1987 Lamar Cardinals football team

The 1987 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season as an NCAA Division I-AA independent. The Cardinals played their home games at Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar finished the 1987 season with a 3–8 overall record. The season marked the first year competing as an independent. Lamar left the Southland Conference to join the non–football American South Conference as a charter member along with fellow former SLC members, Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State and three other universities.

1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 6 Georgia Southern ^		–		9	–	4	–	0
No. 8 James Madison ^		–		9	–	3	–	0
No. 12 Arkansas State ^		–		8	–	4	–	1
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^		–		7	–	4	–	0
Villanova		–		6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern		–		6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State		–		5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary		–		5	–	6	–	0
Towson		–		4	–	6	–	0
Tennessee State		–		3	–	7	–	1
Lamar		–		3	–	8	–	0
Louisiana Tech		–		3	–	8	–	0

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 30–34
September 12	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 39–35	22,184
September 19	at Texas Tech	Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX	L 14–43	27,795
September 26	Stephen F. Austin	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	W 28–26		^[1]
October 3	at No. T–3 (D-II) Texas A&I	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	L 14–43
October 10	No. 2 Northeast Louisiana	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	W 48–28
October 17	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	L 14–38	49,481
October 24	Sam Houston State	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	L 21–34	7,014	^[2]
October 31	Southwest Texas State	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	L 19–27	9,160	^[3]
November 14	No. 10 Arkansas State	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	L 20–34		^[4]
November 21	at McNeese State	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX (rivalry)	L 36–44	3,259	^[5]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^ "Smith's passing leads Lamar over SFA". The Orange Leader. September 27, 1987. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Sam Houston drops Lamar". The El Paso Times. October 25, 1987. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "SWT nails Lamar for 2nd victory". Austin American-Statesman. November 1, 1987. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Indians knock off Lamar". The Commercial Appeal. November 15, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "McNeese finally wins". Abbeville Meridional. November 22, 1987. Retrieved March 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "2015 Lamar University Football". Lamar University Athletics. pp. 109–110. Retrieved March 28, 2016.