The 1987 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was the fourth for Galen Hall as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Hall's 1987 Florida Gators posted a 6–6 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 3–3, placing sixth among ten SEC teams.[1]
The season was the debut of freshman running back Emmitt Smith. Smith went on to break the 1,000-yard barrier in the seventh game of his freshman season, the fastest any running back had ever broken that barrier to begin his college career, and was named SEC and national freshman of the year. This was the last year until 2017 that Florida opened the season away from Gainesville.
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 5 | at No. 10 Miami (FL)* | No. 20 | | TBS | L 4–31 | 77,224 | [2] |
September 12 | Tulsa* | | | | W 52–0 | 72,173 | [3] |
September 19 | at No. 11 Alabama | | | TBS | W 23–14 | 75,808 | [4] |
September 26 | Mississippi State | | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL
| | W 38–3 | 74,421 | [5] |
October 3 | at No. 7 LSU | No. 19 | | ESPN | L 10–13 | 79,313 | [6] |
October 10 | Cal State Fullerton* | No. 18 | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL
| | W 65–0 | 72,336 | [7] |
October 17 | Temple* | No. 14 | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL
| | W 34–3 | 74,286 | [8] |
October 31 | at No. 6 Auburn | No. 10 | | ESPN | L 6–29 | 85,187 | [9] |
November 7 | vs. No. 10 Georgia | No. 17 | | TBS | L 10–23 | 81,975 | [10] |
November 14 | Kentucky | | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
| TBS | W 27–14 | 73,021 | [11] |
November 28 | No. 3 Florida State* | | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
| CBS | L 14–28 | 74,613 | [12] |
December 25 | vs. No. 10 UCLA* | | | ABC | L 16–20 | 24,839 | [13] |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
[1]
1987 Florida Gators football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
|
Defense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
DL
|
|
Henry Brown
|
LB
|
|
Clifford Charlton
|
DB
|
|
Richard Fain
|
DB
|
|
Tony Jones
|
LB
|
|
Todd Gatlin
|
LB
|
|
Jason Lamberth
|
LB
|
|
Pat Moorer
|
DB
|
|
Rick Mulberry
|
LB
|
|
Mark Murray
|
DL
|
|
Glenn Neely
|
LB
|
|
Jim Nicoletto
|
LB
|
|
Gerry Odom
|
DB
|
|
Louis Oliver
|
LB
|
|
Huey Richardson
|
Fr
|
DL
|
|
Jeff Roth
|
DB
|
|
Kerry Watkins
|
DL
|
|
Rhondy Weston
|
DB
|
|
Jarvis Williams
|
|
Special teams
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
K
|
|
Andy Elton
|
P
|
|
Jamie McAndrew
|
K
|
|
Robert McGinty
|
Sr
|
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
|
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below | Week |
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
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AP | 20 т | — | — | — | 19 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 17 | — | RV | RV | — | — | — |
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Coaches | 20 | — | — | 15 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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[14]
- ^ a b 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "Miami crushes Gators". St. Lucie News Tribune. September 6, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gators slam helpless Hurricane, 52–0". Tulsa World. September 13, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Smith, Gators give Alabama the runaround". The Tampa Tribune. September 20, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida freshman Smith runs over MSU, 38–3". Enterprise-Journal. September 27, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tigers dodge another bullet, eke past Gators". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 4, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Definition of destroy: Florida 65, Fullerton 0". Pensacola News-Journal. October 11, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Smith sets mark as Florida routs Temple, 34–3". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 18, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Auburn crushes Gators 29–6". The Tampa Tribune. November 1, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Georgia sacks Florida's bowl hopes". The Stuart News. November 8, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bowl, game simple for Gators". Fort Lauderdale News. November 15, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "No. 3 Florida State ends Florida's 6-year hex, 28–14". The Baltimore Sun. November 29, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UCLA bowls over Florida, 20–16". The Honolulu Advertiser. December 26, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida 1987 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved October 15, 2023.