1988 Oklahoma Sooners football team

1988 Oklahoma Sooners football
Florida Citrus Bowl, L 6–13 vs. Clemson
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 14
AP	No. 14
Record	9–3 (6–1 Big 8)
Head coach	Barry Switzer (16th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Donnan (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Wishbone
Defensive coordinator	Gary Gibbs (8th season)
Base defense	5–2
Captains	Scott Garl Jamelle Holieway Anthony Phillips Anthony Stafford
Home stadium	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Nebraska $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Oklahoma	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 11 Oklahoma State	5	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Colorado	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Missouri	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Kansas	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Kansas State	0	–	7	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference. The Sooners were led by Barry Switzer in his sixteenth and final season as head coach.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	4:00 p.m.	at North Carolina *	No. 4	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	W 28–0	53,675	[1]
September 17	1:30 p.m.	Arizona *	No. 4	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		W 28–10	75,004
September 24	2:30 p.m.	at No. 5 USC *	No. 3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	ABC	L 7–23	86,124
October 1	1:30 p.m.	Iowa State	No. 10	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		W 35–7	75,004
October 8	1:30 p.m.	vs. Texas *	No. 10	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Red River Shootout)	CBS	W 28–13	75,587
October 15	1:30 p.m.	Kansas State	No. 9	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		W 70–24	73,800
October 22	7:00 p.m.	at Colorado	No. 8	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	ESPN	W 17–14	49,716
October 29	1:30 p.m.	Kansas	No. 8	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	PPV	W 63–14	75,004
November 5	3:30 p.m.	at No. 12 Oklahoma State	No. 8	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK (Bedlam Series)	ESPN	W 31–28	50,440
November 12	1:30 p.m.	at Missouri	No. 8	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (rivalry)	PPV	W 16–7	40,704
November 19	2:30 p.m.	No. 7 Nebraska	No. 9	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)	CBS	L 3–7	75,004
January 2, 1989	12:30 p.m.	vs. No. 13 Clemson *	No. 10	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Florida Citrus Bowl)	ABC	L 6–13	53,571	[2]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^{[3] [4]}

Rankings

See also: 1988 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	3 (2)	3 (1)	4 (1)	3 (1)	3 (3)	10	10	9	8	8	8	8	9	10	10	10	14
Coaches Poll	2 (4)	2 (4)	4	3	3	10	10	9	8	8	7	8	8	11	10	10	14

Game summaries

At North Carolina

#4 Oklahoma Sooners (0–0) at North Carolina Tar Heels (0–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	14	7	7	0	28
North Carolina	0	0	0	0	0

at Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: September 10, 1988
• Game attendance: 53,675
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler
• ^[5]

^[6]

External videos
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Jamelle Holieway	2/3, 61 Yds
	Rushing	Anthony Stafford	12 Rush, 88 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Eric Bross	3 Rec, 72 Yds
North Carolina	Passing	Deems May	9/19, 87 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Jonathan Hall	10 Rush, 44 Yds
	Receiving	Randy Marriott	4 Rec, 64 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP OU UNC 1 Oklahoma Leon Perry 2-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 0 1 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 8-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 0 2 Oklahoma Anthony Stafford 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 21 0 3 Oklahoma Jamelle Holieway 4-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 28 0 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 28 0

Arizona

Arizona Wildcats (1–0) at #4 Oklahoma Sooners (1–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Arizona	3	0	7	0	10
Oklahoma	7	7	7	7	28

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: September 17, 1988
• Game attendance: 75,004

Game information

First quarter UA – Doug Pfaff 38-yard field goal. Arizona 3–0. OU – Leon Perry 1-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 7–3. Second quarter OU – Jamelle Holieway 5-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 14–3. Third quarter UA – Mario Hampton 9-yard run (Doug Pfaff kick). Oklahoma 14–10. OU – Eric Bross 43-yard pass from Jamelle Holieway (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 21–10. Fourth quarter OU – Anthony Stafford 5-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 28–10. Top passers UA – Bobby Watters – 11/25, 124 yards, 2 INT OU – Jamelle Holieway – 3/7, 73 yards, TD Top rushers UA – Reggie McGill – 2 rushes, 50 yards OU – Jamelle Holieway – 17 rushes, 75 yards, TD Top receivers UA – Art Greathouse – 4 receptions, 30 yards OU – Eric Bross – 1 reception, 43 yards, TD

^{[7] [8]}

At USC

#3 Oklahoma Sooners (2–0) at #5 USC Trojans (2–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	0	0	7	0	7
USC	7	13	0	3	23

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

• Date: September 24, 1988
• Game attendance: 86,124
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Bob Griese

Game information

First quarter USC – Aaron Emanuel 5-yard run (Quin Rodriguez kick). USC 7–0. Second quarter USC – Quin Rodriguez 33-yard field goal. USC 10–0. USC – Aaron Emanuel 6-yard run (Quin Rodriguez kick). USC 17–0. USC – Quin Rodriguez 23-yard field goal. USC 20–0. Third quarter OU – Leon Perry 2-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). USC 20–7. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards. Fourth quarter USC – Quin Rodriguez 25-yard field goal. USC 23–7. Top passers OU – Jamelle Holieway – 4/9, 96 yards, INT USC – Rodney Peete – 16/34, 198 yards, INT Top rushers OU – Anthony Stafford – 9 rushes, 28 yards USC – Aaron Emanuel – 10 rushes, 46 yards, 2 TD Top receivers OU – Eric Bross – 4 receptions, 84 yards USC – Erik Affholter – 8 receptions, 94 yards

^{[9] [10] [11]}

External videos
Full game
Game highlights

Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones (1–2) at #10 Oklahoma Sooners (2–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Iowa St	0	7	0	0	7
Oklahoma	14	7	14	0	35

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: October 1, 1988
• Game attendance: 75,004

Game information

First quarter OU – Anthony Stafford 10-yard run (pass failed). Oklahoma 6–0. OU – Rotnei Anderson 5-yard run (run good). Oklahoma 14–0. Second quarter ISU – Mike Busch 2-yard pass from Brent Oberg (Jeff Shudak kick). Oklahoma 14–7. OU – Carl Cabbiness 12-yard pass from Jamelle Holieway (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 21–7. Third quarter OU – Eric Bross 13-yard pass from Jamelle Holieway (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 28–7. OU – Leon Perry 25-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 35–7. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers ISU – Brent Oberg – 10/17, 68 yards, TD OU – Jamelle Holieway – 5/5, 113 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ISU – Joe Henderson – 26 rushes, 75 yards OU – Charles Thompson – 9 rushes, 85 yards Top receivers ISU – Eddie Brown – 2 receptions, 43 yards OU – Eric Bross – 2 receptions, 43 yards, TD

^{[12] [13]}

Vs. Texas

See also: Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry

#10 Oklahoma Sooners (3–1) vs. Texas Longhorns (3–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Texas	0	0	7	6	13
Oklahoma	6	8	7	7	28

at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas

• Date: October 8, 1988
• Game time: 1:45 p.m.
• Game weather: Light rain, 57 °F (14 °C)
• Game attendance: 75,587
• Referee: Sam Maphis
• Box Score, Box Score

Jamelle Holieway left in first quarter with sprained right ankle following Oklahoma's first score. ^[14]

Texas is just horrible.

Kert Kasper, pregame

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas	Passing	Shannon Kelley	22/35, 198 Yds, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Eric Metcalf	15 Rush, 89 Yds
	Receiving	Kerry Cash	2 Rec, 99 Yds
Oklahoma	Passing
	Rushing	Leon Perry	18 Rush, 118 Yds, TD
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP UT OU 1 2:06 Oklahoma Leon Perry 2-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick no good (blocked) 0 6 2 10:28 2 92 Oklahoma Anthony Stafford 86-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good 0 14 3 9:17 11 70 Texas Eric Metcalf 4-yard touchdown reception from Shannon Kelley, Wayne Clements kick good 7 14 3 6:24 Oklahoma Interception returned 26 yards for touchdown by Kert Kasper, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 21 4 14:47 Texas 48-yard field goal by Wayne Clements 10 21 4 9:52 Texas 34-yard field goal by Wayne Clements 13 21 4 6:53 81 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 8-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 13 28 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 28

Kansas State

Kansas State Wildcats (0–5) at #9 Oklahoma Sooners (6–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kansas St	0	0	7	17	24
Oklahoma	35	14	7	14	70

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: October 15, 1988
• Game attendance: 75,004
• Box Score

Oklahoma set single game NCAA rushing record (768) ^[15]

External videos
Game highlights (Oklahoma Football Show)

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas St	Passing	Carl Straw	27/42, 336 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tom Dillon	6 Rush, 57 Yds
	Receiving	Greg Washington	8 Rec, 146 Yds, 2 TD
Oklahoma	Passing	Jamelle Holieway	5/9, 58 Yds, TD, INT
	Rushing	Eric Mitchel	6 Rush, 161 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Leon Perry	2 Rec, 33 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP KSU OU 1 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 11-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 7 1 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 5-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 14 1 Oklahoma Adrian Cooper 3-yard touchdown reception from Charles Thompson, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 21 1 Oklahoma Mike Gaddis 53-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 28 1 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 77-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 35 2 Oklahoma Leon Perry 16-yard touchdown reception from Jamelle Holieway, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 42 2 Oklahoma Rotnei Anderson 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 49 3 Kansas St Greg Washington 6-yard touchdown reception from Carl Straw, Mark Porter kick good 7 49 3 Oklahoma Eric Mitchel 85-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 56 4 Kansas St Greg Washington 89-yard touchdown reception from Carl Straw, Mark Porter kick good 14 56 4 Oklahoma Eric Mitchel 47-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 63 4 Kansas St 53-yard field goal by Mark Porter 17 63 4 Kansas St Frank Hernandez 9-yard touchdown reception from Carl Straw, Mark Porter kick good 24 63 4 Oklahoma Muti 34-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 24 70 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 70

At Colorado

#8 Oklahoma Sooners (5–1) at Colorado Buffaloes (5–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	7	7	0	3	17
Colorado	6	8	0	0	14

at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado

• Date: October 22, 1989
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 49,716
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler
• ^[16]

^{[17] [18]}

External videos
Full game

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP OU CU 1 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 11-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 0 1 Colorado 35-yard field goal by Ken Culbertson 7 3 1 Colorado 26-yard field goal by Ken Culbertson 7 6 2 Colorado Eric Bieniemy 24-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good 7 14 2 Oklahoma Anthony Stafford 2-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 14 4 8:15 14 71 Oklahoma 22-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar 17 14 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 14

Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks (0–7) at #8 Oklahoma Sooners (6–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kansas	14	0	0	0	14
Oklahoma	14	7	14	28	63

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: October 29, 1988
• Game attendance: 74,004
• ^[19]

Jamelle Holieway set school record for career total yardage. ^[20]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas	Passing	Kelly Donohoe	13/24, 260 Yds, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Tony Sands	8 Rush, 34 Yds
	Receiving	Willie Vaughn	5 Rec, 161 Yds, TD
Oklahoma	Passing	Jamelle Holieway	7/7, 104 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Charles Thompson	14 Rush, 118 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Artie Guess	3 Rec, 49 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP KU OU 1 Oklahoma Damon Stell 9-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 0 7 1 9 80 Kansas Roger Robben 1-yard touchdown run, Brad Fleeman kick good 7 7 1 10 61 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 14 1 1 80 Kansas Willie Vaughn 80-yard touchdown reception from Kelly Donohoe, Brad Fleeman kick good 14 14 2 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 21 3 Oklahoma Eric Mitchel 24-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 28 3 Oklahoma Jamelle Holieway 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 35 4 Oklahoma Interception returned 80 yards for touchdown by Scott Garl, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 42 4 Oklahoma Fumble recovery in end zone by Glyn Milburn, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 49 4 Oklahoma Artie Guess 21-yard touchdown reception from Jamelle Holieway, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 56 4 Oklahoma Glen Bell 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 63 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 63

At Oklahoma State

See also: Bedlam Series

#8 Oklahoma Sooners (7–1) at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (8–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	21	3	0	7	31
Oklahoma St	7	7	0	14	28

at Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma

• Date: November 5, 1988
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 58 °F (14 °C)
• Game attendance: 50,440
• TV announcers (ESPN): Roger Twibell and Lee Corso
• ^[21]

Oklahoma State's Brent Parker dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone with 43 seconds left. ^[22]

External videos
Full game
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Charles Thompson	2/5, 24 Yds
	Rushing	Mike Gaddis	18 Rush, 213 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Leon Perry	1 Rec, 17 Yds
Oklahoma St	Passing	Mike Gundy	18/28, 228 Yds, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Barry Sanders	39 Rush, 215 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Hart Lee Dykes	9 Rec, 122 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP OU OSU 1 Oklahoma Mike Gaddis 13-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 0 1 1 44 0:07 Oklahoma Mike Gaddis 44-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 14 0 1 6:52 Oklahoma St Mike Gundy 4-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good 14 7 1 11 80 4:17 Oklahoma Leon Perry 7-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 21 7 2 8 89 3:48 Oklahoma St Hart Lee Dykes 2-yard touchdown reception from Mike Gundy, Cary Blanchard kick good 21 14 2 2:08 Oklahoma 27-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar 24 14 4 13:37 Oklahoma St Barry Sanders 1-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good 24 21 4 8:45 8 72 3:12 Oklahoma St Barry Sanders 1-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good 24 28 4 2:33 13 80 6:12 Oklahoma Charles Thompson 18-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good 31 28 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 31 28

At Missouri

See also: Missouri–Oklahoma football rivalry

#8 Oklahoma Sooners (8–1) at Missouri Tigers (2–6–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	10	6	0	0	16
Missouri	0	0	7	0	7

at Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri

• Date: November 12, 1988
• Game attendance: 40,704
• Box Score

Oklahoma's 30th straight conference victory ^[23]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Charles Thompson	1/4, 8 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Charles Thompson	26 Rush, 118 Yds
	Receiving	Eric Bross	1 Rec, 8 Yds, TD
Missouri	Passing	Brad Fitzmaurice	11/23, 160 Yds, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tommie Stowers	20 Rush, 83 Yds
	Receiving	Craig Lammers	6 Rec, 75 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP OU MU 1 Oklahoma Eric Bross 8-yard touchdown reception from Charles Thompson, R.D. Lashar kick good 7 0 1 Oklahoma 25-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar 10 0 2 Oklahoma Anthony Stafford 1-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick no good (blocked) 16 0 4 Missouri Craig Lammers 12-yard touchdown reception from Brad Fitzmaurice, Jeff Jacke kick good 16 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 7

Nebraska

See also: Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry

#7 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10–1) at #9 Oklahoma Sooners (9–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Nebraska	7	0	0	0	7
Oklahoma	0	0	3	0	3

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: November 19, 1988
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Rain
• Game attendance: 75,004
• TV announcers (CBS): Brent Musburger
• Box Score, Box Score

Charles Thompson broke his leg on Oklahoma's final offensive play of the game.

^[24]

External videos
Full game
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Steve Taylor	2/12, 48 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Ken Clark	24 Rush, 167 Yds
	Receiving	Richard Bell	2 Rec, 48 Yds
Oklahoma	Passing	Charles Thompson	3/9, 39 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Mike Gaddis	12 Rush, 45 Yds
	Receiving	Artie Guess	1 Rec, 28 Yds

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NU OU 1 11:06 9 80 Nebraska Steve Taylor 1-yard touchdown run, Gregg Berrios kick good 7 0 3 1:50 6 19 Oklahoma 29-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar 7 3 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 3

Florida Citrus Bowl (vs. Clemson)

Main article: 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl

Florida Citrus Bowl: #13 Clemson Tigers (9–2) vs. #10 Oklahoma Sooners (9–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Clemson	0	6	0	7	13
Oklahoma	3	0	3	0	6

at Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida

• Date: January 2, 1989
• Game weather: Sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)
• Game attendance: 53,571
• Referee: Dick Burleson
• Box Score

Jamelle Holieway made the start in his final collegiate game. ^{[25] [26]}

External videos
Full game
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Clemson	Passing	Rodney Williams	5/11
	Rushing	Terry Allen	53 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Terry Allen	4 Rec, 47 Yds
Oklahoma	Passing
	Rushing	Mike Gaddis	12 Rush, 37 YDs
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CLEM OU 1 11 25 5:06 Oklahoma 35-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar 0 3 2 10 49 5:05 Clemson 20-yard field goal by Chris Gardocki 3 3 2 Clemson 46-yard field goal by Chris Gardocki 6 3 3 2:17 Oklahoma 30-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar 6 6 4 10:28 15 80 6:49 Clemson Terry Allen 4-yard touchdown run, Chris Gardocki kick good 13 6 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 6

Personnel

1988 Oklahoma Sooners football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class SO 12 J. J. Agee So RB 28 Rotnei Anderson  Sr RB 20 Glen Bell G 66 Brian Brauninger So WR 36 Eric Bross Jr WR 83 Carl Cabbiness Sr WR 16 Chris Cabbiness So QB 10 Steve Collins Fr WR Adrian Cooper RB Rod Fisher RB 32 Mike Gaddis RFr WR Artie Guess QB 4 Jamelle Holieway  (C) Sr OL Terron Manning OL Larry Medice RB 5 Glyn Milburn Fr RB Eric Mitchel RB Leon Perry G 68 Anthony Phillips  (C)  Sr FB 33 Kenyon Rasheed Fr OL Mike Sawatzky RB Don Smitherman RB 25 Anthony Stafford (C) Sr RB Damon Stell QB 6 Charles Thompson  So OT 76 Mark Van Keirsblick Jr OL Mike Wise	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL Tom Backes LB 40 Reggie Barnes Fr DB 27 Jason Belser Fr LB Frank Blevins LB 45 Joe Bowden Fr DE 43 Adrian Cooper  So DL Wayne Dickson DT 77 Stacey Dillard  So DL Scott Evans DB 49 Scott Garl (C) Sr DL James Goode NG 71 Harold Jones So LB 46 Kert Kaspar Sr DE 52 Corey Mayfield Fr DB Kern McMichel DB Jerry Parks DB 4 Terry Ray Fr DB 22 Kevin Thompson Jr NG 96 Andre Williams Jr LB 30 Chris Wilson  Fr DT 93 Curtice Williams Sr NG 98 Dante Williams Jr NG 99 Tony Woods Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 13 R.D. Lashar So P 91 Todd Thomsen Sr	Head coach Barry Switzer Coordinators/assistant coaches Jim Donnan (OC) Gary Gibbs (DC) Scott Hill Merv Johnson (OL) Mike Jones Charley North Bobby Proctor Charlie Sadler (DL) Lucious Selmon (OLB & DE) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Awards

DT Scott Evans

• All-Big Eight

DB Scott Garl

• All-Big Eight

OG Anthony Phillips

• consensus All-American
• NCAA Top Six Award

QB Charles Thompson

• All-Big Eight

DT Curtice Williams

• All-Big Eight

NG Tony Woods

• All-Big Eight

^[27]

After the season

Barry Switzer resigns

Following the season, the Sooners were placed on probation by the NCAA due to several incidents that occurred within the program. ^[28] Switzer, his staff, and Oklahoma boosters were found to have been making illegal payments to several players. ^[29] In particular, Oklahoma booster Bill Lambert was found to have illegally paid 100 to 150 players while recruiting coordinator Shirley Vaughn paid several dozen players through a ticket scalping scheme. ^{[30] [31]} Players from the Sooners' 1985 championship team also openly admitted to accepting illegal payments while playing at Oklahoma as part of the investigation. ^{[32] [33] [34]} The Sooners were placed on probation for three years, were banned from bowl games for two years, and could not appear on live television for the 1989 season, along with recruiting restrictions. ^[35] Oklahoma would also receive the death penalty if any of its programs were to commit any violations in any sport over the next five years. ^[36]

In addition to recruting violations and the NCAA investigation, the Sooners garnered more controversy due to off-field incidents involving players. During Switzer's tenure, players had been arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and rape. ^[37] On February 13, 1989, quarterback Charles Thompson was arrested for attempting to solicet cocaine from an undercover FBI agent. ^[38] On June 19, 1989, Barry Switzer resigned as the Sooners' head coach; at the time Switzer said he resigned willingly but later it was revealed that he was forced to resign. ^[39]

NFL Draft

The following players were selected in the 1989 NFL draft following the season. ^{[40] [41]}

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
6	152	Anthony Stafford	Wide receiver	Denver Broncos
6	165	Eric Mitchell	Running back	New England Patriots
8	216	Tony Woods	Defensive back	Chicago Bears
12	333	Anthony Phillips	Guard	Chicago Bears

References

1. "Oklahoma cruises past North Carolina 28–0". Winston-Salem Journal. September 11, 1988. Retrieved February 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Sooners cut off at the pass". The Orlando Sentinel. January 3, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "1980s". University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
4. 2011 Oklahoma football supplement
5. SoonerStats.com Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2015-Oct-21.
6. Gainesville Sun. 1988 11 Sep. Retrieved 2022-Dec-27.
7. SoonerStats.com Archived 2016-10-26 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2015-Oct-23.
8. Gainesville Sun. 1988 Sep 18. Retrieved 2017-Aug-27.
9. "Oklahoma Feels Crunch of U.S.C." The New York Times . September 25, 1988. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
10. SoonerStats.com - 1988 Oklahoma at USC
11. Gainesville Sun. p. 10C. 1988 Sep 25. Retrieved 2022-Dec-16.
12. SoonerStats.com Archived 2016-08-31 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2015-Nov-06.
13. Gainesville Sun. 1988 Oct 02. pg. 6C. Retrieved 2022-Dec-17.
14. Sally Jenkins (October 9, 1988). "Oklahoma Runs Down Texas Fourth Time In Row, 28-13". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
15. "Oklahoma collects record runaround." Gainesville Sun. pg. 4C. 1988 Oct 16. Retrieved 2022-Dec-19.
16. "1988 Oklahoma at Colorado box score". SoonerStats.com. 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
17. "Fourth quarter kick gives Oklahoma win." Gainesville Sun. 1989 Oct 23. Retrieved 2022-Dec-28.
18. "Oklahoma 17, Colorado 14." Eugene Register-Guard. 1989 Oct 23. Retrieved 2022-Dec-28.
19. "1988 Oklahoma vs. Kansas". SoonerStats.com. 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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21. "1988 Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State". SoonerStats.com. 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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