# 1987 Air Force Falcons football team

The 1987 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Falcons offense scored 405 points while the defense allowed 269 points. At season's end, the Falcons appeared in the 1987 Freedom Bowl. In the Ram–Falcon Trophy match, the Falcons beat the Colorado State Rams to win the trophy. Air Force also won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, emblematic of beating both Army and Navy.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | at Wyoming | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | | L 13–27 | 28,071 |
| September 12 | TCU* | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO | | W 21–10 | 41,000 |
| September 19 | San Diego State | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO | | W 49–7 | 35,035 |
| September 26 | at Colorado State | Hughes StadiumFort Collins, CO (Battle for the Ram–Falcon Trophy) | | W 27–19 | 23,137 |
| October 3 | Utah | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO | | W 48–27 | 35,108 |
| October 10 | at Navy* | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | | W 23–13 | 35,622 |
| October 17 | No. 11 Notre Dame* | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO (rivalry) | | L 14–35 | 51,112 |
| October 24 | UTEP | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO | | W 35–7 | 36,922 |
| October 31 | at BYU | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT | ESPN | L 13–24 | 65,384 |
| November 7 | Army* | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO | | W 27–10 | 49,183 |
| November 14 | at New Mexico | University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM | | W 73–26 | 15,309 |
| November 21 | at Hawaii | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI (rivalry) | ESPN | W 34–31 | 43,340 |
| December 30 | vs. Arizona State* | Anaheim StadiumAnaheim, CA (Freedom Bowl) | | L 28–33 | 33,261 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||

## Season summary
### At BYU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Air Force | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| BYU | 0 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah
* Date: October 31, 1987
* Game attendance: 65,384
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
AFA – Steve Yarborough 32-yard field goal. Air Force 3–0.
AFA – Anthony Roberson 3-yard run (Steve Yarborough kick). Air Force 10–0.
Second quarter
BYU – Mike O'Brien 3-yard run (Leonard Chitty kick). Air Force 10–7.
BYU – Fred Whittingham 5-yard pass from Sean Covey (Leonard Chitty kick). BYU 14–10.
Third quarter
BYU – Leonard Chitty 26-yard field goal. BYU 17–10.
BYU – Mike O'Brien 2-yard run (Leonard Chitty kick). BYU 24–10.
AFA – Steve Yarborough 32-yard field goal. BYU 24–13.
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Top passers
AFA – Dee Dowis – 2/7, 25 yards, 3 INT
BYU – Sean Covey – 18/29, 294 yards, TD
Top rushers
AFA – Quinton Roberts – 15 rushes, 85 yards
BYU – Mike O'Brien – 16 rushes, 73 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
AFA – Tyler Barth – 1 reception, 13 yards
BYU – Rich Zayas – 3 receptions, 118 yards :

### Army

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Army | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Air Force | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado
* Date: November 7, 1987
* Game attendance: 49,183
Air Force wins Commander-in-Chief Trophy
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Army | Passing | | |
| Army | Rushing | | |
| Army | Receiving | | |
| Air Force | Passing | | |
| Air Force | Rushing | Dee Dowis | 129 Yds, TD |
| Air Force | Receiving | | |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | ARMY | AFA |
| 1 | | 10 | 86 | | Air Force | Anthony Roberson 1-yard touchdown run, kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 7:02 | | | | Army | 32-yard field goal by Bit Rambusch | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | 0:30 | 16 | 83 | | Air Force | Dee Dowis 3-yard touchdown run, kick good | 3 | 14 |
| 3 | 7:25 | | | | Army | Mike Mayweather 46-yard touchdown reception from Tory Crawford, kick good | 10 | 14 |
| 3 | 3:59 | | | | Air Force | Albert Booker 1-yard touchdown run, kick good | 10 | 21 |
| 4 | | | | | Air Force | Interception return 24 yards for touchdown by Kevin Hughes | 10 | 27 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 10 | 27 |

## Postseason
### NFL draft

The following Falcon was selected in the National Football League draft following the season.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
| 11 | 290 | Chad Hennings | Defensive tackle | Dallas Cowboys |

## Awards and honors

* Rip Burgwald, Bullard Award
* Chad Hennings, Outland Trophy