1987 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

1987 Northern Iowa Panthers football
GCAC champion
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 41–44 vs. Northeast Louisiana
Conference	Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	10–4 (6–0 GCAC)
Head coach	Darrell Mudra (5th season)
Home stadium	UNI-Dome
Seasons ←  1986 1988  →

1987 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Northern Iowa $^	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	4	–	0
Western Illinois	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Eastern Illinois	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
SW Missouri State	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Indiana State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Southern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Illinois State	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1987 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	7:00 p.m.	at McNeese State *		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA		W 34–31	18,500	[1]
September 12	7:00 p.m.	at Minnesota *		Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	KITN	L 7–24	50,120	[2]
September 19	7:00 p.m.	Montana State *	No. 12	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA		W 53–7	14,213	[3]
September 26	1:30 p.m.	at Indiana State	No. 6	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN		W 38–14	8,457	[4]
October 3	1:30 p.m.	Montana *	No. 4	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA		W 16–33	12,027	[5]
October 10	1:00 p.m.	at Iowa State *	No. 11	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA		L 38–39	46,515	[6]
October 24	1:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	No. 12	Hanson Field Macomb, IL		W 52–7	14,291	[7]
October 31	7:00 p.m.	at Eastern Illinois	No. 10	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA		W 19–17	13,203	[8]
November 7	1:30 p.m.	at Southwest Missouri State	No. 7	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO		W 17–13	3,343	[9]
November 14	7:00 p.m.	Southern Illinois	No. 5	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA		W 20–3	11,813	[10]
November 21	7:00 p.m.	Illinois State	No. 4	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA		W 48–17	9,582	[11]
November 28		No. 15 Youngstown State *	No. 4	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)		W 31–28	3,887	[12]
December 5		No. 12 Arkansas State *	No. 4	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)		W 48–28	6,100	[13]
December 12		at No. 3 Northeast Louisiana *	No. 4	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)		L 41–44 2OT	14,443	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^{[15] [16]}

References

1. "Panthers edge McNeese State on field goal". The Des Moines Register. September 6, 1987. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Thompson, 'U' run over Northern Iowa". Star Tribune. September 13, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Willard passes Panthers to 53–7 pasting of Montana State". The Gazette. September 20, 1987. Retrieved December 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Smith's return lifts Panthers to easy victory". The Daily Nonpareil. September 27, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Nightmares for UNI, Iowa". The Courier. October 4, 1987. Retrieved December 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Cyclones earn first win". The Rock Island Argus. October 11, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Northern Iowa rocks Western Illinois, 52–7". The Des Moines Register. October 25, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Being lucky nets Panthers a good win, 19–17". The Gazette. November 1, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "UNI stays unbeaten in conference, 17–13". The Des Moines Register. November 8, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "UNI clinches title tie". The Sioux City Journal. November 15, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "UNI cruises by ISU, 48–17". The Daily Nonpareil. November 22, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "UNI wins opener of playoffs". The Des Moines Register. November 29, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "UNI gains semifinals in 49–28 win". The Des Moines Register. December 6, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
14. "UNI season ends in second overtime". The Courier. December 13, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "1987 Football Schedule". University of Northern Iowa Athletics.
16. "1987 Northern Iowa Football" . Retrieved February 13, 2024.