1987 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 1987 Northwestern Wildcats team represented Northwestern University during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Francis Peay, the Wildcats compiled a 2–8–1 record (2–6 against Big Ten Conference opponents) and finished in ninth place in the Big Ten Conference.

1987 Northwestern Wildcats football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	2–8–1 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Francis Peay (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Bob Junko (2nd season)
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Dyche Stadium

1987 Big Ten Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Michigan State $	7	–	0	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 16 Iowa	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
Indiana	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 19 Michigan	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Ohio State	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Minnesota	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Purdue	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Illinois	2	–	5	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Northwestern	2	–	6	–	0			2	–	8	–	1
Wisconsin	1	–	7	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Mike Greenfield with 1,265 passing yards, Byron Sanders with 778 rushing yards, and George Jones with 668 receiving yards.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12		at Duke*	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC		L 16–31	19,600
September 19		at Missouri*	Faurot Field Columbia, MO		L 3–28
September 26	1:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois*	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		T 16–16	27,336
October 3		at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN		L 18–35	38,553
October 10	11:30 a.m.	Minnesota	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	Raycom	L 33–45	22,104
October 17	1:05 p.m.	No. 19 Michigan State	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		L 0–38	29,113
October 24		at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI		W 27–24	70,012
October 31	12:00 p.m.	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)		L 6–29	104,101
November 7		Iowa	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		L 24–52	38,694
November 14		at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		L 15–20	50,468
November 21		Illinois	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)		W 28–10	27,104
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Personnel

1987 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB Greg Bradshaw RB Stanley Davenport TE Bob Driscoll QB Mike Greenfield WR Marcus Lang RB Torrio Osborne RB Byron Sanders RB Curtis Spears	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Francis Peay Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt