1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
American college football season
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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]
- John Mackovic (1st season)
| 1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
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All-American Bowl, L 10–14 vs. Florida | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 6–5–1 (5–2–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Gene Dahlquist (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Lou Tepper (1st season) |
| MVP | Keith Jones |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Michigan $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
| Date | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 3 | Washington State* | L 7–44 | 54,458 | [5] | ||
| September 10 | at Arizona State* | L 16–21 | 70,091 | [6] | ||
| September 17 | Utah* |
| W 35–24 | 54,002 | [7] | |
| October 1 | at Ohio State | W 31–12 | 90,274 | [8] | ||
| October 8 | Purdue |
| W 20–0 | 63,743 | [9] | |
| October 15 | at Wisconsin | W 34–6 | 57,886 | [10] | ||
| October 22 | Michigan State |
| L 21–28 | 65,771 | [11] | |
| October 29 | at Minnesota | T 27–27 | 40,554 | [12] | ||
| November 5 | No. 20 Indiana |
| W 21–20 | 66,201 | [13] | |
| November 12 | at No. 13 Michigan | L 9–38 | 105,714 | [14] | ||
| November 19 | Northwestern |
| W 14–9 | 42,329 | [15] | |
| December 29 | vs. Florida* | ESPN | L 10–14 | 48,218 | [16] | |
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Roster
| 1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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