The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- November 9, 1998

Division I-AA Football

Field: Sixteen teams will compete for the championship. Eight conferences have been granted automatic qualification and eight teams will be selected at large.

Dates and sites: First-round (November 28), quarterfinal (December 5) and semifinal (December 12) games will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The championship game will be played December 19 at W. Max Finley Stadium/Davenport Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/563-1133 (pin code 1915); request numbers are 1344 for bracket/schedule and 5089 for championship-game results. Championship-game results will be published in the January 4, 1999, issue of The NCAA News.

Championship notes: Dating back to a 31-28 loss to Marshall in the 1992 championship game, defending champion Youngstown State has won 12 consecutive NCAA tournament games. The Penguins have participated in three of the five championships since the 1992 loss to Marshall and have won all three .... Top-ranked Georgia Southern leads all Division I-AA teams with an average of 371 rushing yards per contest. The Eagles are the only team to win back-to-back titles twice, accomplishing the feat in 1985 and 1986 and 1989 and 1990. Georgia Southern's four titles have occurred in nine tournament appearances, during which the Eagles have won 82 percent of their games (23-5). Only Marshall, which now plays in Division I-A, has as many victories in the championship.