1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

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The 1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Arkansas State Indians. It was played on December 19, 1986, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. Georgia Southern won 48–21, capturing back-to-back I-AA national titles and becoming the first program to win consecutive Division I-AA championships. The game was also known as Diamond Bowl II.

Teams
- Georgia Southern Eagles: Finished the regular season 9–2. They were an independent team and were seeded fourth in the playoffs. They defeated North Carolina A&T, Nicholls State, and top seed Nevada to reach the final. This was their second appearance in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1985.
- Arkansas State Indians: Finished the regular season 9–1–1 (5–0 in conference). They were seeded second in the tournament and defeated Sam Houston State, Delaware, and Eastern Kentucky to reach the final. This was Arkansas State’s first Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary
- Final score: Georgia Southern 48, Arkansas State 21.

- First quarter
- Georgia Southern: Tim Foley field goal (3–0).
- Georgia Southern: Gerald Harris 1-yard TD run; Foley extra point good (10–0).
- Arkansas State: Boris Whiteside 1-yard TD run; extra point good (10–7).

- Second quarter
- Georgia Southern: Foley 30-yard field goal (13–7).
- Georgia Southern: Foley 25-yard field goal (16–7).
- Georgia Southern: Tracy Ham 25-yard TD run; Foley kick good (23–7).
- Georgia Southern: Foley 36-yard field goal (26–7) at halftime.

- Third quarter
- Georgia Southern: Tracy Ham 31-yard TD run; two-point pass good (34–7).
- Arkansas State: Safety (GSC ball out of end zone on a punt) (34–9).
- Georgia Southern: Tracy Ham 11-yard TD run; Foley kick good (41–9).
- Arkansas State: Whiteside 15-yard TD run; two-point pass failed (41–15).

- Fourth quarter
- Georgia Southern: Ricky Harris 79-yard TD reception from Ham; Foley kick good (48–15).
- Arkansas State: Cazzy Francis 44-yard TD run; two-point pass failed (48–21).

- Key players
- Georgia Southern: Tracy Ham (passing 12 of 21 for 306 yards, 1 TD; 24 carries, 180 rushing yards, 3 TD), Ricky Harris (3 receptions, 143 yards, 1 TD on the day).
- Arkansas State: Dwane Brown (8 of 71, 81 passing yards, 1 interception), Richard Kimble (13 carries, 134 rushing yards), Andre Tate (2 receptions, 29 yards).

Statistics
- Final team stats: Georgia Southern 48, Arkansas State 21.
- First downs: Georgia Southern 28, Arkansas State 21.
- Plays–yards: Georgia Southern 70–603, Arkansas State 69–424.
- Rushing: Georgia Southern 58–297, Arkansas State 51–343.
- Passing: Georgia Southern 306 yards (12 of 22, 0 INT), Arkansas State 81 yards (8 of 18, 1 INT).
- Time of possession: Georgia Southern 35:43, Arkansas State 24:17.
- Attendance: 4,419.
- TV: ESPN. Announcers: Tim Brando and Kevin Kiley.

Notes
- The on-field logo at midfield read “1986 Diamond Bowl.”
- Contemporary reports sometimes list the game date as December 20, 1986, but most sources and broadcasts place it on the evening of December 19, 1986.