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]
| 1988 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 24–41 at Eastern Kentucky | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 9–4 |
| 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. 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 State | – | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 10 | at Morehead State | No. 17 | W 34–0 | 6,500 | [3] | |
| September 17 | at No. 15 Middle Tennessee | No. 17 | L 10–13 | 10,500 | [4] | |
| September 24 | No. 8 Eastern Kentucky | W 16–14 | 18,000 | [5] | ||
| October 1 | Austin Peay | No. 14 |
| W 28–3 | 7,500 | [6] |
| October 8 | Illinois State | No. 10 |
| W 31–16 | 10,200 | [7] |
| October 15 | at Southwest Missouri State | No. 8 | W 21–14 | 8,059 | [8] | |
| October 22 | at Tennessee Tech | No. 5 | W 20–17 | 9,242 | [9] | |
| October 29 | Chattanooga | No. 5 |
| W 31–29 | 18,200 | [10] |
| November 5 | at Eastern Illinois | No. 5 | L 0–6 | 10,021 | [11] | |
| November 12 | at Louisville | No. 11 | L 17–35 | 31,636 | [12] | |
| November 19 | North Carolina A&T | No. 16 |
| W 44–0 | 2,500 | [13] |
| November 26 | at No. 3 Western Illinois | No. 13 | W 35–32 | 6,000 | [14] | |
| December 3 | at No. 7 Eastern Kentucky | No. 13 |
| L 24–41 | 8,100 | [15] |
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References
edit- ^ "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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