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1987 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

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1987 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record3–7–1 (2–5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDwain Painter (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorHoward Tippett (1st season)
MVPDarryl Usher
Captains
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1986
1988 →
1987 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Michigan State $ 7 – 0 – 1 9 – 2 – 1
No. 16 Iowa 6 – 2 – 0 10 – 3 – 0
Indiana 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
No. 19 Michigan 5 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Ohio State 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 1
Minnesota 3 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 1
Illinois 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
Northwestern 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 1
Wisconsin 1 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1987 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eighth and final year under head coach Mike White, the Fighting Illini compiled a 3–7–1 record (2–5–1 in conference games), finished in eighth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 208 to 153.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Scott Mohr (1,436 passing yards, 50.0% completion percentage), running back Keith Jones (322 rushing yards, 2.9 yards per carry), wide receiver Darryl Usher (43 receptions for 723 yards), and kicker Doug Higgins (36 points, 12 of 14 extra points, 8 of 13 field goals).[2] Defensive end Scott Davis received first-team honors on the 1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

[edit]
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 5at North Carolina*
L 14–3440,000[4]
September 12No. 15 Arizona State*
L 7–2170,060[5]
September 19East Carolina*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 20–1062,045[6]
October 3No. 9 Ohio State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
L 6–1073,045[7]
October 10at Purdue
L 3–959,483[8]
October 17Wisconsin
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 16–1457,040[9]
October 24at No. 14 Michigan State
T 14–1476,513[10]
October 31Minnesota
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 27–1760,143[11]
November 7at No. 18 Indiana
L 22–3450,026[12]
November 14Michigan
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
L 14–1764,496[13]
November 21at Northwestern
L 10–2827,104[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

[edit]
1987 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 2 Mike Bellamy Jr
RB 29 Howard Griffith Fr
TE 82 Frank Hartley So
C 66 Dave Harbour Sr
RB 36 Keith Jones Jr
FB 44 Jeff Markland Sr
QB 12 Brian Menkhausen So
TE 80 Chris Michel Jr
QB 14 Scott Mohr Jr
QB 10 Chris Ondrula Fr
WR 83 Gus Palma Fr
FB 20 Quintin Parker So
OT 78 Ed Pedersen Fr
RB 23 Luke Petraitis So
OT 70 Tom Schertz Sr
OT 68 Craig Schneider So
C 55 Mike Scully Sr
C 53 Tim Scully Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 96 Mel Agee Fr
LB 48 Darrick Brownlow Fr
DE 90 Scott Davis Sr
DT 95 Moe Gardner Fr
LB 57 Jason Guard So
NT 94 Jon Gustafson Fr
DB 25 Jerry Hamner Fr
DE 75 Mike Piel Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "1987 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "1987 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  3. ^ "All Big-Ten Football Team" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. November 24, 1987. p. 8.
  4. ^ "Punter's run sparks Tar Heels over Illinois". The Pantagraph. September 6, 1987. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Arizona State stops Illinois 21–7". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 13, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Illini go to relief pitchers, win 20–10". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 20, 1987. Retrieved March 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Ohio State halts Illini drive". Herald and Review. October 4, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Opportunity knocks, Illini fumble". The Pantagraph. October 11, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Bad spot makes field goal longer". Quad-City Times. October 18, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Jack Ebling (October 25, 1987). "MSU kicks itself after 14–14 tie". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1E, 4E – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Gophers lose third straight". The Duluth News Tribune. November 1, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Schnell is gone; title hopes aren't". The South Bend Tribune. November 8, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Webb's late touchdown gives Michigan a victory over Illinois". The Kalamazoo Gazette. November 15, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "NU again overcomes dull Illini". Chicago Tribune. November 22, 1987. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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