2003 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

American college football season

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|

* David Elson (1st season)

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

Seasons

← 2002

2004 →

2003 Gateway Football Conference standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

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  |

* \+ – Conference co-champions
* ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant

Rankings from The Sports Network poll

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

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|
|
|
|
|

August 28| Union (KY)*| No. 5|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY

| W 51–3| 9,325|
September 6| West Virginia Tech*| No. 5|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY

| W 67–3| 10,325|
September 20| Eastern Kentucky*| No. 3|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)

| W 36–3| 18,317|
September 27| at Auburn*| No. 3|

* Jordan–Hare Stadium
* Auburn, AL

| L 3–48| 85,046|
October 4| at No. 2 Western Illinois| No. 6|

* Hanson Field
* Macomb, IL

| L 28–33| 18,263| [4]
October 11| Southwest Missouri State| No. 9|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY

| W 9–6| 8,383| [5]
October 18| at Illinois State| No. 9|

* Hancock Stadium
* Normal, IL

| W 27–24| 8,945| [6]
October 25| at Indiana State| No. 8|

* Memorial Stadium
* Terre Haute, IN

| W 59–14| 3,708|
November 1| No. 3 Southern Illinois| No. 8|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY

| L 24–28| 13,430| [7]
November 8| No. 6 Northern Iowa| No. 12|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY

| W 24–3| 7,518|
November 15| at Youngstown State| No. 9|

* Stambaugh Stadium
* Youngstown, OH

| W 37–13| 12,858|
November 29| No. 17 Jacksonville State*| No. 9|

* L. T. Smith Stadium
* Bowling Green, KY (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)

| W 45–7| 3,573|
December 6| at No. 2 Wofford*| No. 9|

* Gibbs Stadium
* Spartanburg, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)

| L 17–34| 7,500| [8]

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 2019 MVC Football Records, retrieved 30 April 2020
2. ^ "Final Division I-AA Poll". The Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. December 23, 2003. p. B2. Retrieved May 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
4. ^ Grant, Michael (October 5, 2003). "WKU falls in thriller, 33-28". The Courier-Journal. p. C1. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Lange's last-second FG lifts WKU to 9–6 victory". The Courier-Journal. October 12, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Moore's late TD lifts WKU, 27-24". The Courier-Journal. October 19, 2003. p. C13. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Rally pushes Salukis over 'Toppers". The Paducah Sun. Associated Press. November 2, 2003. p. 5B. Retrieved December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Wofford grounds WKU's title hopes". The Courier-Journal. December 7, 2003. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

* v
* t
* e

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football

Venues|

* Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (1968–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Eastern Kentucky: Battle of the Bluegrass
* Middle Tennessee: 100 Miles of Hate
* Murray State: Battle for the Red Belt

Culture & lore|

* Big Red
* "Stand Up and Cheer"

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1913
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National championship seasons in bold

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* v
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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number