1987 USC Trojans football team

1987 USC Trojans football
Pac-10 co-champion
Rose Bowl, L 17–20 vs. Michigan State
Conference Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 17
AP No. 18
1987 record 8–4 (7–1 Pac-10)
Head coach Larry Smith (1st season)
Offensive coordinator Chuck Stobart (1st season)
Captain Dave Cadigan
Greg Coauette
Home stadium Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (c. 92,516, grass)
1987 Pacific-10 football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 18 USC + 7 –1 –0  8 –4 –0
No. 9 UCLA + 7 –1 –0  10 –2 –0
Washington 4 –3 –1  7 –4 –1
No. 20 Arizona State 3 –3 –1  7 –4 –1
Oregon 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Stanford 4 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Arizona 2 –3 –3  4 –4 –3
California 2 –3 –2  3 –6 –2
Washington State 1 –5 –1  3 –7 –1
Oregon State 0 –7 –0  2 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1987 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Larry Smith, the Trojans compiled an 8–4 record (7–1 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 321 to 229.[1]

The Trojans lost their inaugural game of Larry Smith's tenure to Michigan State in the first night game ever played at Spartan Stadium. USC secured a Rose Bowl berth by tying UCLA for the Pacific-10 championship and winning the head to head match. They faced Michigan State again, and lost 17–20.

Quarterback Rodney Peete led the team in passing, completing 197 of 332 passes for 2,709 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Steven Webster led the team in rushing with 239 carries for 1,109 yards and six touchdowns. Erik Affholter led the team in receiving yards with 44 catches for 640 yards and four touchdowns.[2]

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 7 5:00 PM at No. 17 Michigan State* No. 19 Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ABC L 13–27   77,922
September 19 12:30 PM Boston College* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC W 23–17   46,205
September 26 1:00 PM at California California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA W 31–14   62,000
October 3 6:30 PM Oregon State Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA W 48–14   47,979
October 10 1:00 PM at Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR L 27–34   39,587
October 17 12:30 PM at Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA ABC W 37–23   71,678
October 24 12:30 PM at No. 10 Notre Dame* Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Notre Dame–USC rivalry) CBS L 15–26   59,075
October 31 1:30 PM Washington State Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA W 42–7   24,834
November 7 12:30 PM Stanforddagger Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC W 39–24   58,922
November 14 1:30 PM Arizona Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA W 12–10   51,428
November 21 12:30 PM No. 5 UCLA Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell) ABC W 17–13   92,516
January 1 2:00 PM vs. No. 8 Michigan State* No. 16 Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) NBC L 17–20   103,847
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Game summaries

UCLA

1 234Total
UCLA 7 330 13
• USC 0 0314 17

USC clinches berth in the Rose Bowl with the win. [3]

Roster

1987 USC Trojans football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 42 Erik Affholter Jr
WR 88 Gene Arrington Jr
RB 34 Ricky Ervins Fr
TE 86 Scott Galbraith So
TE 17 Paul Green Jr
RB 39 Leroy Holt So
QB 4 Pat O'Hara Fr
C 63 Brad Leggett So
QB 16 Rodney Peete Jr
G 75 Mark Tucker Fr
WR 83 Gary Wellman Fr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
S 7 Mark Carrier Fr
CB 2 Chris Hale Jr
DT 93 Pat Harlow Fr
DT 90 Dan Owens So
LB 35 Scott Ross Fr
DT 99 Tim Ryan So
LB 55 Junior Seau Fr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

References

  1. ↑ "Southern California Yearly Results (1985-1989)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ "1987 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Southern Cal takes roses from UCLA." Gainesville Sun. 1987 Nov 22.
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