COLLEGE FOOTBALL DIVISION PLAYOFFS : Georgia Southern Gets Its Kicks for I-AA Title

Mike Dowis kicked a 20-yard field goal with 1:41 left to give top-ranked Georgia Southern a 37-34 victory over Stephen F. Austin for the NCAA Division I-AA championship Saturday at Statesboro, Ga.

It was Georgia Southern’s third national title in five years as the Eagles became the first school in this century to win 15 games in a season. They also won the championship in 1985 and 1986 and were runners-up last season.

Dowis’ game-winning kick was set up when Taz Dixon intercepted quarterback Todd Hammel on the Lumberjack 30.

Third-ranked Stephen F. Austin (12-2-1) had taken a 34-27 lead 2:28 into the final quarter when Hammel threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this one 46 yards to Larry Centers.

Georgia Southern (15-0), which won its 37th consecutive home game, had tied the score with 5:58 remaining on a one-yard run by Ernest Thompson.

The Eagles, who had not been scored upon in the third quarter this season, outscoring the opposition, 143-0, had the streak end when Stephen F. Austin scored 10 points to take a 27-20 lead into the fourth quarter before a Division I-AA championship record crowd of 25,725.

Chuck Rawlinson kicked a school record 53-yard field goal after 3:31 of the quarter to tie, 20-20, and Hammel threw a seven-yard pass to Joe Bradford six minutes later for a 27-20 lead.

Joe Ross, the Eagles’ leading rusher, then scored on a two-yard run to make it 27-27 only three seconds into the final quarter. Ross finished with 152 yards in 31 carries.

Carson-Newman 34, Emporia St. 20--Robert Hardy rushed for 218 yards and scored twice to lead the Eagles to their second consecutive NAIA Division I championship at Jefferson City, Tenn.

The win gave Carson-Newman its third NAIA title in four years and its fifth since 1980.

Hardy, a junior, clinched the victory with a 45-yard run with 4:59 left in the game. Carson-Newman stopped the Hornets on their next possession and the Eagle offense held the ball until only 15 seconds remained.

Emporia State took the opening kickoff and drove 53 yards for a touchdown on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Mike Burch to Arnie Burcham. Carson-Newman scored on its first play from scrimmage when Hardy ran 77 yards for the touchdown.

After Emporia State scored to make the score 13-7, Carson-Newman scored on its next three possessions to take a 27-13 halftime lead.

Westminster (Pa.) 51, Wisconsin LaCrosse 30--Joe Micchia threw for four touchdown passes to lead the Titans to their 27th consecutive victory and second straight NAIA Division II title at Canton, Ohio.

Micchia, a 6-foot-1 senior, completed 18 of 33 passes for 219 yards and also was his team’s leading rusher with 55 yards in 11 carries. His touchdown passes covered two and four yards to Dave Foley, six yards to Chris Osborne and three yards to Rob Kokar. Micchia ran his total to 32 touchdown passes this season.

Wisconsin LaCrosse, which lost to Westminster, 21-14, in last year’s title game on a Micchia touchdown pass with seven seconds left, took a 14-0 lead on two one-yard runs by Kyle Reddy.

But Westminster, which trailed, 17-14, at the half, had a 21-point third quarter that included two Micchia touchdown passes.