1988 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

1988 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 24–41 at Eastern Kentucky
Conference	Independent
Record	9–4
Head coach	Dave Roberts (5th season)
Home stadium	L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Georgia Southern ^			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Western Kentucky ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
Liberty			–					8	–	3	–	0
Nicholls State			–					7	–	4	–	0
William & Mary			–					6	–	4	–	1
Towson			–					5	–	5	–	0
Arkansas State			–					5	–	6	–	0
James Madison			–					5	–	6	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					4	–	7	–	0
Northeastern			–					4	–	7	–	0
Youngstown State			–					4	–	7	–	0
Lamar			–					3	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

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	Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY	W 34–0	6,500
September 17	at No. 15 Middle Tennessee	No. 17	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 10–13	10,500
September 24	No. 8 Eastern Kentucky		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)	W 16–14	18,000	[3]
October 1	Austin Peay	No. 14	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 28–3	7,500
October 8	Illinois State	No. 10	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 31–16	10,200
October 15	at Southwest Missouri State	No. 8	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 21–14	8,059	[4]
October 22	at Tennessee Tech	No. 5	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	W 20–17	9,242
October 29	Chattanooga	No. 5	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 31–29	18,200
November 5	at Eastern Illinois	No. 5	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	L 0–6	10,021
November 12	at Louisville	No. 11	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 17–35	31,636
November 19	North Carolina A&T	No. 16	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 44–0	2,500
November 26	at No. 3 Western Illinois	No. 13	Hanson Field Macomb, IL (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 35–32	6,000	[5]
December 3	at No. 7 Eastern Kentucky	No. 13	Hanger Field Richmond, KY (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 24–41	8,100	[6]
Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. p. 180. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
2. "Final NCAA Division I-AA". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. November 21, 1988. p. C4. Retrieved May 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Maher gets his kicks as Western Kentucky trips Eastern 16–14". The Courier-Journal. September 25, 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Bacon sizzles in Western's 21–14 win". The Courier-Journal. October 16, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. 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.
6. "Harris' 4 touchdowns boost Eastern past Western, into I-AA semifinal". The Courier-Journal. December 4, 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.