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1987 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

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American college football season

1987 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 17–40 at Eastern Kentucky
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–4
Head coach
Home stadiumL. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons← 19861988 →
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 State   –   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

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. 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.

Schedule

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

References

  1. "Final Division I-AA poll". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. November 24, 1987. p. D1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.[REDACTED]
  2. "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. p. 179. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  3. "Gardner–Webb takes opener". The Salisbury Post. September 6, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Western gets 21–17 win over Murray". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 20, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Raiders blow first-half lead". The Daily News-Journal. September 27, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Eastern downs Western". The Leaf-Chronicle. October 4, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Western's big second half topples UT–Chattanooga". The Courier-Journal. October 11, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "14th-ranked Western Kentucky whips Tigers". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 18, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Western Kentucky, no longer a doormat, clobbers Austin Peay 27–0". The Courier-Journal. October 25, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Western falls 23–20". The Park City Daily News. November 1, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "WKU warms up to winning season". Messenger-Inquirer. November 15, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 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.
  13. "Eastern thrashes Western, 40–17". The Paducah Sun. November 29, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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