The 1987 UCF Knights football season was the ninth for the team. It was the third season for Gene McDowell as the head coach of the Knights. After posting an 8–3 regular season record in 1987, the Knights earned their first trip to the Division II playoffs, where they earned a 1–1 record, falling in the Semifinals.[1]
| 1987 UCF Knights football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division II Semifinal, L 10–31 vs. Troy State | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 9–4 |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike Kruczek (3rd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Bruce Bennett (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Florida Citrus Bowl |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 New Haven | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | – | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 UCF ^ | – | 9 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Springfield | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American International | – | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | – | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky State | – | 2 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan Tech | – | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Connecticut State | – | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Knights competed as an NCAA Division II Independent. The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in Downtown Orlando. The Knights finished undefeated (7–0) against Division II opponents during the regular season. Their only losses during the regular season came to Division I-AA opponents, two of which were I-AA playoff teams. The Knights strength of schedule (the toughest in Division II), helped qualify them for the playoff bracket.[2]
Schedule
edit
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Bethune–Cookman | No. 10 | W 17–9 | 9,768 | [3] | |
| September 19 | Elon | No. 5 |
| W 34–10 | 11,752 | |
| September 26 | Eastern Kentucky | No. 2 |
| L 16–23 | 15,197 | |
| October 3 | at No. 13 (I-AA) Georgia Southern | No. 8 | L 32–34 | 15,540 | ||
| October 10 | Savannah State |
| W 36–26 | 10,743 | ||
| October 17 | West Georgia | No. 17 |
| W 52–14 | 10,029 | |
| October 24 | Northwest Missouri State | No. 13 |
| W 45–3 | 15,208 | |
| October 31 | Grand Valley State | No. 11 |
| W 67–3 | 7,552 | |
| November 7 | Liberty | No. 7 |
| W 42–21 | 11,081 | [4] |
| November 14 | at Florida A&M | No. 5 | L 14–19 | 4,803 | ||
| November 21 | Morningside | No. 11 |
| W 24–7 | 10,112 | |
| November 28 | No. 6 IUP | No. 11 |
| W 12–10 | 15,043 | |
| December 5 | No. 4 Troy State | No. 11 |
| L 10–31 | 14,327 | |
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References
edit- ^ "UCF Develops Winning Ways: Part 4 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 10, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- ^ Silvers, Gary (November 28, 1987). "UCF pressured to prove it's a hot ticket". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 33. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Central Florida tops Bethune". St. Petersburg Times. September 6, 1987. Retrieved September 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UCF still on track for playoff bid". The Orlando Sentinel. November 8, 1987. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Final 1987 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
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