The culminating game of the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Georgia Southern, 37–34.
[3] The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1989 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.
[4] The location of the final, the Georgia Southern Eagles' Paulson Stadium, had been predetermined via a three-year agreement the university reached with the NCAA in February 1989.
Stephen F. Austin finished their regular season with a 9–1–1 record (5–0–1 in conference); their only loss was an away game against Boise State.
[8] Ranked third in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded third in the tournament, the Lumberjacks defeated Grambling State, Southwest Missouri State, and second-seed Furman to reach the final.