Defensive coordinator Barry Lamb (1st year) | 1987 record 9–3 (7–1 Big Sky) | |
Offensive coordinator Bill Diedrick (2nd year) | ||
The 1987 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by second-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.
Contents
The Vandals won their second conference title in three seasons, and made the I-AA playoffs for the third consecutive season. Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback John Friesz, Idaho finished the regular season at 9–2 and 7–1 in the Big Sky.
Notable games
Following a non-conference loss at home to Central Michigan and a road loss to intrastate rival Idaho State, Idaho won its final six games of the regular season. The Vandals defeated Nevada-Reno for only the second time in the ten meetings since the Wolf Pack joined the Big Sky in 1979. The Vandals defeated rival Boise State for the sixth consecutive year, the sixth of twelve straight over the Broncos.
Division I-AA playoffs
For the third consecutive season, Idaho returned to the 16-team I-AA playoffs. The Vandals hosted conference foe Weber State, whom they had defeated in Utah four weeks earlier by three points. The Wildcats won the rematch 59–30, before a sparse crowd at the Kibbie Dome two days after Thanksgiving, ending the Vandals' season at 9–3.
Notable players
The 1987 team included three future NFL players with lengthy pro careers: defensive end Marvin Washington, guard Mark Schlereth, and redshirt sophomore John Friesz, a future collegiate hall of fame quarterback as a three-year starter (1987–89).
Schedule
Source: