| 2003Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 17–34 atWofford | |
| Conference | Gateway Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 7 |
| Record | 9–4 (5–2 Gateway) |
| Head coach |
|
| 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 | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5Northern Iowa +^ | 6 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9Southern Illinois +^ | 6 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6Western Illinois ^ | 5 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7Western 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2003 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team representedWestern Kentucky University in the2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by first-year head coachDavid Elson. Coming off winning the NCAA Division I-AA Championship the previous year, this team contended forGateway 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, beatingJacksonville State in the first round before losing toWofford in the quarterfinals. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked number 7 in final 1AA postseason national poll.[2]
This team included futureNFL playersAnthony Oakley andBrian 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]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | Union (KY)* | No. 5 | W 51–3 | 9,325 | ||
| September 6 | West Virginia Tech* | No. 5 |
| W 67–3 | 10,325 | |
| September 20 | Eastern Kentucky* | No. 3 |
| W 36–3 | 18,317 | |
| September 27 | atAuburn* | No. 3 | L 3–48 | 85,046 | ||
| October 4 | at No. 2Western Illinois | No. 6 | L 28–33 | 18,263 | [4] | |
| October 11 | Southwest Missouri State | No. 9 |
| W 9–6 | 8,383 | [5] |
| October 18 | atIllinois State | No. 9 | W 27–24 | 8,945 | [6] | |
| October 25 | atIndiana State | No. 8 | W 59–14 | 3,708 | ||
| November 1 | No. 3Southern Illinois | No. 8 |
| L 24–28 | 13,430 | [7] |
| November 8 | No. 6Northern Iowa | No. 12 |
| W 24–3 | 7,518 | |
| November 15 | atYoungstown State | No. 9 | W 37–13 | 12,858 | ||
| November 29 | No. 17Jacksonville State* | No. 9 |
| W 45–7 | 3,573 | |
| December 6 | at No. 2Wofford* | No. 9 |
| L 17–34 | 7,500 | [8] |
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