2003 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
| 2003 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 17–34 at Wofford | |
| Conference | Gateway Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 7 |
| Record | 9–4 (5–2 Gateway) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | T. J. Weist (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Don Martindale (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | L. T. Smith Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Northern Iowa +^ | 6 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Southern Illinois +^ | 6 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Western Illinois ^ | 5 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Western Kentucky ^ | 5 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 3 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 2 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 1 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 0 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2003 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by first-year head coach David Elson. Coming off winning the NCAA Division I-AA Championship the previous year, this team contended for Gateway Football Conference championship but ended up finishing tied for 3rd.[1] They made the school's fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, beating Jacksonville State in the first round before losing to Wofford in the quarterfinals. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked number 7 in final 1AA postseason national poll.[2]
This team included future NFL players Anthony Oakley and Brian Claybourn. Matt Lange and Buster Ashley were named to the AP All American team and Justin Haddix was Gateway Conference Freshman of The Year. The All-Conference team included Ashley, Jeremy Chandler, Claybourn, Erik Dandy, Lange, Karl Maslowski, Casey Rooney, Antonio Veals, Daniel Withrow, Chad Kincaid, Oakley, and Charles Thompson.[3]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | Union (KY)* | No. 5 | W 51–3 | 9,325 | ||
| September 6 | West Virginia Tech* | No. 5 |
| W 67–3 | 10,325 | |
| September 20 | Eastern Kentucky* | No. 3 |
| W 36–3 | 18,317 | |
| September 27 | at Auburn* | No. 3 | L 3–48 | 85,046 | ||
| October 4 | at No. 2 Western Illinois | No. 6 | L 28–33 | 18,263 | [4] | |
| October 11 | Southwest Missouri State | No. 9 |
| W 9–6 | 8,383 | [5] |
| October 18 | at Illinois State | No. 9 | W 27–24 | 8,945 | [6] | |
| October 25 | at Indiana State | No. 8 | W 59–14 | 3,708 | ||
| November 1 | No. 3 Southern Illinois | No. 8 |
| L 24–28 | 13,430 | [7] |
| November 8 | No. 6 Northern Iowa | No. 12 |
| W 24–3 | 7,518 | |
| November 15 | at Youngstown State | No. 9 | W 37–13 | 12,858 | ||
| November 29 | No. 17 Jacksonville State* | No. 9 |
| W 45–7 | 3,573 | |
| December 6 | at No. 2 Wofford* | No. 9 |
| L 17–34 | 7,500 | |
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References
[edit]- ^ 2019 MVC Football Records, retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^ "Final Division I-AA Poll". The Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. December 23, 2003. p. B2. Retrieved May 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ Grant, Michael (October 5, 2003). "WKU falls in thriller, 33-28". The Courier-Journal. p. C1. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lange's last-second FG lifts WKU to 9–6 victory". The Courier-Journal. October 12, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Moore's late TD lifts WKU, 27-24". The Courier-Journal. October 19, 2003. p. C13. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rally pushes Salukis over 'Toppers". The Paducah Sun. Associated Press. November 2, 2003. p. 5B. Retrieved December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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