1987 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Season — Schedule, Stats, Results

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Season Snapshot 1987 at a glance

1987 Iowa Football

10-3

Overall

6-2

Big Ten

Bowl

Postseason

Won 20-19 · Holiday Bowl

#16

Final AP rank

Hayden Fry

Head coach

By the Numbers

Power rating

+11.2

Simple Rating System — #19 nationally

Memorable Games

Highest score

vs Northwestern on Nov 7

Best defensive game

held them to 9

vs Iowa State (48-9)

Closest game

1-point loss

vs (17) Tennessee (22-23)

Biggest win

by 39

vs Iowa State (48-9)

Rankings & Streaks

Final AP rank

#16

end-of-season Associated Press poll

Longest win streak

consecutive wins during the season

Home record

4-1

at Carver / Kinnick / home court

Road record

5-1

true road games (excludes neutral sites)

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

FEATURED GAME

Beat #11 Indiana

29 vs 21

home vs Indiana · Oct 31, 1987

Took down #11 at home

Signature Wins

VS CY-HAWK

Beat Iowa State

48 vs 9

at Iowa State · Sep 19, 1987

Kept the Cy-Hawk — won by 39

VS HEARTLAND TROPHY

Beat Wisconsin

31 vs 10

at Wisconsin · Oct 10, 1987

Kept the Heartland Trophy — won by 21

HOLIDAY BOWL (SAN DIEGO, CA)

Beat Wyoming

20 vs 19

vs Wyoming (neutral) · Dec 30, 1987

Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA) — defining win on the season's biggest stage

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

HEARTBREAKER

Lost by 1 to Tennessee

22 vs 23

vs Tennessee (neutral) · Aug 30, 1987

Lost by just 1 in the final minutes

TOUGH LOSS

Lost to Michigan State

14 vs 19

home vs Michigan State · Oct 3, 1987

Stinging 5-point setback

Compare This Team

See how the 1987 Hawkeyes stack up against another Iowa season.

1987 Schedule 13 games

Date	Opponent	Score
Aug 30	Neutral (17) Tennessee	22–23	L
Sep 12	Away Arizona	15–14	W
Sep 19	Away Iowa State	48–9	W
Sep 26	Home Kansas State	38–13	W
Oct 3	Home Michigan State	14–19	L
Oct 10	Away Wisconsin	31–10	W
Oct 17	Away Michigan	10–37	L
Oct 24	Home Purdue	38–14	W
Oct 31	Home (11) Indiana	29–21	W
Nov 7	Away Northwestern	52–24	W
Nov 14	Away Ohio State	29–27	W
Nov 21	Home Minnesota	34–20	W
Dec 30	Neutral Wyoming Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA)	20–19	W

Team & Player Stats

Numbers in plain English. Switch to Advanced to see every column. Full stat tables — passing rates, splits, game-by-game breakdowns.

Per-Game Averages

Points per game

29.2 vs 19.2

Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.

+10.0 points per game

Total yards

— vs —

How many yards Iowa moved the ball, versus how many they let the other team move.

Pass yards

296.6 vs 163.0

Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+133.6 difference per game

Rush yards

141.3 vs 122.6

Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+18.7 difference per game

First downs

— vs —

A first down means a fresh set of four tries — earning more is good.

Turnovers

— vs —

Times Iowa lost the ball (lower is better) versus times the defense took it back (higher is better).

Top Performers

Quarterback

Chuck Hartlieb

2,855 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 8 interceptions (12 games).

Lead rusher

Kevin Harmon

668 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns over 12 games.

Lead receiver

Quinn Early

61 catches, 978 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns.

Top tackler

Brad Quast

0 total tackles, — sacks, 1 interceptions.

Team Stats per Game

Stat

Offense

Defense

Diff

Pass Cmp

21.3

12.5

+8.8

Pass Att

34.4

25.9

+8.5

Pass Cmp %

61.7

48.2

+13.5

Pass Yds

296.6

163.0

+133.6

Pass TD

1.9

1.2

+0.7

Rush Att

40.6

41.7

-1.1

Rush Yds

141.3

122.6

+18.7

Rush Y/A

3.5

2.9

+0.6

Rush TD

1.7

0.9

+0.8

Plays

—

Total Yds

—

Yds/Play

—

1st Downs

—

Penalties

—

Penalty Yds

—

Fumbles

—

Interceptions

—

Turnovers

—

Player Stats

Passing

Player	G	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate
Chuck HartliebQB	12	196	299	65.6	2,855	19	8	9.5	9.6	14.6	237.9	161.4
Dan McGwireQB	12	41	72	56.9	506	4	3	7.0	6.3	12.3	42.2	126.0
Tom PoholskyQB	12	18	42	42.9	198	0	2	4.7	2.6	11.0	16.5	72.9

Rushing & Receiving

Player	G	Rushing					Receiving					Scrimmage
		Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Y/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G	Plays	Yds	TD
Quinn EarlyWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	61	978	16.0	10	81.5	61	978	10
Kevin HarmonRB	12	139	668	4.8	6	55.7	29	248	8.6	1	20.7	168	916	7
Marv CookTE	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	43	760	17.7	2	63.3	43	760	2
David HudsonRB	12	103	421	4.1	5	35.1	19	130	6.8	2	10.8	122	551	7
Travis WatkinsWR	12	1	2	2.0	0	0.2	29	462	15.9	4	38.5	30	464	4
Mike FlaggTE	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	22	375	17.0	1	31.3	22	375	1
Tony StewartRB	12	68	326	4.8	2	27.2	8	40	5.0	0	3.3	76	366	2
Richard BassRB	12	46	176	3.8	4	14.7	1	4	4.0	0	0.3	47	180	4
Rick BaylessRB	12	40	130	3.3	1	10.8	3	17	5.7	0	1.4	43	147	1
Deven HarbertsWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	9	145	16.1	0	12.1	9	145	0
Marc MazzeriWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	9	140	15.6	0	11.7	9	140	0
Craig ClarkTE	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	9	134	14.9	2	11.2	9	134	2
Grant GoodmanRB	12	10	48	4.8	0	4.0	5	42	8.4	0	3.5	15	90	0
Marshall CottonRB	12	9	41	4.6	0	3.4	2	10	5.0	0	0.8	11	51	0
Chet DavisRB	12	14	49	3.5	0	4.1	0	0	—	0	0.0	14	49	0
Peter MarcianoWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	23	11.5	1	1.9	2	23	1
Jim MauroWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	18	9.0	0	1.5	2	18	0
Eric MillerWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	17	17.0	0	1.4	1	17	0
Steve GreenWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	16	16.0	0	1.3	1	16	0
Tom PoholskyQB	12	9	8	0.9	1	0.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	9	8	1
Dan McGwireQB	12	7	-36	-5.1	0	-3.0	0	0	—	0	0.0	7	-36	0
Chuck HartliebQB	12	41	-138	-3.4	1	-11.5	0	0	—	0	0.0	41	-138	1

Defense & Fumbles

Player	G	Solo	Ast	Comb	TFL	Sk	Int	Yds	PD	FR	FF
Brad QuastLB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	19	—	—	—
Dwight SistrunkDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	5	48	—	—	—
Greg BrownDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	3	0	—	—	—
Joe MottDL	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	2	—	—	—
Kerry BurtDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	7	15	—	—	—
Melvin FosterLB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	7	—	—	—
Merton HanksDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	2	0	—	—	—
Sean RidleyDL	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	23	—	—	—
Tork HookDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	27	—	—	—

Kick & Punt Returns

Player	G	Kick Returns				Punt Returns				APYd
		Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
Peter MarcianoWR	12	11	204	18.5	0	37	145	3.9	0	372
Tony StewartRB	12	10	228	22.8	0	0	0	—	0	594
Kevin HarmonRB	12	7	156	22.3	0	0	0	—	0	1,072
Grant GoodmanRB	12	8	81	10.1	0	0	0	—	0	171
Quinn EarlyWR	12	4	44	11.0	0	0	0	—	0	1,022
Kerry BurtDB	12	0	0	—	0	4	26	6.5	0	41
Chet DavisRB	12	2	25	12.5	0	0	0	—	0	74
Mike FlaggTE	12	1	22	22.0	0	0	0	—	0	397
Richard BassRB	12	1	9	9.0	0	0	0	—	0	189
Mike BurkeDL	12	0	0	—	0	1	7	7.0	0	7
Eric MillerWR	12	0	0	—	0	1	-3	-3.0	0	14

Kicking & Punting

Player	G	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	Pts	Pnt	Yds	Y/P
Mark AdamsP	12	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	33	1,235	37.4
Marv CookTE	12	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	15	561	37.4
Rob HoughtlinK	12	39	39	100.0	21	29	72.4	102	—	—	—
Ross BlountP	12	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	3	84	28.0

Scoring

Player	G	Rush	Rec	FR	Oth	TD	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts	Pts/G
Rob HoughtlinK	12	0	0	—	—	0	39	39	21	29	—	102	8.5
Quinn EarlyWR	12	0	10	—	—	10	0	0	0	0	—	60	5.0
David HudsonRB	12	5	2	—	—	7	0	0	0	0	—	42	3.5
Kevin HarmonRB	12	6	1	—	—	7	0	0	0	0	—	42	3.5
Travis WatkinsWR	12	0	4	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.0
Richard BassRB	12	4	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.0
Marv CookTE	12	0	2	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.0
Tony StewartRB	12	2	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.0
Craig ClarkTE	12	0	2	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.0
Tom PoholskyQB	12	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Peter MarcianoWR	12	0	1	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Mike FlaggTE	12	0	1	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Chuck HartliebQB	12	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Rick BaylessRB	12	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5

Game Logs

Date	Opp	Rslt	Passing						Rushing			Total			Penalties		TO
			Cmp	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	Rate	Att	Yds	TD	Plays	Yds	Y/P	No	Yds	FL	Int	TO
Aug 30	vs Tennessee	L 22–23	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 12	@ Arizona	W 15–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 19	@ Iowa State	W 48–9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 26	Kansas State	W 38–13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 3	Michigan State	L 14–19	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 10	@ Wisconsin	W 31–10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 17	@ Michigan	L 10–37	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 24	Purdue	W 38–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 31	Indiana	W 29–21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 7	@ Northwestern	W 52–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 14	@ Ohio State	W 29–27	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 21	Minnesota	W 34–20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dec 30	vs Wyoming Holiday Bowl	W 20–19	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

1987 Roster 35 players

Player	Class	Pos	Season summary
Dwight Sistrunk	—	DB
Greg Brown	—	DB
Kerry Burt	—	DB
Merton Hanks	—	DB
Tork Hook	—	DB
Joe Mott	—	DL
Mike Burke	—	DL
Sean Ridley	—	DL
Rob Houghtlin	—	K
Brad Quast	—	LB
Melvin Foster	—	LB
Mark Adams	—	P
Ross Blount	—	P
Chuck Hartlieb	—	QB	217 Cmp, 334 Att, 3092 Yds, 19 TD
Dan McGwire	—	QB	41 Cmp, 72 Att, 506 Yds, 4 TD
Tom Poholsky	—	QB	18 Cmp, 42 Att, 198 Yds, 0 TD
Chet Davis	—	RB	14 Att, 49 Yds, 3.5 Avg
David Hudson	—	RB	113 Att, 464 Yds, 4.1 Avg
Grant Goodman	—	RB	10 Att, 48 Yds, 4.8 Avg
Kevin Harmon	—	RB	151 Att, 715 Yds, 4.7 Avg
Marshall Cotton	—	RB	9 Att, 41 Yds, 4.6 Avg
Richard Bass	—	RB	48 Att, 183 Yds, 3.8 Avg
Rick Bayless	—	RB	46 Att, 148 Yds, 3.2 Avg
Tony Stewart	—	RB	68 Att, 326 Yds, 4.8 Avg
Craig Clark	—	TE	10 Rec, 132 Yds, 13.2 Avg
Marv Cook	—	TE	49 Rec, 803 Yds, 16.4 Avg
Mike Flagg	—	TE	28 Rec, 468 Yds, 16.7 Avg
Deven Harberts	—	WR	9 Rec, 145 Yds, 16.1 Avg
Eric Miller	—	WR	1 Rec, 17 Yds, 17.0 Avg
Jim Mauro	—	WR	2 Rec, 18 Yds, 9.0 Avg
Marc Mazzeri	—	WR	9 Rec, 140 Yds, 15.6 Avg
Peter Marciano	—	WR	2 Rec, 23 Yds, 11.5 Avg
Quinn Early	—	WR	63 Rec, 1004 Yds, 15.9 Avg
Steve Green	—	WR	1 Rec, 16 Yds, 16.0 Avg
Travis Watkins	—	WR	33 Rec, 534 Yds, 16.2 Avg

History Library

Chapters of Iowa football history

Explore Iowa football history by chapter. Dive into legendary seasons, unforgettable rivalries, and the program's rich tradition.

Greatest Iowa Teams

Season	Record	AP Final	Coach	Bowl
1922	7-0	—	Howard Jones	—
1921	7-0	—	Howard Jones	—
1956	9-1	#3	Forest Evashevski	Won — Rose Bowl
1960	8-1	#3	Forest Evashevski	—
1899	8-0-1	—	Alden Knipe	—
1900	7-0-1	—	Alden Knipe	—
2015	12-2	#9	Kirk Ferentz	Lost — Rose Bowl
2009	11-2	#7	Kirk Ferentz	Won — Orange Bowl
2002	11-2	#8	Kirk Ferentz	Lost — Orange Bowl
1991	10-1-1	#10	Hayden Fry	Tied — Holiday Bowl

Iowa Bowl Games

Season	Bowl	Result	Score	Opponent
2025	ReliaQuest Bowl	Won	34-27	vanderbilt
2024	Music City Bowl	Lost	24-27	missouri
2023	Citrus Bowl	Lost	0-35	tennessee
2022	Music City Bowl	Won	21-0	kentucky
2021	Citrus Bowl	Lost	17-20	kentucky
2019	Holiday Bowl	Won	49-24	southern-california
2018	Outback Bowl	Won	27-22	mississippi-state
2017	Pinstripe Bowl	Won	27-20	boston-college
2016	Outback Bowl	Lost	3-30	florida
2015	Rose Bowl	Lost	16-45	stanford
2014	TaxSlayer Bowl	Lost	28-45	tennessee
2013	Outback Bowl	Lost	14-21	louisiana-state
2011	Insight Bowl	Lost	14-31	oklahoma
2010	Insight Bowl	Won	27-24	missouri
2009	Orange Bowl	Won	24-14	georgia-tech
2008	Outback Bowl	Won	31-10	south-carolina
2006	Alamo Bowl	Lost	24-26	texas
2005	Outback Bowl	Lost	24-31	florida
2004	Capital One Bowl	Won	30-25	louisiana-state
2003	Outback Bowl	Won	37-17	florida
2002	Orange Bowl	Lost	17-38	southern-california
2001	Alamo Bowl	Won	19-16	texas-tech
1997	Sun Bowl	Lost	7-17	arizona-state
1996	Alamo Bowl	Won	27-0	texas-tech
1995	Sun Bowl	Won	38-18	washington
1993	Alamo Bowl	Lost	3-37	california
1991	Holiday Bowl	Tied	13-13	brigham-young
1990	Rose Bowl	Lost	34-46	washington
1988	Peach Bowl	Lost	23-28	north-carolina-state
1987	Holiday Bowl	Won	20-19	wyoming
1986	Holiday Bowl	Won	39-38	san-diego-state
1985	Rose Bowl	Lost	28-45	ucla
1984	Freedom Bowl	Won	55-17	texas
1983	Gator Bowl	Lost	6-14	florida
1982	Peach Bowl	Won	28-22	tennessee
1981	Rose Bowl	Lost	0-28	washington
1958	Rose Bowl	Won	38-12	california
1956	Rose Bowl	Won	35-19	oregon-state

Iowa Rivalries

Trophy	Opponent	W-L-T	Years
Cy-Hawk Trophy	Iowa State	47-21	1899–2025
Floyd of Rosedale	Minnesota	54-61-2	1901–2025
Heartland Trophy	Wisconsin	47-48-2	1906–2025
Heroes Trophy	Nebraska	19-26-1	1903–2025

All-time numbers will fill in as historical Iowa schedules are imported.

Best Iowa Defenses

Season	Pts allowed/G	National rank	Record
1899	0.6	#1	8-0
1900	1.5	#3	7-0
1910	2.1	#18	5-2
1929	3.5	#10	4-2
1918	4.0	#14	6-2
1922	4.7	#23	7-0
1935	4.9	#14	4-2
1914	5.1	#21	4-3
1921	5.1	#22	7-0
1928	5.2	#22	6-2

All-Time Single-Season Leaders

Passing yards

Player	Season	Passing
Chuck Hartlieb	1988	3,310
James Vandenberg	2011	3,022
Ricky Stanzi	2010	3,004
Chuck Long	1985	2,978
Nathan Stanley	2019	2,951

Rushing yards

Player	Season	Rushing
Shonn Greene	2008	1,850
Tavian Banks	1997	1,639
Kaleb Johnson	2024	1,537
Marcus Coker	2011	1,384
Fred Russell	2003	1,355

Receiving yards

Player	Season	Receiving
Marvin McNutt	2011	1,315
Keith Chappelle	1980	1,037
Kevin Kasper	2000	1,010
Quinn Early	1987	978
Maurice Brown	2002	966

Tackles

Player	Season	Tackles
Jay Higgins	2023	171
Abdul Hodge	2005	158
Chad Greenway	2005	156
Pat Angerer	2009	145
Jack Campbell	2021	143

AP Poll History

Season	Final AP rank
2025	#17
2023	#24
2021	#23
2020	#16
2019	#15
2018	#25
2015	#9
2009	#7
2008	#20
2004	#8
2003	#8
2002	#8
1996	#18
1995	#25
1991	#10
1990	#18
1987	#16
1986	#16
1985	#10
1984	#16
1983	#14
1981	#18
1960	#3
1958	#2
1957	#6
1956	#3
1953	#9
1939	#9

Updated Jun 1, 5:30 AM

Football History

Season Snapshot 1987 at a glance

1987 Iowa Football

By the Numbers

Memorable Games

Rankings & Streaks

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

Beat #11 Indiana

Signature Wins

Beat Iowa State

Beat Wisconsin

Beat Wyoming

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

Lost by 1 to Tennessee

Lost to Michigan State

Compare This Team

1987 Schedule 13 games

Team & Player Stats

Per-Game Averages

Top Performers

Team Stats per Game

Player Stats

Passing

Rushing & Receiving

Defense & Fumbles

Kick & Punt Returns

Kicking & Punting

Scoring

Game Logs

1987 Roster 35 players

1987 AP Poll Movement

AP Poll

History Library

Greatest Teams

Bowl Games

Rivalries

Best Defenses

Player Leaders

AP Poll History