1988 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1988 Syracuse Orangemen football
Hall of Fame Bowl champion
Hall of Fame Bowl, W 23–10 vs. LSU
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 13
Record	10–2
Head coach	Dick MacPherson (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	George DeLeone (2nd season)
Captains	Daryl Johnston Markus Paul [1]
Home stadium	Carrier Dome
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 Major eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 West Virginia $	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 13 Syracuse	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Pittsburgh	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Temple	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Rutgers	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Penn State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Boston College	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1988 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
No. 2 Miami (FL)		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 West Virginia		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Syracuse		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Louisville		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Akron		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Penn State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Boston College		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University an independent during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Dick MacPherson, the Orangemen compiled a record of 10–2. Syracuse was invited to the Hall of Fame Bowl, where the Orangemen defeated LSU. The team played home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Temple		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 31–21	41,727	[2]
September 10	at Ohio State		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 9–26	89,768	[3]
September 24	Virginia Tech		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 35–0	41,118	[4]
October 1	Maryland		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 20–9	45,197	[5]
October 8	Rutgers		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 34–20	48,798	[6]
October 15	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	W 24–10	85,916	[7]
October 22	at East Carolina	No. 19	Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	W 38–14	16,450	[8]
November 5	Navy	No. 16	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 49–21	49,784	[9]
November 12	at Boston College	No. 15	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 45–20	32,000	[10]
November 19	at No. 4 West Virginia	No. 14	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	L 9–31	65,127	[11]
December 3	Pittsburgh	No. 18	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	W 24–7	49,860	[12]
January 2	vs. No. 16 LSU	No. 17	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL (Hall of Fame Bowl)	W 23–10	51,112	[13]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

Roster

1988 Syracuse Orangemen football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 36 Robert Drummond Sr RB 32 Daryl Johnston Sr QB 5 Todd Philcox Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB David Bavaro Jr DT Fred DeRiggi Jr DB 10 Markus Paul Sr LB 90 Terry Wooden Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Dick MacPherson Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. 2017 Syracuse football media guide pg. 150
2. "Syracuse tips Temple, 31–21". Democrat and Chronicle. September 4, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "89,768 watch Ohio St. end Syracuse's streak". Star Tribune. September 11, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Syracuse pounds Virginia Tech 35–0". Bristol Herald Courier. September 25, 1988. Retrieved February 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Syracuse overtakes Maryland". The Roanoke Times & World-News. October 2, 1988. Retrieved February 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Syracuse bops Rutgers". The Post-Star. October 9, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Orange skip past blundering Lions". Centre Daily Times. October 16, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Orange avoid letdown, roll over East Carolina, 38–14". Star-Gazette. October 23, 1988. Retrieved March 5, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "SU mauls Navy, 49–21". Democrat and Chronicle. November 6, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Hall of Fame beckons SU". Press and Sun-Bulletin. November 13, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "W. Virginia ends perfect season". The Tampa Tribune. November 20, 1988. Retrieved February 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Syracuse tops Pitt". The Journal News. December 4, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Syracuse gains fame in win over LSU". Courier-Post. January 3, 1989. Retrieved November 11, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1988 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2017.