1988 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

1988 Northern Iowa Panthers football
Conference	Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	5–6 (3–3 GCAC)
Head coach	Earle Bruce (1st season)
Home stadium	UNI-Dome
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Western Illinois $^	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Southwest Missouri State	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Indiana State	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Northern Iowa	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Eastern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Southern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1988 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Earle Bruce in his first and only season as head coach, Panthers compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the GCAC. Northern Iowa played home games at UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	7:30 p.m.	at Pittsburgh *	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	L 10–59	35,755	[1]
September 17	7:00 p.m.	Morgan State *	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 59–14	9,607	[2]
September 24	7:00 p.m.	Southwest Missouri State	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	L 9–28	10,734	[3]
October 1	1:30 p.m.	No. 4 Western Illinois	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	L 27–28	12,321	[4]
October 8	1:00 p.m.	at Iowa State *	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA	L 17–20	46,219	[5]
October 15	1:30 p.m.	at Illinois State	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	W 34–7	7,709	[6]
October 22	2:00 p.m.	at Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	W 17–15	9,677	[7]
October 29	7:00 p.m.	Indiana State	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	L 6–24	14,920	[8]
November 3	7:00 p.m.	at Northern Arizona *	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	L 12–25	11,545	[9]
November 12	7:00 p.m.	Wayne State (NE) *	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 77–0	9,808	[10]
November 19	1:30 p.m.	at Southern Illinois	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 24–21	2,500	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^{[12] [13]}

References

1. "Pitt romps 59–10 over Northern Iowa". Sunday News. September 4, 1988. Retrieved January 4, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "UNI makes Bruce feel at home, 59–14". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. September 18, 1988. Retrieved September 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "SW Missouri State tops Northern Iowa". Omaha World-Herald. September 25, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. Denney, Bob (October 2, 1988). "Dropped 2-point conversion hangs loss on UNI". The Gazette . p. 5B. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Late touchdown saves Cyclone win over N. Iowa". The Salina Journal. October 9, 1988. Retrieved January 4, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "UNI breezes to 34–7 romp to end slide". The Des Moines Register. October 16, 1988. Retrieved January 4, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Panthers put end to O'Brien jinx, 17–15". The Courier. October 23, 1988. Retrieved January 4, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Indiana State hands UNI 24–6 defeat". The Des Moines Register. October 30, 1988. Retrieved January 4, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Losing season guaranteed by UNI's loss". The Des Moines Register. November 5, 1988. Retrieved December 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Northern Iowa 77, Wayne State 0". Omaha World-Herald. November 13, 1988. Retrieved January 4, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. McCool, Dan (November 20, 1988). "UNI rallies to victory at S. Illinois". Des Moines Register . p. 8D. Retrieved January 1, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1988 Football Schedule". University of Northern Iowa Athletics.
13. "1988 Northern Iowa Football" . Retrieved June 1, 2024.