1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football
All-American Bowl, L 10–14 vs. Florida
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	6–5–1 (5–2–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	John Mackovic (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Gene Dahlquist (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Lou Tepper (1st season)
MVP	Keith Jones
Captains	Glenn Cobb Mark McGowan
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	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
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
$ – 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

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Washington State *	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		L 7–44	54,458	[5]
September 10	at Arizona State *	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ		L 16–21	70,091	[6]
September 17	Utah *	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		W 35–24	54,002	[7]
October 1	at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)		W 31–12	90,274	[8]
October 8	Purdue	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)		W 20–0	63,743	[9]
October 15	at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI		W 34–6	57,886	[10]
October 22	Michigan State	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		L 21–28	65,771	[11]
October 29	at Minnesota	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		T 27–27	40,554	[12]
November 5	No. 20 Indiana	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)		W 21–20	66,201	[13]
November 12	at No. 13 Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)		L 9–38	105,714	[14]
November 19	Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)		W 14–9	42,329	[15]
December 29	vs. Florida *	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (All-American Bowl)	ESPN	L 10–14	48,218	[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 John Mackovic Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured 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.