The 1985 season was just the fourth since the program had been reinstated in 1982 under legendary coach Erk Russell and the second in the NCAA D-1AA. Georgia Southern went 9-2 in the regular season and won four-straight games, three of which were played on the road or at a neutral site, in their first ever NCAA Playoff appearance to take the first of six national championships with a 44-42 win over Furman in Tacoma, Wash.

ERK'S EAGLES HAVE LANDED!
Tacoma, Wash. - In the greatest comeback in Football Championship Subdivision title game history, Georgia Southern rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Furman 44-42 and win its first I-AA national championship. Tracy Ham hit Frank Johnson on a 13-yard scoring strike with 10 seconds left in the game to give the Eagles the victory. Ham finished the game with 419 yards passing and another 90 yards rushing. Johnson caught seven passes for 148 yards, all in the second half. Georgia Southern scored 38 points in the final 21:51 of the game to overcome a 28-6 Furman lead. 

PLAYOFF RECAP
11/30 – Jackson State – W, 27-0
12/7 – at Middle Tennessee State – W, 28-21
12/14 –  at Northern Iowa – W, 40-33
12/21 –  vs Furman – W, 44-42

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
9/7 – vs Florida A&M – W, 27-21
9/14 – Middle Tennessee State – L, 35-10
9/21 – at Troy State – W, 17-10
9/28 – at Chattanooga – W, 19-14
10/5 – Tennessee Tech – W, 34-0
10/12 – Bethune- Cookman – W, 46-24
10/26 – Newberry – W, 38-17
11/2 – at James Madison – L, 21-6
11/9 – Central Florida – W, 35-18
11/16 – East Tennessee State – W, 46-7
11/23 – at South Carolina State – W, 43-30

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