1987 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1987 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his 11th year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins, two losses and one tie (10–2–1 overall, 4–1–1 in the SEC) and with a victory over Indiana in the Peach Bowl. The Volunteers offense scored 293 points while the defense allowed 249 points.

1987 Tennessee Volunteers football
Peach Bowl champion
Peach Bowl, W 27–22 vs. Indiana
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 13
AP	No. 14
Record	10–2–1 (4–1–1 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Majors (11th season)
Offensive coordinator	Walt Harris (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Ken Donahue (3rd season)
Captains	Harry Galbreath Kelly Ziegler
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

1987 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Auburn $	5	–	0	–	1			9	–	1	–	2
No. 5 LSU	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Tennessee	4	–	1	–	1			10	–	2	–	1
No. 13 Georgia	4	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Alabama	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Kentucky	1	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Mississippi State	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Ole Miss	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	vs. No. 16 Iowa*	No. 17	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic)	ABC	W 23–22	54,861	^[1]
September 5	Colorado State*	No. 17	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		W 49–3	92,921	^[2]
September 12	at Mississippi State	No. 14	Scott Field Starkville, MS	TBS	W 38–10	30,312	^[3]
September 26	No. 3 Auburn	No. 11	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	TBS	T 20–20	93,506	^[4]
October 3	California*	No. 10	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	TBS	W 38–12	91,688	^[5]
October 17	at Alabama	No. 8	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)	ESPN	L 22–41	75,808	^[6]
October 24	Georgia Tech*	No. 13	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		W 29–15	93,011	^[7]
October 31	at Boston College*	No. 13	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		L 18–20	31,800	^[8]
November 7	Louisville*	No. 19	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		W 41–10	92,084	^[9]
November 14	Ole Miss	No. 18	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		W 55–13	94,237	^[10]
November 21	at Kentucky	No. 15	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)		W 24–22	57,127	^[11]
November 28	Vanderbilt	No. 16	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	WZTV	W 38–36	93,306	^[12]
January 2, 1988	vs. Indiana*	No. 17	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl)	Mizlou	W 27–22	58,737	^[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Terry McDaniel	Defensive Back	1	9	Los Angeles Raiders
Anthony Miller	Wide Receiver	1	15	San Diego Chargers
John Bruhin	Guard	4	86	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
William Howard	Running Back	5	113	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Harry Galbreath	Guard	8	212	Miami Dolphins

• Reference:^[15]

References

1. "Tennessee tips Iowa in Classic". Argus-Leader. August 31, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Vols crunch Colorado St". Bristol Herald Courier. September 6, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Vols turn Bulldog errors into impressive victory". The Commercial Appeal. September 13, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Dye proud as Tiger offense began to find ground game in second half". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 27, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Tennessee's big first half tramples Bears". The San Francisco Examiner. October 4, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Alabama swamps Tennessee 41–22". The Tennessean. October 18, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Vols build lead, hold off Ga. Tech". Kingsport Times-News. October 25, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Disarmed Vols fall prey to Eagles". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 1, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Volunteers crush Cards". The Daily News-Journal. November 8, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tennessee routs Mississippi 55–13". The Palm Beach Post. November 15, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Wildcats, Higgs stumble short on last hurdle". The Paducah Sun. November 22, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Vandy blows big lead, Tennessee wins 38–36". The Macon Telegraph & News. November 29, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Hoosier comeback comes up short". The South Bend Tribune. January 3, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1987 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
15. "1988 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.