Wikipedia

1987 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 1987 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University as an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Dave Roberts, the Hilltoppers compiled a 7–4. The team earned the school's first NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoff berth; their previous playoff appearances had been at the NCAA Division II level. Western Kentucky played their home games at L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Lights were installed prior to the season, and Western Kentucky hosted their first night game on September 19, a victory over rival Murray State. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked No. 11 in final NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll.[1] Western Kentucky's roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Tony Brown, Malcolm Darden, James Edwards, Glenn Holt, David Smith, Steve Walsh, Harold Wright, Xavier Jordan, and Dean Tiebout. Edwards, Walsh, and Dewayne Penn were named to the AP All American team.[2]

1987 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–4
Head coach
Home stadiumL. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons
← 1986
1988 →
1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Georgia Southern ^   –   9 – 4 – 0
No. 8 James Madison ^   –   9 – 3 – 0
No. 12 Arkansas State ^   –   8 – 4 – 1
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^   –   7 – 4 – 0
Villanova   –   6 – 4 – 0
Northeastern   –   6 – 5 – 0
Nicholls State   –   5 – 5 – 1
William & Mary   –   5 – 6 – 0
Towson   –   4 – 6 – 0
Tennessee State   –   3 – 7 – 1
Lamar   –   3 – 8 – 0
Louisiana Tech   –   3 – 8 – 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 5Gardner–Webb
L 24–285,500
September 19No. 3 Murray State
W 21–1719,250
September 26No. 12 Middle Tennessee
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 28–1616,500
October 3at No. 12 Eastern Kentucky
L 10–2020,200[3]
October 10at No. 12 Chattanooga
W 20–178,377
October 17Livingston No. 14
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 21–1414,000
October 24at Austin PeayNo. 11
W 27–05,833
October 31at No. 14 Georgia SouthernNo. 8
L 20–2313,066
November 14Eastern IllinoisNo. 14
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 30–158,000
November 21at North Carolina A&TNo. 12
W 45–272,500[4]
November 28at No. 7 Eastern KentuckyNo. 11
L 17–404,050[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Final Division I-AA poll". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. November 24, 1987. p. D1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  2. ^ "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. p. 179. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Eastern downs Western". The Leaf-Chronicle. October 4, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Green, Tony (November 22, 1987). "W. Kentucky tops Aggies in Hooker's finale". Greensboro News & Record. pp. C3. Retrieved May 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Eastern thrashes Western, 40–17". The Paducah Sun. November 29, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.


 

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