1987 Arkansas State Indians football team

The 1987 Arkansas State Indians football team represented Arkansas State University as an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Larry Lacewell, the Indians finished the season with a record of 8–4–1. Arkansas State advanced to the advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Jackson State in the first round and lost to Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.

1987 Arkansas State Indians football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 28–49 vs. Northern Iowa
Conference	Independent
Record	8–4–1
Head coach	Larry Lacewell (9th season)
Home stadium	Indian Stadium
Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Georgia Southern ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
No. 8 James Madison ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 12 Arkansas State ^			–					8	–	4	–	1
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^			–					7	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State			–					5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary			–					5	–	6	–	0
Towson			–					4	–	6	–	0
Tennessee State			–					3	–	7	–	1
Lamar			–					3	–	8	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					3	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Northwestern State	No. 2	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	L 20–23	17,114	[1]
September 12	Mississippi College	No. 2	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 35–0		[2]
September 19	at Ole Miss		Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	L 10–47	24,000	[3]
September 26	East Texas State		Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 77–22	12,330	[4]
October 3	at McNeese State		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 17–0		[5]
October 17	Louisiana Tech		Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 37–3	17,311	[6]
October 24	at Southern Illinois	No. T–17	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 33–9	5,800	[7]
October 31	at Memphis State	No. 15	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	T 21–21	21,421	[8]
November 7	No. 4 North Texas State	No. 15	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 27–20		[9]
November 14	at Lamar	No. 10	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	W 34–20		[10]
November 21	at No. 3 Northeast Louisiana	No. 8	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	L 21–31		[11]
November 28	at No. 9 Jackson State	No. 12	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 35–32	7,500	[12]
December 5	at No. 4 Northern Iowa	No. 12	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 28–49	6,100	[13]
Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "NSU, Stephens stun 2nd-ranked Arkansas St". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. September 6, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Arkansas State whips MC 35–0". The Clarion-Ledger. September 13, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Rebels knock Arkansas State". The Sun Herald. September 20, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Arkansas State 77, East Texas State 22". San Angelo Standard-Times. September 27, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Ark. State scores early, holds on for 17–0 victory". The Crowley Post-Signal. October 4, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Arkansas St. 37, La. Tech 3". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 18, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Small crowd watches SIU tumble again". Southern Illinoisan. October 25, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Memphis State, Arkansas State battles to tie". The Daily Advertiser. November 1, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Late drive by Arkansas State tops North Texas State, 27–20". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 8, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Indians knock off Lamar". The Commercial Appeal. November 15, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "NLU clinches Southland title as Humphries passes for 351". The Shreveport Times. November 22, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Trick play helps A-State squeeze past JSU". The Commercial Appeal. November 29, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "UNI gains semifinals in 49–28 win". The Des Moines Register. December 6, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.