1997 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
| 1997 Georgia Southern Eagles football | |
|---|---|
SoCon champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 7–16 at Delaware | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 8 |
| Record | 10–3 (7–1 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike Sewak (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Rusty Russell (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Paulson Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 $^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Appalachian State | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Tennessee State | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1997 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Paul Johnson, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Florida A&M in the first round before losing to Delaware in the quarterfinals. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | Valdosta State* | W 45–26 | 10,572 | [1] | ||
| September 6 | No. 3 William and Mary* | No. 23 |
| L 28–29 | 10,329 | [2] |
| September 20 | at Wofford | No. 20 | W 22–7 | 7,236 | [3] | |
| September 27 | No. 22 Chattanooga | No. 20 |
| W 37–10 | 10,128 | [4] |
| October 4 | at VMI | No. 17 | W 49–0 | 5,208 | [5] | |
| October 11 | Western Carolina | No. 11 |
| W 30–7 | 11,368 | [6] |
| October 18 | at Appalachian State | No. 9 | L 12–24 | 13,887 | [7] | |
| October 25 | The Citadel | No. 16 |
| W 49–7 | 14,731 | [8] |
| November 1 | at No. 12 East Tennessee State | No. 14 | W 38–30 | 5,629 | [9] | |
| November 8 | Furman | No. 11 |
| W 30–13 | 18,269 | [10] |
| November 15 | at South Florida* | No. 8 | W 24–23 | 30,470 | [11] | |
| November 29 | No. 10 Florida A&M* | No. 8 |
| W 52–37 | 10,409 | [12] |
| December 6 | at No. 3 Delaware* | No. 8 |
| L 7–16 | 11,203 | [13] |
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References
- ^ "Johnson begins coaching career with a win". The Macon Telegraph. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "W&M slips past Georgia Southern". Martinsville Bulletin. September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wofford handed first league loss". Johnson City Press. September 21, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eagles avenge loss last year to UT–C". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 28, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Georgia Southern 49, VMI 0". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 5, 1997. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Southern still perfect". The Times-Herald. October 12, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Third-quarter outbursts carry Appalachian State over Eagles". The Atlanta Constitution. October 19, 1997. Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Citadel run over by Eagles". The Island Packet. October 26, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eagles upend Bucs". Kingsport Times-News. November 2, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Seven turnovers prove too costly for Paladins". The Greenville News. November 9, 1997. Retrieved September 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "USF fails to convert for major upset of Eagles". The Tampa Tribune-Times. November 16, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hill, Ga. Southern finish off Rattlers". The Palm Beach Post. November 30, 1997. Retrieved June 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Georgia Southern can't cross Delaware". The Macon Telegraph. December 7, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1997 Football Schedule". CFBDataWarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2017.