1988 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team American college football season
The 1988 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by head coach Dave Roberts . The team earned their second consecutive NCAA Division I-AA playoff berth, making it to the quarterfinals.[ 1] The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked 13th in the final national poll.[ 2]
Western Kentucky's roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Tony Brown, Eddie Godfrey, Anthony Green, Jerome Martin, Xavier Jordan, Dean Tiebout, Jonathan Watts, and Riley Ware . Joe Arnold, Tiebout, and Dewayne Penn were named to the AP All American team.
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 10 at Morehead State No. 17 W 34–06,500 [ 3]
September 17 at No. 15 Middle Tennessee No. 17 L 10–1310,500 [ 4]
September 24 No. 8 Eastern Kentucky W 16–1418,000 [ 5]
October 1 Austin Peay No. 14 L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY W 28–37,500 [ 6]
October 8 Illinois State No. 10 L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY W 31–1610,200 [ 7]
October 15 at Southwest Missouri State No. 8 W 21–148,059 [ 8]
October 22 at Tennessee Tech No. 5 W 20–179,242 [ 9]
October 29 Chattanooga No. 5 L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY W 31–2918,200 [ 10]
November 5 at Eastern Illinois No. 5 L 0–610,021 [ 11]
November 12 at Louisville No. 11 L 17–3531,636 [ 12]
November 19 North Carolina A&T No. 16 L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY W 44–02,500 [ 13]
November 26 at No. 3 Western Illinois No. 13 W 35–326,000 [ 14]
December 3 at No. 7 Eastern Kentucky No. 13 L 24–418,100 [ 15]
References
^ "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF) . Bowling Green, Kentucky : Western Kentucky University . p. 180. Retrieved December 20, 2021 .
^ "Final NCAA Division I-AA" . Daily Press . Newport News, Virginia. November 21, 1988. p. C4. Retrieved May 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Western shuts out Morehead in opener" . Messenger-Inquirer . September 11, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Raiders twirl 'Toppers" . The Daily News-Journal . September 18, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Maher gets his kicks as Western Kentucky trips Eastern 16–14" . The Courier-Journal . September 25, 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Western Kentucky beats APSU 28–3" . The Leaf-Chronicle . October 2, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Western Kentucky runs to 31–16 win over ISU" . The Pantagraph . October 9, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Bacon sizzles in Western's 21–14 win" . The Courier-Journal . October 16, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Toppers pull out victory" . The Park City Daily News . October 23, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Western survives UTC's comeback to claim victory" . The Park City Daily News . October 30, 1988. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ " 'Toppers slip at E. Illinois" . The Paducah Sun . November 6, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Louisville thumps the Hilltoppers" . The State Journal . November 13, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "It's all downhill for Hilltoppers in speedy 44–0 romp over N.C. A&T" . The Courier-Journal . November 20, 1988. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Branch, Bruce W. (November 27, 1988). "6th interception does it as Western survives Western Illinois comeback" . The Courier-Journal . p. C5. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Harris' 4 touchdowns boost Eastern past Western, into I-AA semifinal" . The Courier-Journal . December 4, 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
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