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. 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.
| 1987 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 17–40 at Eastern Kentucky | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 7–4 |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | L. T. Smith Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Gardner–Webb | L 24–28 | 5,500 | |||
| September 19 | No. 3 Murray State |
| W 21–17 | 19,250 | ||
| September 26 | No. 12 Middle Tennessee |
| W 28–16 | 16,500 | ||
| October 3 | at No. 12 Eastern Kentucky | L 10–20 | 20,200 | |||
| October 10 | at No. 12 Chattanooga | W 20–17 | 8,377 | |||
| October 17 | Livingston | No. 14 |
| W 21–14 | 14,000 | |
| October 24 | at Austin Peay | No. 11 | W 27–0 | 5,833 | ||
| October 31 | at No. 14 Georgia Southern | No. 8 | L 20–23 | 13,066 | ||
| November 14 | Eastern Illinois | No. 14 |
| W 30–15 | 8,000 | |
| November 21 | at North Carolina A&T | No. 12 | W 45–27 | 2,500 | ||
| November 28 | at No. 7 Eastern Kentucky | No. 11 |
| L 17–40 | 4,050 | |
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References
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