1987 Ball State Cardinals football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1987
| team = Ball State Cardinals
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Mid-American Conference
| short_conf = MAC
| record = 4–7
| conf_record = 3–5
| head_coach = Paul Schudel
| hc_year = 3rd
| captain =
| stadium = Ball State Stadium
}}
{{1987 Mid-American Conference football standings}}
The 1987 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Paul Schudel, the team compiled an 4–7 record (3–5 against conference opponents) and finished in eighth place out of nine teams in the MAC.{{cite web|title=2007 Ball State Football Media Guide|publisher=Ball State University |year=2007 |page=98 |url=http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/194436/2007Football.pdf;jsessionid=0B37326FBDE020AA536399711948B1E4?sequence=1|accessdate=July 10, 2020}}{{cite web|title=1987 Ball State Cardinals Schedule and Results|publisher=Sport Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|accessdate=July 10, 2020|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ball-state/1987-schedule.html}} The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
The team's statistical leaders included Wade Kosakowski with 1,477 passing yards, Bernie Parmalee with 1,064 rushing yards and 90 points scored, and Deon Chester with 838 receiving yards.{{cite web|title=1987 Ball State Cardinals Statistics|publisher=Sport Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|accessdate=July 10, 2020|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ball-state/1987.html}}
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = y
| source = y
|September 12|at|Toledo|Glass Bowl|Toledo, OH|L 17-21||
|September 19||Bowling Green|Ball State Stadium|Muncie, IN|L 0-24||
|September 26|at|Wisconsin
|October 3|at|Miami (OH)|Yager Stadium|Oxford, OH|L 20-30||
|October 10||Kent State|Ball State Stadium|Muncie, IN|W 24-23||
|October 17|at|Eastern Michigan|Rynearson Stadium|Ypsilanti, MI|L 28-35|17,201|
|October 24||Central Michigan|Ball State Stadium|Muncie, IN|W 13-3||
|October 31||Northern Illinois
|November 7|at|Western Michigan|Waldo Stadium|Kalamazoo, MI|L 16-31||
|November 14||Ohio|Ball State Stadium|Muncie, IN|W 30-17||
|November 21|vs|Indiana State
}}