1988 Southwest Missouri State Bears football team

1988 Southwest Missouri State Bears football
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Record	5–5 (4–2 GFC)
Head coach	Jesse Branch (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Dave Wommack (3rd season)
Home stadium	Briggs Stadium
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 Southwest Missouri State Bears football team represented Southwest Missouri State University (now known as Missouri State University) as a member of the Gateway Football Conference (GFC) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Jesse Branch, the Bears compiled an overall record of 5–5, with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished tied for second in the GFC.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3		at No. 18 Northwestern State *	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	L 8–24		[1]
September 10		Missouri Southern *	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 56–12		[2]
September 17		No. 12 Western Illinois	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	L 31–35	7,655	[3]
September 24	7:00 p.m.	at Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 28–9	10,734	[4]
October 1	1:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois *	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	L 3–17	14,127	[5]
October 8		at Indiana State	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	L 24–27		[6]
October 15		at No. 8 Western Kentucky *	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	L 14–21	8,059	[7]
October 29		Eastern Illinois	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 41–21		[8]
November 5		Southern Illinois	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 28–24	3,030	[9]
November 12		at Illinois State	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	W 21–10	9,125	[10]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[11]

References

1. "SMS finds there's no southern hospitality in football". The Springfield News-Leader. September 4, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "SMS mauls Mo. Southern in 56–12 win". The Springfield News-Leader. September 11, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Western Illinois rally stops Southwest Missouri". The Kansas City Star. September 18, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "SW Missouri State tops Northern Iowa". Omaha World-Herald. September 25, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Northern's goal-line stand turns off SW Missouri". Chicago Tribune. October 2, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Indiana State rallies to head off SMS 27–24". The Springfield News-Leader. October 9, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bacon sizzles in Western's 21–14 win". The Courier-Journal. October 16, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "SMS holds tight, beats EIU 41–21". The Springfield News-Leader. October 30, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Bears use a hot passing attack to beat Salukis". Southern Illinoisan. November 6, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "ISU ends frustrating season with 21–10 loss". The Pantagraph. November 13, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Missouri State Football 2023 Media Guide" (PDF). Missouri State University Athletics. p. 65. Retrieved July 2, 2024.