1987 Idaho Vandals football team

The 1987 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by second-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

1987 Idaho Vandals football
Big Sky champion
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	9–3 (7–1 Big Sky)
Head coach	Keith Gilbertson (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bill Diedrick (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Barry Lamb (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Kibbie Dome
Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

1987 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Idaho $^	7	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 10 Weber State ^	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
Montana	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Boise State	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Nevada	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Northern Arizona	4	–	4	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Idaho State	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Eastern Washington	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Montana State	0	–	8	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll

The Vandals won their second conference title in three seasons, and made the I-AA playoffs for the third consecutive season. Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback John Friesz, Idaho finished the regular season at 9–2 and 7–1 in the Big Sky.

Notable games

Following a non-conference loss at home to Central Michigan,^[1][2] and a road loss to struggling intrastate rival Idaho State,^[3][4][5] Idaho won its final six games of the regular season. The Vandals defeated Nevada for only the second time in the ten meetings since the Wolf Pack joined the Big Sky in 1979,^[6][7] and defeated rival Boise State for the sixth consecutive year, the sixth of twelve straight over the Broncos.

Division I-AA playoffs

For the third consecutive season, Idaho returned to the 16-team I-AA playoffs. The Vandals hosted conference foe Weber State, whom they had defeated in Utah four weeks earlier by three points. The Wildcats won the rematch 59–30, before a sparse crowd at the Kibbie Dome two days after Thanksgiving, ending the Vandals' season at 9–3.^[8]

Notable players

The 1987 team included two future NFL players with lengthy pro careers: guard Mark Schlereth and redshirt sophomore John Friesz, a future collegiate hall of fame quarterback as a three-year starter (1987–89).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	7:00 pm	Mankato State (D-II)*	No. 20	Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho	W 31–17	7,600	[9][10]
September 12	7:00 pm	Central Michigan (Div. I-A)*	No. 20	Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho	L 18–30	8,000	[1][2]
September 19	7:00 pm	at No. 6 (D-II) Portland State*		Civic Stadium Portland, Oregon	W 17–10	8,535	[11][12]
September 26	7:00 pm	at Northern Arizona		Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, Arizona	W 46–37	9,029	[13][14]
October 3	6:30 pm	at Idaho State	No. 15	ISU MiniDome Pocatello, Idaho (Rivalry)	L 21–30	10,764	[3][4][5]
October 10	7:00 pm	Montana		Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho (Little Brown Stein)	W 31–25	9,500	[15][16][17][18]
October 17	1:00 pm	No. 11 Nevada		Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho	W 38–28	15,100	[6][7]
October 24	7:00 pm	Eastern Washington	No. 14	Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho (Governors Cup)	W 31–24	11,500	[19][20]
October 31	12:00 pm	at No. 7 Weber State	No. 12	Wildcat Stadium Ogden, Utah	W 41–38	13,486	[21]
November 7	12:00 pm	at Montana State	No. 10	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, Montana	W 14–7	6,007
November 21	4:30 pm	Boise State	No. 5	Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho (Rivalry)	W 40–34	16,500
November 28	12:30 pm	No. 10 Weber State*	No. 5	Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho (Div. I-AA playoffs)	L 30–59	4,900	[8]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA (Div. I-AA) All times are in Pacific time

Source:^[22]

Roster

1987 Idaho Vandals football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class FL 6 Eric Jorgensen Jr SE John Jake QB Steve Nolan Fr QB 17 John Friesz So RB Bruce Harris Fr RB 20 Todd Hoiness Jr RB Larry Leverett So TE Craig Robinson Sr TE Chris Slater Jr OT 70 Greg Hale Jr G 67 Todd Neu So C Steve Unger So G 60 Mark Schlereth Jr OT 63 Troy Wright So	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Richard Carey Jr FS 8 Ernest Sanders Sr CB 29 Virgil Paulsen Sr SS Dan McCanna Sr LB 51 Jerry Medved Jr LB Jim Medved Jr LB Mark Matthews Fr LB 31 Kevin Johnson Sr DE Pete Wilkins Sr DT Craig Dowdy Sr DT Michael Bailey Jr DE Kord Smith Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Brian Decicio Jr P John Pleas Jr	Head coach Keith Gilbertson (2nd year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Bill Diedrick (OC) Barry Lamb (DC) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Source:^{[17][23][24][25][26]}

All-conference

Six Vandals were named to the all-conference team: quarterback John Friesz, tackle Greg Hale, guard Todd Neu, defensive end Pete Wilkins, safety Ernest Sanders, and cornerback Virgil Paulsen. Second team selections were wide receiver Eric Jorgensen, tight end Craig Robinson, and punter John Pleas. Honorable mention were wide receiver/kick returner John Jake, running back Todd Hoiness, center Steve Unger, defensive linemen Kord Smith and Jim Routos, and placekicker Brian Decicio.^{[27][28][29][30]}

Friesz, from Coeur d'Alene, was also named the Big Sky's outstanding offensive player.^[31][32]

References

1. Pierce, Oliver (September 12, 1987). "UI must ground Chippewas' rush". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
2. Pierce, Oliver (September 14, 1987). "CMU has too much for gutty Vandals". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
3. Tatko, Mike (October 3, 1987). "Vandals problem: Getting excited for ISU". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
4. Pierce, Oliver (October 3, 1987). "Idaho's life on top could get better by downing ISU". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
5. Tatko, Mike (October 4, 1987). "ISU's bad luck ends with Idaho". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
6. Pierce, Oliver (October 17, 1987). "Idaho: classic battle of run versus pass". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
7. Pierce, Oliver (October 19, 1987). "UI, scoreoard both prove functional". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
8. "Weber State 59, Idaho 30". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 29, 1987. p. 3B.
9. Jacobson, Bryan (September 5, 1987). "Let the seasons begin". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
10. Pierce, Oliver (September 7, 1987). "Idaho land attack takes air out of Mavericks". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
11. Pierce, Oliver (September 19, 1987). "Strength vs. strength for UI, Portland State". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
12. "UI defense wins case with Vikings". Idahonian. (Moscow). September 21, 1987. p. 1B.
13. Pierce, Oliver (September 26, 1987). "Idaho: Big Sky play draws tough opener". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
14. "Vandals axe Lumberjacks, 46-37". Idahonian. (Moscow). September 28, 1987. p. 1B.
15. Tatko, Mike (October 10, 1987). "Cougars, Vandals at home after long absence". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
16. Tatko, Mike (October 11, 1987). "Idaho outruns Montana". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
17. Spevak, Jeff (October 11, 1987). "Idaho's medical list grows as injuries plague team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 8C.
18. Pierce, Oliver (October 12, 1987). "UI rekindles Big Sky title hopes". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 7A.
19. Pierce, Oliver (October 24, 1987). "Governor's Cup tilt". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
20. Pierce, Oliver (October 26, 1987). "Idaho can treat itself to crown". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 8A.
21. Pierce, Oliver (October 31, 1987). "Big Sky chase". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
22. College Football Data Warehouse Archived 2010-02-16 at the Wayback Machine – Idaho 1985–89 – accessed August 14, 2010
23. "UI: Medved twins have big shoes to fill in the middle". Idahonian. (Moscow). September 1, 1987. p. 1C.
24. "UI: Vandals should be strong at defensive end". Idahonian. (Moscow). September 2, 1987. p. 6A.
25. "UI: Secondary is a strength". Idahonian. (Moscow). September 3, 1987. p. 1C.
26. "Starting line-ups". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). October 3, 1987. p. 4B.
27. "All-Big Sky teams". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 2, 1987. p. D3.
28. "EWU's Stein makes All-Big Sky". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). staff and wire reports. December 2, 1987. p. D1.
29. "Six Vandals on Big Sky first team". Idahonian. (Moscow). Associated Press. December 2, 1987. p. 10A.
30. "Friesz, Buenzli top All=Big Sky teams". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 2, 1987. p. D2.
31. "Idaho's Friesz best in Big Sky". Idahonian. (Moscow). Associated Press. December 4, 1987. p. 1B.
32. "Friesz captures Big Sky MVP award". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 4, 1987. p. 33.

External links

• Gem of the Mountains: 1988 University of Idaho yearbook – 1987 football season
• Idaho Argonaut – student newspaper – 1987 editions