1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

{{about|the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game|the Division I-A (now FBS) champions|1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football team}}

{{infobox college football game

| game_name = NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship

| subheader = I-AA National Championship Game
Diamond Bowl II

| football_season = 1986

| football_division = NCAA Division I-AA

| year_game_played = 1986

| date_game_played = December 19

| visitor_school = Georgia Southern College

| visitor_name_short = Georgia Southern

| visitor_nickname = Eagles

| visitor_record = 12–2

| visitor_conference = Independent

| visitor_coach = Erk Russell

| visitor_rank_NCAA = 4

| visitor_seed = 4

| visitor_1q = 10

| visitor_2q = 16

| visitor_3q = 15

| visitor_4q = 7

| home_school = Arkansas State University

| home_name_short = Arkansas State

| home_nickname = Indians

| home_record = 12–1–1

| home_conference = Southland

| home_coach = Larry Lacewell

| home_rank_NCAA = 2

| home_seed = 2

| home_1q = 7

| home_2q = 0

| home_3q = 8

| home_4q = 6

| stadium = Tacoma Dome

| city = Tacoma, Washington

| referee = Gary Peters

| attendance = 4,419

| us_network = ESPN{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31189284/quarterbacks_duel_in_division_iaa/ |title=Quarterbacks duel in Division I-AA title game |agency=AP |newspaper=The San Bernardino Sun |location=San Bernardino, California |page=C2 |date=December 19, 1986 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

| us_announcers = Tim Brando and Kevin Kiley

| different_previous = 1985

| different_next = 1987

}}

The 1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Arkansas State Indians (now the Arkansas State Red Wolves) and the Georgia Southern Eagles. The game was played on December 19, 1986, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The culminating game of the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 48–21. Georgia Southern, the defending champion from 1985, became the first program to win consecutive Division I-AA titles.

Contemporary news reports also referred to this game as Diamond Bowl II, as the NCAA had introduced Diamond Bowl branding for the Division I-AA championship game in 1985.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31148618/iaa_championship_moved_to_tacoma/ |title=I-AA championship moved to Tacoma |agency=AP |newspaper=Billings Gazette |location=Billings, Montana |page=2-C |date=January 5, 1985 |accessdate=May 1, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} The on-field logo at midfield included "1986 Diamond Bowl" wording.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6x8Zb7oAiI |title=1986 I-AA National Championship - Georgia Southern vs Arkansas State |date=August 7, 2013 |agency=Lewis Sports Network |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |via=YouTube}} NCAA records list the game date as Saturday, December 20, 1986;{{cite web |title=1986 NCAA Division I Football Championship |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf |website=NCAA.org |accessdate=December 29, 2013 |page=14}} however, contemporary news reports are clear that the game was played on the evening of Friday, December 19, 1986.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31182822/georgia_southern_goes_for_2ndstraight/ |title=Georgia Southern goes for 2nd-straight title |agency=AP |newspaper=The News-Press |location=Fort Myers, Florida |page=5C |date=December 19, 1986 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31182882/georgia_southern_wins_iaa_football/ |title=Georgia Southern wins I-AA football crown |newspaper=Reno Gazette-Journal |location=Reno, Nevada |page=1B |date=December 20, 1986 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1986 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28121512/iaa_playoffs/ |title=I-AA playoffs |newspaper=Daily Press |location=Newport News, Virginia |page=C5 |date=November 24, 1986 |accessdate=February 6, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

=Georgia Southern Eagles=

Georgia Southern finished their regular season with a 9–2 record; they played two Division I-A programs, losing to both Florida and East Carolina.{{cite web |url=http://cfbinfo.com/team/georgia-southern-eagles/1986 |title=Georgia Southern Eagles 1986 Schedule |website=cfbinfo.com |accessdate=May 2, 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Ranked fourth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31181799/division_iaa_poll/ |title=Division I-AA Poll |newspaper=The Times |location=Shreveport, Louisiana |page=4-C |date=November 25, 1986 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} and seeded fourth in the tournament, the Eagles defeated North Carolina A&T, Nicholls State, and top-seed Nevada to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Georgia Southern in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1985.

=Arkansas State Indians=

Arkansas State finished their regular season with a 9–1–1 record (5–0 in conference); they played three games against Division I-A programs, resulting in one win (Memphis), one loss (Mississippi State), and a tie (Ole Miss).{{cite web |url= https://astateredwolves.com/sports/football/schedule/1986|title=1986 Football Schedule |website=astateredwolves.com |accessdate=November 8, 2024}} Ranked second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll and seeded second in the tournament, the Indians defeated Sam Houston State, Delaware, and Eastern Kentucky to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Arkansas State in a Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary

=Scoring summary=

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart |VisitorName=GSC|HomeName=stAte|state=}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=1

| Time=11:03

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=7

| DriveLength=31

| DriveTime=3:43

| Type=FG

| yards=20

| Kicker=Tim Foley

| Visitor=3

| Home=0

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=1

| Time=6:08

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=9

| DriveLength=62

| DriveTime=4:04

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Gerald Harris

| yards=1

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=10

| Home=0

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=1

| Time=3:08

| Team=stAte

| DrivePlays=8

| DriveLength=97

| DriveTime=3:00

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Boris Whiteside

| yards=15

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Scott Roper

| Visitor=10

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=13:21

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=10

| DriveLength=64

| DriveTime=4:40

| Type=FG

| yards=30

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=13

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=6:53

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=9

| DriveLength=69

| DriveTime=4:28

| Type=FG

| yards=25

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=16

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=1:33

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=9

| DriveLength=95

| DriveTime=3:37

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Tracy Ham

| yards=25

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=23

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=0:06

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=5

| DriveLength=32

| DriveTime=0:39

| Type=FG

| yards=36

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=26

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=3

| Time=12:11

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=6

| DriveLength=77

| DriveTime=2:49

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Ham

| yards=31

| 2pt type=pass

| 2pt result=good (Herman Barron from Ham)

| Visitor=34

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=3

| Time=8:55

| Team=stAte

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=

| DriveTime=

| Type=SafetyOther

| Info=Safety: GSC snapped ball out of end zone on a punt attempt

| Visitor=34

| Home=9

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=3

| Time=8:17

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=2

| DriveLength=50

| DriveTime=0:14

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Ham

| yards=11

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=41

| Home=9

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=3

| Time=5:36

| Team=stAte

| DrivePlays=6

| DriveLength=76

| DriveTime=2:41

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Whiteside

| yards=15

| 2pt type=pass

| 2pt result=failed

| Visitor=41

| Home=15

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=4

| Time=10:52

| Team=GSC

| DrivePlays=2

| DriveLength=73

| DriveTime=0:49

| Type=RecTD

| Receiver=Ricky Harris

| QB=Ham

| yards=79

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Foley

| Visitor=48

| Home=15

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=4

| Time=5:15

| Team=stAte

| DrivePlays=3

| DriveLength=67

| DriveTime=0:43

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Cazzy Francis

| yards=44

| 2pt type=pass

| 2pt result=failed

| Visitor=48

| Home=21

}}

=Game statistics=

{{Linescore Amfootball|

|Road=Eagles

|R1=10 |R2=16 |R3=15 |R4=7

|Home=Indians

|H1=7 |H2=0 |H3=8 |H4=6

}}

File:Tacoma Dome.jpg, site of the 1986 Division I-AA championship game]]

{{AmFootballGameStatistics

| Visitor = Georgia Southern Eagles

| VisitorDisplay = GSC

| Home = Arkansas State Indians

| HomeDisplay = stAte

| VisFirsts = 28

| VisPlaysYds = 70–603

| VisRushing = 58–297

| VisPassYds = 306

| VisPassing = 12–22–0

| VisTOP = 35:43

| HomeFirsts = 21

| HomePlaysYds = 69–424

| HomeRushing = 51–343

| HomePassYds = 81

| HomePassing = 8–18–1

| HomeTOP = 24:17

}}

{{AmFootballGameTopPlayers

| Visitor = Georgia Southern Eagles

| VisitorDisplay = Georgia Southern

| Home = Arkansas State Indians

| HomeDisplay = Arkansas State

| VisPasser = Tracy Ham

| VisPassStats = 12–21, 306 yds, 1 TD

| VisRusher = Tracy Ham

| VisRushStats = 24 car, 180 yds, 3 TD

| VisReceiver = Ricky Harris

| VisReceivingStats = 3 rec, 143 yds, 1 TD

| HomePasser = Dwane Brown

| HomePassStats = 8–71, 81 yds, 1 INT

| HomeRusher = Richard Kimble

| HomeRushStats = 13 car, 134 yds

| HomeReceiver = Andre Tate

| HomeReceivingStats = 2 rec, 29 yds

}}

{{cite news |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/gatadb/gamereports/1986/19861220_arkansas_state_complete.pdf |title=NCAA Official Scoring Summary |date=December 19, 1986 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |via=Amazon Web Services}}