Ga. Southern needs win now against Furman

STATESBORO, Ga. - Twenty years ago, an upstart Georgia Southern football program began a championship tradition.

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Today, a desperate Eagles program looks to uphold that tradition.

The 14th-ranked Eagles, needing a victory to stay in the Division I-AA playoff hunt, play host to No. 1 Furman today at Paulson Stadium.

Southern's 1985 national championship team will be honored at the game.

"It's the biggest game of our careers," Georgia Southern fullback Jermaine Austin said. "When we first came here, all we heard about was that Appalachian (State) and Furman were the threats."

The warnings have been substantiated throughout the years. Last season, the Paladins snapped the Eagles' eight-game winning streak and claimed a share of the Southern Conference title with a 29-22 victory in Greenville, S.C.

Earlier this season, Appalachian handed Georgia Southern (6-3, 4-2 Southern Conference) its third-worst I-AA loss (24-7) in 10 years, putting the Eagles in today's must-win situation.

"We feel like we're playing for our playoff lives," Eagles coach Mike Sewak said.

A win would, along with an Appalachian loss to either Elon or Western Carolina, also give Georgia Southern a conference title.

The Paladins (7-1, 3-1) have a similar viewpoint to the magnitude of today's game.

"It's the most important game of the year for us," Furman quarterback Ingle Martin said. "It's like the playoffs for both of us already."

Importance has been etched in this game since its inception. The Eagles dramatically won the first meeting between the two teams in 1985.

In Tacoma, Wash., quarterback Tracy Ham directed Southern from a 22-point second-half deficit to beat the Paladins 44-42 for the school's first of six national championships.

"You'd like to twist Tracy Ham's ankle, but it's done now," said Furman coach Bobby Lamb, who started at quarterback for the Paladins that day.

Three years later in Pocatello, Idaho, the Paladins topped Georgia Southern 17-12 for their only I-AA title.

Today's game pits two of the best offenses in the country.

The Paladins are sixth in scoring, averaging 39.1 points per game, and second in total offense, averaging 480.4 yards per game.

The Eagles score 36.8 points per game (11th in the nation) and run for a division-best 376.9 yards per game.