson Stadium
Seasons
  2013
2015  
2014 Sun Belt Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Georgia Southern * $  8 0   9 3  
Louisiana–Lafayette ***  5 1   7 4  
Appalachian State *  6 2   7 5  
Texas State  5 3   7 5  
Arkansas State  5 3   7 6  
South Alabama  5 3   6 7  
Louisiana–Monroe  3 5   4 8  
Troy  3 5   3 9  
New Mexico State  1 7   2 10  
Idaho **  1 7   1 10  
Georgia State  0 8   1 11  
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Appalachian State and Georgia Southern ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules
    ** – Idaho ineligible for postseason play due to APR penalties
    *** – Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 2 wins due to NCAA violations

The 2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Willie Fritz and played their home games at Paulson Stadium. They were first year members of the Sun Belt Conference. In their second year of the FCS to FBS transition, the Eagles were eligible for the conference championship; however, they were not bowl-eligible.

The Eagles finished their inaugural FBS season 9–3 and were undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play at 8–0, clinching the conference championship outright. Additionally, with their victory over Georgia State, the Eagles posted their 300th win in the modern era of Georgia Southern football. [1] The Eagles became only the third team ever to win a conference title in its first FBS season, after Nevada in 1992 (Big West Conference) and Marshall in 1997 (Mid-American Conference).[ citation needed ] They were also the first team ever to go unbeaten in conference play in their first FBS season. [2] Georgia Southern athletic director Tom Kleinlein filed for a postseason waiver to allow the Eagles to play in a bowl game; however, the NCAA denied Georgia Southern's waiver request and a subsequent appeal due to a sufficient number of "full FBS members" becoming bowl-eligible during the season. [3]

On July 22, 2016, the university announced that it was ordered by the NCAA to vacate two wins from the 2013 season and one win from the 2014 season, due to academically ineligible student-athletes participating in those games. The win affected in the 2014 season was against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks; despite vacating this win, the ruling does not affect Georgia Southern's status as the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Football champions. [4]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 3012:30 pmat NC State * ACCN L 23–2454,273
September 66:00 pm Savannah State * ESPN3 W 83–923,121
September 1312:00 pmat Georgia Tech * ACCRSN L 38–4253,173
September 206:30 pmat South Alabama ESPN3W 28–611,348
September 257:30 pm Appalachian State
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA (rivalry)
ESPNU W 34–1424,535
October 48:00 pmat New Mexico State SS W 36–2810,256
October 116:00 pm Idaho Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
SBN W 47–2423,250
October 252:00 pmat Georgia State
ESPN3W 69–3128,427
October 307:30 pm Troy
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
ESPNUW 42–1018,321
November 84:00 pmat Texas State ESPN3W 28–2516,772
November 153:30 pmat Navy * CBSSN L 19–5233,894
November 296:00 pm Louisiana–Monroe
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
ESPN3W 22–1616,283
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • All times are in Eastern time

[5]

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References

  1. "Georgia Southern Football Handles Georgia State, Posts 300th Win". Georgia Southern Athletics. October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  2. "Georgia Southern Claims Outright Sun Belt Title - Sun Belt Winners Score Big on Saturday" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  3. "Georgia Southern's appeal denied". ESPN. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  4. "Georgia Southern Football To Vacate Three Games From 2013-14 Seasons". Georgia Southern Eagles. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  5. "2014 Georgia Southern Eagles Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved March 2, 2014.