1993 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 1993 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University as an independent during the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fifth-year head Jack Harbaugh, the Hilltoppers compiled a record of 8–3. They missed the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs but finished the season ranked No. 19 in final NCAA Division I-AA poll.^[1]

1993 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 19
Record	8–3
Head coach	Jack Harbaugh (5th season)
Captain	Ben Mooney, Eddie Thompson
Home stadium	L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons ← 1992 1994 →

1993 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Troy State ^			–					11	–	0	–	1
Youngstown State ^			–					10	–	2	–	0
UAB			–					9	–	2	–	0
Wagner			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 12 UCF ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 24 Towson			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 19 Western Kentucky			–					8	–	3	–	0
Hofstra			–					6	–	3	–	1
Saint Mary's			–					6	–	3	–	1
Davidson			–					6	–	4	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					5	–	5	–	0
Liberty			–					5	–	5	–	0
Marist			–					5	–	5	–	0
Samford			–					5	–	6	–	0
Duquesne			–					4	–	6	–	0
Saint Francis			–					3	–	7	–	0
Charleston Southern			–					3	–	8	–	0
Monmouth			–					2	–	5	–	0
Buffalo			–					1	–	10	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Western Kentucky primarily ran an option offense and led NCAA Division I-AA team in rushing. The team's captains were Ben Mooney and Eddie Thompson.^[2] The roster included future National Football League (NFL) player Robert Jackson.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2		at No. 10 Eastern Kentucky		Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)	W 15–10	17,200
September 11	1:10 p.m.	at Kansas State		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	L 13–38	29,356
September 18		at Austin Peay		Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 28–27	6,089
September 25		UAB		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 40–13	7,000	^[3]
October 2		Jacksonville State	No. 25	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 12–7	8,800
October 16		at Southern Illinois	No. 21	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 51–24	7,200	^[4]
October 23		at Indiana State	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	L 14–41	10,191
October 30		Western Illinois		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 41–9	4,511
November 6		at No. 4 Troy State	No. 24	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	L 24–31	5,100
November 13		Eastern Illinois	No. 25	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 24–21	3,527
November 20		Murray State	No. 20	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (Battle for the Red Belt)	W 44–14	4,552
Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

References

1. "NCAA I-AA". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. December 1, 1993. p. B-4. Retrieved April 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
2. "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. p. 180. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
3. "Toppers roll to 3–1 start, coach's best". The Park City Daily News. September 26, 1993. Retrieved December 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Western runs over Southern Illinois". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. October 17, 1993. p. C10. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.