1996 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

1996 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
	^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant; Rankings from The Sports Network poll

1996 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
1996 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Conference	Independent
1996 record	7–4
Head coach	Jack Harbaugh (8th season);
Home stadium	L. T. Smith Stadium
	Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

The 1996 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by quarterback Willie Taggart and head coach Jack Harbaugh. The team was an independent and primarily ran an option offense. Their schedule included top-ranked and eventual undefeated NCAA Division I-AA champion, Marshall. Western Kentucky's roster featured future National Football League (NFL) player Ben Wittman. Joey Stockton and Mike Mills were named to All-American teams. The I-AA Independent All-Star Team included Antwan Floyd, Trae Hackett, Stockton, Turner Goodwin, and Mills.^[1]

Schedule[]

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 29	Kentucky Wesleyan		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 66–0	9,600
September 7	at No. 9 Murray State		Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY (Battle for the Red Belt)	W 44–41 ^OT	14,123
September 14	No. 11 Eastern Kentucky	No. 24	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)	W 14–7	17,600
September 21	at Austin Peay	No. 15	Fortera Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 34–2	5,011
September 28	at No. 1 Marshall	No. 12	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	L 3–37	20,755
October 5	at UAB	No. 16	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	L 0–24	14,107
October 12	at Jacksonville State	No. 20	JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	L 20–34	4,334
October 19	Liberty		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 14–23	7,100
October 26	No. 21 Indiana State		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 27–20	8,200
November 2	Southern Illinois		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 51–37	5,800	^[2]
November 9	at Morehead State		Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY	W 31–26	1,500
Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References[]

^ WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
^ "Floyd breaks rushing mark as Western triumphs 51-37". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. November 3, 1996. p. C8. Retrieved January 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

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[1] WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.

[2] "Floyd breaks rushing mark as Western triumphs 51-37". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. November 3, 1996. p. C8. Retrieved January 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[1]

[2]

v t Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Venues	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (1968–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Eastern Kentucky: Battle of the Bluegrass Middle Tennessee: 100 Miles of Hate Murray State: Battle for the Red Belt
Culture & lore	Big Red "Stand Up and Cheer" One Second of Laterals
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
	1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
National championship seasons in bold

1996 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Buffalo			–			8	–	3
No. 15 Youngstown State			–			8	–	3
Saint Mary's			–			7	–	3
Western Kentucky			–			7	–	4
Davidson			–			6	–	4
Towson			–			6	–	4
Samford			–			6	–	5
Wofford			–			6	–	5
Cal Poly			–			5	–	6
Hofstra			–			5	–	6
Liberty			–			5	–	6
Southern Utah			–			4	–	7
Charleston Southern			–			2	–	8
Morehead State			–			2	–	8
Jacksonville State			–			1	–	9

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll