2004 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
American college football season
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The 2004 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by second-year head coach David Elson. The team contended for Gateway Football Conference championship but finished 2nd.[1] They made the school's fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs; it would end up being WKU's last playoff appearance, as they would initiate transitioning to NCAA Division I-A/FBS in 2006. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked 11th in final I-AA postseason national poll.[2]
- David Elson (2nd season)
| 2004 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
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NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 24–54 at Sam Houston State | |
| Conference | Gateway Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 11 |
| Record | 9–3 (6–1 Gateway) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | T. J. Weist (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Mike Dietzel (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | L. T. Smith Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Southern Illinois $^ | 7 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Western Kentucky ^ | 6 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Northern Iowa | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 3 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 2 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 2 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 2 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 1 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This team included future National Football League (NFL) players Curtis Hamilton, Brian Claybourn, Dan Cline, and Greg Ryan. Claybourn and Buster Ashley were named to the AP All American team. The All-Conference team included Ashley, Claybourn, Deonté Smith, Charles Thompson, Antonio Thomas, Justin Haddix, Erik Losey, Lerron Moore, and Joe Woolridge.[3]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 4 | at No. 13 (I-A) Kansas State* | No. 13 | L 13–27 | 46,740 | ||
| September 11 | Concord* | No. 11 | W 58–0 | 10,390 | ||
| September 18 | at No. 20 Eastern Kentucky* | No. 11 | W 21–8 | 22,700 | ||
| October 2 | Youngstown State | No. 6 |
| W 44–19 | 11,619 | |
| October 9 | at No. 22 Northern Iowa | No. 6 | W 17–10 | 12,184 | ||
| October 16 | at No. 1 Southern Illinois | No. 4 | L 10–38 | 10,143 | [4] | |
| October 23 | Indiana State | No. 10 |
| W 31–9 | 7,390 | |
| October 30 | Illinois State | No. 7 |
| W 24–21 | 7,126 | [5] |
| November 6 | at Southwest Missouri State | No. 5 | W 28–24 | 8,942 | [6] | |
| November 13 | Western Illinois | No. 5 |
| W 45–3 | 7,318 | [7] |
| November 20 | at FIU* | No. 3 | W 35–14 | 3,108 | ||
| November 27 | at No. 4 Sam Houston State* | No. 11 | L 24–54 | 9,554 | [8] | |
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