1997 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

1997 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 21–38 at Eastern Washington
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 5
Record	10–2
Head coach	Jack Harbaugh (9th season)
Home stadium	L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons ←  1996 1998  →

1997 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 18 Cal Poly			–						10	–	1
No. 5 Western Kentucky ^			–						10	–	2
No. 17 Hofstra ^			–						9	–	2
No. 25 Liberty			–						9	–	2
Samford			–						7	–	4
Morehead State			–						5	–	4
South Florida			–						5	–	6
Southern Utah			–						5	–	6
Saint Mary's			–						4	–	6
Davidson			–						3	–	8
Buffalo			–						2	–	9
La Salle			–						1	–	8
Charleston Southern			–						1	–	9
Austin Peay			–						0	–	10
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1997 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by quarterback Willie Taggart and head coach Jack Harbaugh. The team was an independent and earned their first NCAA Division I-AA Playoff berth since 1988, making it to the quarterfinals. The Hilltoppers primarily ran an option offense and were ranked 1st in Rush Offence for NCAA Division I-AA. They finished the season ranked 5th in final I-AA postseason national poll. ^[1]

Western Kentucky's roster included future NFL players Rod “He Hate Me” Smart and Ben Wittman. Patrick Goodman and Andy Hape were named to All-America teams, ^[2] while Harbaugh was Division I-AA Independents and AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year. ^[3] The I-AA Independent All-Star Team included Goodman, Bryan Heyward, Joey Stockton, Hape, Ron Kelly, and Taggart. ^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 28	at Tennessee–Martin	No. 10	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	W 42–0	7,796
September 6	No. 12 Murray State	No. 11	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (Battle for the Red Belt)	W 52–50 3OT	15,400
September 13	at Eastern Kentucky	No. 9	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)	W 37–21	18,600
September 20	Austin Peay	No. 6	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 53–7	7,000
September 27	South Florida	No. 3	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 31–3	11,200
October 4	at UAB	No. 3	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	L 16–20	17,385	[5]
October 18	No. 3 (DII) New Haven	No. 7	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 24–21	9,300
October 25	at Southern Illinois	No. 7	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 52–31	3,000	[6]
November 1	Morehead State	No. 5	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 38–24	9,700
November 8	at Indiana State	No. 5	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 21–14	2,265
November 29	No. 15 Eastern Kentucky	No. 5	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 41–14	9,000
December 6	at No. 4 Eastern Washington	No. 5	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 21–38	6,829	[7]
Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Div. I-AA Poll". Longview News-Journal. Longview, Texas. November 18, 1997. p. 2D. Retrieved April 30, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
2. WKU Football 2021 Media Guide retrieved 16 August 2021.
3. Coach Bio: Jack Harbaugh retrieved 6 April 2020.
4. WKU Football 2019 Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
5. "UAB tops Hilltoppers". The Paducah Sun. October 5, 1997. Retrieved December 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. Hardwig, Greg (October 26, 1997). "Slick Willie waxes Salukis". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1C. Retrieved January 15, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Eagles sprint into semifinals". The Billings Gazette. December 7, 1997. Retrieved July 18, 2025– via Newspapers.com.