1988 Idaho Vandals football team

Last updated

1988 Idaho Vandals football
Idaho Vandals logo.svg
Big Sky champion
Conference Big Sky Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo.  1 (Nov 22)
Record11–2 (7–1 Big Sky)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBill Diedrick (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorBarry Lamb (2nd season)
Home stadium Kibbie Dome
Seasons
  1987
1989  
1988 Big Sky Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Idaho $^ 7 1 011 2 0
No. 16 Montana ^ 6 2 08 4 0
No. 12 Boise State ^ 5 3 08 4 0
Nevada 4 4 07 4 0
Northern Arizona 4 4 06 5 0
Weber State 4 4 05 6 0
Montana State 4 4 04 7 0
Eastern Washington 2 6 02 8 0
Idaho State 0 8 00 11 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll

The 1988 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by third-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

Contents

The Vandals won their third conference title in four seasons, and made the I-AA playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Led by redshirt junior quarterback John Friesz, Idaho finished the regular season at 9–1 and 7–1 in the Big Sky. [1] [2] [3] The Vandals scheduled only ten regular season games for the first time since 1969; [4] Idaho played only ten regular season games again in 1995, their final year in the Big Sky.

The shortened regular season was beneficial in 1988, as the Vandals played three post-season games, falling on the road in the national semifinals in Gilbertson's final game as the Vandals' head coach. He left for an assistant's position in the Pac-10 in Seattle, as offensive line coach under head coach Don James at Washington.

Notable games

Following a sole loss on the road to conference rival Montana, Idaho won its final seven games of the regular season. The Vandals defeated Nevada for a second consecutive year, [5] only the third time in the eleven meetings since the Wolf Pack joined the Big Sky in 1979. The Vandals defeated rival Boise State for the seventh consecutive year, [2] [3] the seventh of twelve straight over the Broncos. Idaho entered the post-season with the top ranking in Division I-AA. [6] [7]

Division I-AA playoffs

For the fourth consecutive season, Idaho returned to the I-AA playoffs. In the first round, the Vandals hosted conference foe Montana, who had handed the Vandals their only defeat. The Vandals won the rematch 38–19 at the Kibbie Dome two days after Thanksgiving. [8] [9] Idaho also hosted in the quarterfinals, and defeated Northwestern State (La.) 38–30, but lost quarterback John Friesz with an ankle sprain in the third quarter. [10]

In the semifinals Idaho was eliminated 38–7 on the road at Furman in Greenville, South Carolina, ending the Vandals' season at 11–2. With their third-string quarterback and many other reserves playing against the top-ranked defense in Division I-AA, the Vandals were only down 10–0 at the half, but the score mounted to 38–0 before the Vandals scored. The Vandal defense gave up 320 rushing yards to the Paladins. [11] Furman went on to win the I-AA title the following week.

Notable players

The 1988 team included three future NFL players with lengthy pro careers: defensive end Marvin Washington, guard Mark Schlereth, and junior John Friesz, the future collegiate hall of fame quarterback was a three-year starter (1987–89). Washington was on a basketball scholarship and this was his only season of Vandal football.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 107:00 pmNo. 2 (D-II) Portland State *No. 9W 27–1810,100
September 176:30 pmat Pacific (CA) *No. 9W 36–2613,868
September 2412:00 pmat No. 16 Montana No. 5L 17–26
October 11:30 pm Northern Arizona Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 12
  • Kibbie Dome
  • Moscow, ID
W 31–2016,100
October 87:00 pm Montana State No. 8
  • Kibbie Dome
  • Moscow, ID
W 41–249,200
October 152:00 pmat Eastern Washington No. 7W 31–226,644
October 227:00 pm Weber State No. 4
  • Kibbie Dome
  • Moscow, ID
W 27–249,500
November 51:00 pmat Nevada No. 4W 32–3116,410 [5]
November 127:00 pm Idaho State No. 2
W 41–79,200
November 191:30 pmat No. 13 Boise State No. 2W 26–2023,687 [1] [2] [3]
November 261:00 pmNo. 16 Montana*No. 1
W 38–195,500 [8] [9]
December 31:00 pmNo. 8 Northwestern State *No. 1
  • Kibbie Dome
  • Moscow, ID (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)
W 38–306,800 [12] [10]
December 1010:30 amat No. 4 Furman *No. 1
L 7–3811,645 [13] [11]

Roster

1988 Idaho Vandals football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 16Lee AllenJr
WR Kasey DunnFr
WR 7John JakeSr
QB Steve NolanSo
QB 17 John Friesz Jr
QB 15Andy BeitiaFr
RB Damon DanielsSo
RB Bruce HarrisSo
RB Devon PearceFr
TE 94Chris SlaterSr
OT 70Greg HaleSr
G 63Troy WrightJr
G 66Chris HoffSo
C 52Steve UngerJr
G 60 Mark Schlereth Sr
OT Todd NeuJr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
CB 1Richard CareySr
CB 23Charlie OliverSo
FS John PleasSr
SS Brian SmithSr
LB Jerry MedvedSr
LB Jim MedvedSr
LB 43Roger CecilSo
DE Jim RoutosSo
DT 93Mike ZellerJr
DT Kord SmithJr
DE 90 Marvin Washington Sr
DE 87 Jeff Robinson Redshirt.svg  Fr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K Thane Doyle
P John PleasSr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Bill Diedrick (OC)
  • Barry Lamb (DC)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt
Source: [10] [11] [14] [15]

All-conference

Quarterback John Friesz and tackle Greg Hale returned to the all-conference team as unanimous selections. Also on the first team were wide receiver John Jake, center Steve Unger, defensive end Marvin Washington, and safety Brian Smith. Vandals on the second team were tackle Todd Neu, guard Mark Schlereth, cornerback Richard Carey, and linebackers Roger Cecil and Jerry Medved. Honorable mention were wide receiver Lee Allen, guard Troy Wright, running back Bruce Harris, placekicker Thayne Doyle, and defensive linemen Kord Smith, Jim Routos, and Mike Zeller. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Friesz repeated as the Big Sky's outstanding offensive player, and was a first-team Kodak All-American in Division I-AA. [20] [21]

NFL Draft

Two Vandal seniors were selected in the 1989 NFL draft, which lasted twelve rounds (335 selections).

PlayerPositionRoundOverallFranchise
Marvin Washington DE 6th 151 New York Jets
Mark Schlereth G 10th 263 Washington Redskins

One Vandal junior was selected in the following year's draft in 1990, also twelve rounds (332 selections).

PlayerPositionRoundOverallFranchise
John Friesz QB 6th 138 San Diego Chargers

Related Research Articles

John Melvin "Deep" Friesz is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four teams. He played college football for the Idaho Vandals and was drafted in the 1990 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers, he later played for the Washington Redskins, the Seattle Seahawks, and the New England Patriots.

Keith Steven Gilbertson Jr. is a retired American football coach and player. He was the head coach at the University of Idaho (1986–1988), the University of California, Berkeley (1992–1995), and the University of Washington (2003–2004), compiling a career college football record of 55–51. Gilbertson retired in 2011 as a coach.

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The 1985 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by fourth-year head coach Dennis Erickson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

The 1986 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by first-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

The 1987 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by second-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

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The 1992 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1992 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by fourth-year head coach John L. Smith, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

The 1990 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals were led by second-year head coach John L. Smith, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

The 1991 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach John L. Smith, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

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References

  1. 1 2 Tatko, Mike (November 19, 1988). "Vandals, BSU play for Big Sky title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  2. 1 2 3 Tatko, Mike (November 20, 1988). "Idaho victory twice as nice". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  3. 1 2 3 Meehan, Jim (November 21, 1988). "No. 1-ranked Vandals Sky-high". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
  4. Jacobson (March 29, 1988). "Wind chill doesn't ground Vandals". Idahonian. Moscow. p. 10A.
  5. 1 2 Tatko, Mike (November 6, 1988). "Idaho pulls off magic 32-31 victory over UNR". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1D.
  6. Meehan, Jim (November 22, 1988). "Gilbertson lashes out at BSC coaches". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
  7. "Vandals enter playoffs as No. 1". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. staff and wire reports. November 22, 1988. p. 2B.
  8. 1 2 Barrows, Bob (November 27, 1988). "Shock the monkey". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  9. 1 2 Meehan, Jim (November 28, 1988). "Round two: Vandals deck Grizzlies". Idahonian. Moscow. p. 6A.
  10. 1 2 3 Meehan, Jim (December 5, 1988). "Vandals: Plenty of pain and gain". Idahonian. Moscow. p. 6A.
  11. 1 2 3 Meehan, Jim (December 12, 1988). "UI dream year ends with nightmare". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
  12. "Vandals advance, but lose Friesz, Harris". The Times-News. December 4, 1987. Retrieved February 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Furman advances to final". The Charlotte Observer. December 11, 1988. Retrieved September 18, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Idaho at Boise State: probable starting lineups". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). November 19, 1988. p. 4B.
  15. "Montana at Idaho: probable starting lineups". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). November 26, 1988. p. 4B.
  16. "All-BSC: Six Vandals make first team". Idahonian. (Moscow). staff and wire report. November 30, 1988. p. 6A.
  17. "UI's Friesz named Big Sky first-team quarterback". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). staff and wire reports. November 30, 1988. p. 1B.
  18. "Friesz and Hale unanimous picks". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 30, 1988. p. D1.
  19. "Dozen Vandals land on Big Sky all-stars". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). staff and wire reports. November 30, 1988. p. C1.
  20. "Surprised Friesz gains more awards". Idahonian. (Moscow). staff and wire reports. December 2, 1988. p. 1B.
  21. "Friesz named All-American, MVP". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. December 2, 1988. p. C1.