1989 Champions – One Last Time in Our House
By John Flanders – Statesboro Herald Sports Editor

    Stephen F. Austin called on Georgia Southern to rise in "Our house" on December 17, 1989 as the two teams battled for the Division I-AA National Championship.

    Erk's Eagles soared.

    With the score deadlocked at 34 with 4:58 left, Lumberjack quarterback Todd Hammel, in the grasp of blitzing Eagle linebacker Darrell Hendrix, tried to throw the ball away. It landed in the hands of free safety Taz Dixon on the Jacks' 30-yardline.

    "I had to scramble out and the linebacker (Hendrix) grabbed me and was pulling me down," said hammel. "I was just trying to throw the ball away and it started to sail."

    The Raymond Gross-led Eagle offense took over and drove the ball to the SFA 3-yardline handing the ball to fullback Joe Ross up the middle of on seven of nine plays.

    On fourth and goal, Russell called for the field goal squad and the Eagles third national title in five years, the NCAA's first ever 15-0 season and the Eagles 36-game home winning streak rested on the right foot of junior Mike Dowis.

    "Before the kick, Terry (Harvin, holder) just told me, 'This is what we have been dreaming about. This is it. Let's just do it,'" Dowis Said. "The hold he gave me, honestly, was probably the best hold he has given me ever."

    Dowis sent the 20-yard attempt high and long splitting the uprights at the 1:41 mark and the Eagles were champions ... again, 37-34.

    "The snap from Bubba Crenshaw was perfect, we got good protection and it was a short one and we just put it down the middle," Dowis said.

    "It is the Zenith, the epitome, the ultimate," Russell said of his third national title. "I don't know any other way to describe the culmination of everything that you want to happen with a football team."

    "We won 15 games, capping it off with a national championship in our house in front of 25,000 of our fans," Russell said. "I am so glad that our people could see it."

    The Eagles took a 20-17 edge in at the half, but the Lumberjacks not only scored in the third quarter, but scored twice destroying the Eagles' scoreless third quarter streak and took a 27-20 lead.

    The Jacks tied the score when they capped a six-play drive with a career-long and SFA school record 53-yard field goal by Chuck Rawlinson. Lumberjack defense then forced the Eagles to punt after three plays of the ensuing drive and the SFA offense was in business again.

    Hammel, who hit on 15 of 41 for 303 yards but threw five interceptions, marched his team from their 21 to the Eagle end zone in 11 plays. The Jacks scored when Hammel hit split end Joe Bradford with a seven-yard strike.

    As the third quarter wound down, the Eagles began to get four and five yards a pop up the middle out of Ross and that opened the option as well.

    Running Ross in the middle with an occasional option and three big passes, the Eagles put together a 16-play 86-yard drive that ate 5:30 off the clock. Southern scored with 14:57 left on a two-yard dive by Ross to tie the Jacks at 27.

    Gross kept the drive alive on third and three by hitting Terrance Sorrell over the middle for 19 yards. Gross hit Allen on an out patter on the next play for 14 yards.

    Ross carried nine times in the drive for 40 yards.

    Gross hit on 7-of-15 passes for 113 yards and carried the ball 26 times for 103 yards and a touchdown on the day. Ross, hampered by a knee injury, carried the ball 31 times for 152 yards and one touchdown.

    Not to be denied, Stephen F. answered Southern two minutes later when Hammel hit running back Larry Centers on a 46-yard touchdown pass over the middle. On the play Eagle safety Randell Boone fell down leaving Centers wide open.

    Centers led the jacks with 63 yards on 22 carries and caught two balls for 58 yards and a touchdown.

    After both teams were forced to punt on their next two possessions, the Eagles started their final touchdown drive at the SFA 49. Gross quickly moved the Eagles to the Jacks' 12with a 28-yard pass to slotback Karl Miller.

    Two plays later, Gross rolled right and battled his way for nine yards to the SFA one to set up a one yard over-the-top plunge by Thompson for the score.

    The Eagles jumped out 140-0 on their first two possession and looked as though they would roll to a patented blow out.