The 1988 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Cowboys' 93rd season and they competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The team was led by head coach Paul Roach, in his second year, and played their home games at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. The Cowboys won the first 10 games of the season, with an average margin of victory of 30 points, claiming the WAC championship with an undefeated 8–0 record, and reaching a #10 ranking in the national AP poll.[1] However, the season ended with two disastrous losses in the last three games, including a 62–14 rout by Oklahoma State (led by Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders) in the Holiday Bowl. The Cowboys offense scored 511 points, while the defense allowed 280 points.
| 1988 Wyoming Cowboys football | |
|---|---|
WAC champion | |
Holiday Bowl, L 14–62 vs. Oklahoma State | |
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 20 |
| Record | 11–2 (8–0 WAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Joe Tiller (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | War Memorial Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawaii | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | BYU | W 24–14 | 28,847 | |||||
| September 8 | at Louisville* | W 44–9 | 29,105 | |||||
| September 17 | Louisiana Tech* |
| W 38–6 | 18,128 | [2] | |||
| September 24 | at Air Force | W 48–45 | ||||||
| October 1 | Cal State Fullerton* | No. 18 |
| W 35–16 | 22,143 | [3] | ||
| October 8 | at San Diego State | No. 16 | W 55–27 | 20,386 | [4] | |||
| October 15 | New Mexico | No. 14 |
| W 55–7 | ||||
| October 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Utah | No. 12 |
| W 61–18 | 20,800 | ||
| October 29 | at Colorado State | No. 10 | W 48–14 | 26,017 | ||||
| November 5 | UTEP | No. 10 |
| W 51–6 | 32,210 | |||
| November 12 | at Houston* | No. 10 | ESPN | L 10–34 | 28,947 | |||
| November 19 | at Hawaii | No. 16 | W 28–22 | 43,177 | ||||
| December 30 | vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State | No. 15 |
| ESPN | L 14–62 | 60,641 | ||
| ||||||||
- Reference:[5]
1989 NFL Draft
editThe following were selected in the 1989 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL team |
| Eric Coleman | Defensive back | 2 | 43 | New England Patriots |
| David Edeen | Defensive end | 5 | 128 | Arizona Cardinals |
| Pat Rabold | Defensive tackle | 9 | 249 | Buffalo Bills |
References
edit- ^ "Sports Reference: 1988 Wyoming Cowboys football". Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ "Cowboys rout Louisiana Tech". Casper Star-Tribune. September 18, 1988. Retrieved July 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Robyn Norwood (October 2, 1988). "Wyoming Shakes Off CS Fullerton, 35-16". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-20. Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Curt Holbreich (October 9, 1988). "Aztecs Are Helpless; Cowboys Win 55-27". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "University of Wyoming – 1988". College Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ "1989 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
