1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football
All-American Bowl, L 10–14 vs. Florida
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record6–5–1 (5–2–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGene Dahlquist (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorLou Tepper (1st season)
MVPKeith Jones
Captains
  • Glenn Cobb
  • Mark McGowan
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1988 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Michigan $ 7 – 0 – 1 9 – 2 – 1
Michigan State 6 – 1 – 1 6 – 5 – 1
5 – 2 – 1 6 – 5 – 1
Iowa 4 – 1 – 3 6 – 4 – 3
No. 20 Indiana 5 – 3 – 0 8 – 3 – 1
Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Ohio State 2 – 5 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
Northwestern 2 – 5 – 1 2 – 8 – 1
Wisconsin 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
Minnesota 0 – 6 – 2 2 – 7 – 2
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach John Mackovic, the Fighting Illini compiled a 6–5–1 record (5–2–1 in conference games), tied for third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 235 to 229. They concluded the season with a loss to Florida in the 1988 All-American Bowl.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jeff George (2,257 passing yards, 57.9% completion percentage), running back Keith Jones (1,108 rushing yards, 60 points scored), and Steve Williams (38 receptions for 523 receiving yards).[2] Three Illinois players won first-team honors on the 1988 All-Big Ten Conference football team: defensive lineman Moe Gardner (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive back Glenn Cobb (AP-1, UPI-1); and linebacker Darrick Brownlow (AP-1).[3][4]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 3Washington State*
L 7–4454,458[5]
September 10at Arizona State*
L 16–2170,091[6]
September 17Utah*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 35–2454,002[7]
October 1at Ohio State
W 31–1290,274[8]
October 8Purdue
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 20–063,743[9]
October 15at Wisconsin
W 34–657,886[10]
October 22Michigan State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 21–2865,771[11]
October 29at Minnesota
T 27–2740,554[12]
November 5No. 20 Indiana
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 21–2066,201[13]
November 12at No. 13 Michigan
L 9–38105,714[14]
November 19Northwestern
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 14–942,329[15]
December 29vs. Florida*
ESPNL 10–1448,218[16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 2 Mike Bellamy Jr
QB 11 Jeff George So
RB 29 Howard Griffith So
TE 82 Frank Hartley So
RB 36 Keith Jones Sr
C 53 Tim Scully So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 96 Mel Agee So
LB 48 Darrick Brownlow So
DT 95 Moe Gardner So
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "1988 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "1988 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  3. ^ "AP All-Big Ten". Detroit Free Press. November 30, 1988. p. 5D.
  4. ^ "Michigan puts seven on all-Big Ten". The Bryan Times. November 23, 1988. p. 21.
  5. ^ "Now Illini know score". Quad-City Times. September 4, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Sun Devils hold off Illini, 21–16". Southern Illinoisan. September 11, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Delayed win tastes sweet". Quad-City Times. September 18, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Erratic Buckeyes looked 'pathetic' in loss to Illinois". The Newark Advocate. October 2, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Purdue shut down, shut out by Illinois". The Muncie Star. October 9, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Six means defest for 0–6 Wisconsin". Leader-Telegram. October 16, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Loss brings Illini back to earth". Herald and Review. October 23, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Late FG lets Illini tie Gophers". The Rock Island Argus. October 30, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "By George, Illini rally past Indiana". The Ann Arbor News. November 6, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Michigan tramples Illinois to clinch spot in Rose Bowl". The Des Moines Register. November 13, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Illini Primous makes 'All-American' plays". The Pantagraph. November 20, 1988. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Smith's TDs lift Gators". Birmingham Post-Herald. December 30, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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