1987 UCF Knights football team

1987 UCF Knights football
NCAA Division II Semifinal, L 10–31 vs. Troy State
Conference	Independent
Record	9–4
Head coach	Gene McDowell (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Kruczek (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Bruce Bennett (2nd season)
Home stadium	Florida Citrus Bowl

1987 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 16 New Haven			–					8	–	2	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 11 UCF ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
Springfield			–					5	–	3	–	1
Central Connecticut			–					4	–	4	–	1
American International			–					3	–	5	–	2
Liberty			–					3	–	7	–	0
Kentucky State			–					2	–	8	–	1
Michigan Tech			–					2	–	7	–	0
Southern Connecticut State			–					1	–	9	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

The 1987 UCF Knights football season was the ninth for the team. It was the third season for Gene McDowell as the head coach of the Knights. After posting an 8–3 regular season record in 1987, the Knights earned their first trip to the Division II playoffs, where they earned a 1–1 record, falling in the Semifinals.[1]

The Knights competed as an NCAA Division II Independent. The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in Downtown Orlando. The Knights finished undefeated (7–0) against Division II opponents during the regular season. Their only losses during the regular season came to Division I-AA opponents, two of which were I-AA playoff teams. The Knights strength of schedule (the toughest in Division II), helped qualify them for the playoff bracket.[2]

Schedule

The Florida Citrus Bowl, the Knights' home field

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Bethune–Cookman	No. 10	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 17–9	9,768	[3]
September 19	Elon	No. 5	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 34–10	11,752
September 26	Eastern Kentucky	No. 2	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 16–23	15,197	[4]
October 3	at No. 13 (I-AA) Georgia Southern	No. 8	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	L 32–34	15,540	[5]
October 10	Savannah State		Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 36–26	10,743
October 17	West Georgia	No. 17	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 52–14	10,029
October 24	Northwest Missouri State	No. 13	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 45–3	15,208
October 31	Grand Valley State	No. 11	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 67–3	7,552
November 7	Liberty	No. 7	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 42–21	11,081	[6]
November 14	at Florida A&M	No. 5	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 14–19	4,803	[7]
November 21	Morningside	No. 11	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 24–7	10,112
November 28	No. 6 IUP	No. 11	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (NCAA Division II First Round)	W 12–10	15,043
December 5	No. 4 Troy State	No. 11	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (NCAA Division II Semifinal)	L 10–31	14,327
Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

[8]

References

1. "UCF Develops Winning Ways: Part 4 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 10, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
2. Silvers, Gary (November 28, 1987). "UCF pressured to prove it's a hot ticket". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 33. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Central Florida tops Bethune". St. Petersburg Times. September 6, 1987. Retrieved September 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "E. Kentucky runs past C. Florida". The Miami Herald. September 27, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "UCF throws away chance at victory". Florida Today. October 4, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "UCF still on track for playoff bid". The Orlando Sentinel. November 8, 1987. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "FAMU spoils UCF's hopes for playoff bid". The Orlando Sentinel. November 15, 1987. Retrieved December 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Final 1987 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 12, 2023.