1988 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1988 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its 20th season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the team compiled a 9–2–1 record (7–0–1 against conference opponents), won the Big Ten championship, defeated USC in the 1989 Rose Bowl, outscored opponents by a total of 361 to 167, and was ranked No. 4 in the final AP and UPI polls.[1][2]

1988 Michigan Wolverines football
Big Ten champion Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 22–14 vs. USC
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 4
1988 record	9–2–1 (7–0–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bo Schembechler (20th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gary Moeller (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Lloyd Carr (2nd season)
MVP	Mark Messner
Captains	Mark Messner John Vitale
Home stadium	Michigan Stadium (Capacity: 101,701)

1988 Big Ten Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Michigan $	7	–	0	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
Michigan State	6	–	1	–	1			6	–	5	–	1
Illinois	5	–	2	–	1			6	–	5	–	1
Iowa	4	–	1	–	3			6	–	4	–	3
No. 20 Indiana	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	1
Purdue	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Ohio State	2	–	5	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Northwestern	2	–	5	–	1			2	–	8	–	1
Wisconsin	1	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Minnesota	0	–	6	–	2			2	–	7	–	2
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Michael Taylor with 957 passing yards, tailback Tony Boles with 1,408 rushing yards, and split end Greg McMurtry with 470 receiving yards, and placekicker Mike Gillette with 97 points scored.[3]

Two Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1988 All-America college football team: center John Vitale (consensus) and defensive tackle Mark Messner (consensus). Seven Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1988 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 10	9:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Notre Dame*	No. 9	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	CBS	L 17–19	59,075
September 17	3:30 p.m.	No. 1 Miami (FL)*	No. 15	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	L 30–31	105,834
September 24	1:00 p.m.	Wake Forest*	No. 19	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 19–9	102,776
October 1	2:00 p.m.	at Wisconsin	No. 19	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI		W 62–14	61,180
October 8	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 17	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy)	Big 10 Synd.	W 17–3	106,208
October 15	3:30 p.m.	at Iowa	No. 15	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ABC	T 17–17	67,700
October 22	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 Indiana	No. 20	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	W 31–6	106,104
October 29	2:00 p.m.	at Northwestern	No. 14	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		W 52–7	33,647
November 5	3:30 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 14	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (Little Brown Jug)	ABC	W 22–7	102,171
November 12	1:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 13	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 38–9	105,714
November 19	12:00 p.m.	at Ohio State	No. 12	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (The Game)	ABC	W 34–31	90,176
January 1, 1989	5:00 p.m.	vs. No. 5 USC*	No. 11	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	ABC	W 22–14	101,688
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	11	10	9	15	19	19	17	15	20	14	14	13	12	11	11	11	4
Coaches	10 (1)	10 (1)	10	16	RV	20	20	17	RV	14	13	12	11	10	11	11	4

[4]

Game summaries

at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total #9 Michigan 0 7 7 3 17 • #13 Notre Dame 10 3 0 6 19 Date: September 10 Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana Television network: CBS

Scoring summary 1 ND Watters 81-yard punt return (Ho kick) ND 7-0 1 ND Ho 31-yard field goal ND 10-0 2 ND Ho 38-yard field goal ND 13-0 2 MICH Hoard 1-yard run (Gillette kick) ND 13-7 3 MICH Taylor 1-yard run (Gillette kick) MICH 14-13 4 ND Ho 26-yard field goal ND 16-14 4 MICH Gillette 49-yard field goal MICH 17-16 4 1:13 ND Ho 26-yard field goal ND 19-17

Miami (FL)

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Miami (FL) 7 7 0 17 31 #15 Michigan 3 17 3 7 30 Date: September 17 Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan Game attendance: 105,834

Scoring summary 1 Michigan Mike Gillette 22-yard field goal Michigan 3-0 1 Miami (FL) Cleveland Gary 49-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Carlos Huerta kick) Miami (FL) 7-3 2 Michigan Mike Gillette 30-yard field goal Miami (FL) 7-6 2 Miami (FL) Cleveland Gary 1-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick) Miami (FL) 14-6 2 Michigan Jeffrey Brown 5-yard pass from Michael Taylor (pass failed) Miami (FL) 14-12 2 Michigan John Kolesar 18-yard pass from Michael Taylor (Chris Horn run) Michigan 20-14 3 Michigan Mike Gillette 29-yard field goal Michigan 23-14 4 Michigan Chris Calloway 16-yard pass from Michael Taylor (Mike Gillette kick) Michigan 30-14 4 5:23 Miami (FL) Rob Chudzinski 7-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Dale Dawkins pass from Steve Walsh) Michigan 30-22 4 2:58 Miami (FL) Cleveland Gary 48-yard pass from Steve Walsh (pass failed) Michigan 30-28 4 0:43 Miami (FL) Carlos Huerta 29-yard field goal Miami (FL) 31-30

[5] [6]

Wake Forest

• Tony Boles 33 Rush, 213 Yds [7]

Michigan State

Kicker Mike Gillette scored on a 40-yard fake punt run, a play that was put in during halftime, and kicked a 30-yard field goal as Michigan's defense registered five sacks and an interception against the winless Spartans.[8]

at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan 3 7 7 0 17 Iowa 7 10 0 0 17 Date: October 15 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 67,700 Television network: ABC

Scoring summary 1 IOWA Cook 5-yard pass from Hartlieb (Skillett kick) IOWA 7–0 1 Mich Gillette 43-yard field goal IOWA 7–3 2 IOWA Skillett 32-yard field goal IOWA 10–3 2 IOWA Hudson 5-yard run (Skillett kick) IOWA 17–3 2 Mich Taylor 5-yard run (Gillette kick) IOWA 17–10 3 Mich Kolesar 24-yard pass from Taylor (Gillette kick) Tied 17–17

A 17-17 tie at Kinnick Stadium was the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect Big Ten season for the Wolverines.[9]

Indiana

Ohio State

Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes

	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	10	10	0	14	34
Ohio St	0	0	14	17	31

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Date: November 19, 1988
• Game time: 12:10 p.m.
• Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
• Game attendance: 90,176
• Referee: John Nealow
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter MICH – Mike Gillette 22-yard field goal, 5:47. Michigan 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:09. MICH – Greg McMurtry 57-yard pass from Demetrius Brown (Mike Gillette kick), 1:06. Michigan 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 1:44. Second quarter MICH – Leroy Hoard 18-yard run (Mike Gillette kick), 8:35. Michigan 17–0. Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:53. MICH – Mike Gillette 56-yard field goal, 0:00. Michigan 20–0. Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 2:35. Third quarter OSU – Carlos Snow 4-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 12:06. Michigan 20–7. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:48. OSU – Bill Matlock 9-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 4:59. Michigan 20–14. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:08. Fourth quarter OSU – Bobby Olive 4-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 11:26. Ohio St 21–20. Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards, 3:42. OSU – Pat O'Morrow 21-yard field goal, 8:30. Ohio St 24–20. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:50. MICH – Leroy Hoard 8-yard run (Mike Gillette kick), 4:20. Michigan 27–24. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 4:03. OSU – Bill Matlock 16-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 2:02. Ohio St 31–27. Drive: 6 plays, 92 yards, 2:12. MICH – John Kolesar 41-yard pass from Demetrius Brown (Mike Gillette kick), 1:37. Michigan 34–31. Drive: 2 plays, 41 yards, 0:15. Top passers MICH – Demetrius Brown – 11/17, 223 yards, 2 TD OSU – Greg Frey – 14/29, 192 yards, TD, INT Top rushers MICH – Leroy Hoard – 23 rushes, 158 yards, 2 TD OSU – Carlos Snow – 21 rushes, 170 yards, TD Top receivers MICH – John Kolesar – 3 receptions, 95 yards, TD OSU – Bobby Olive – 3 receptions, 59 yards, TD

vs. USC (Rose Bowl)

Rose Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • Michigan 3 0 6 13 22 USC 0 14 0 0 14 Date: January 2 Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California Game attendance: 101,688 Referee: Gordon Riese TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Bob Griese

Players

Offense

• Tony Boles – started 10 games at tailback (team's leading rusher in 1988 with 1,408 yards)
• Demetrius Brown – started 3 games at quarterback (48 of 84 for 775 passing yards)
• Jeffrey Brown – started 11 games at tight end
• Jarrod Bunch – started 5 games at fullback
• Chris Calloway – started 5 games at flanker and 1 game at split end (led team with 4 touchdown catches)
• Dave Chester – started 2 games at left guard
• Dean Dingman – started 12 games at right guard
• Tom Dohring – started 10 games at left tackle
• Leroy Hoard – started 6 games at fullback and 1 game at tailback (team's second leading rusher in 1988 with 752 yards)
• Chris Horn – started 1 game at fullback
• Mike Husar – started 10 games at left guard and 2 games at left tackle
• John Kolesar – started 7 games at flanker (team's second leading receiver with 18 catches for 356 yards)
• Greg McMurtry – started 10 games at split end (team's leading receiver with 27 catches for 470 yards)
• Greg Skrepenak – started 12 games at right tackle
• Michael Taylor – started 9 games at quarterback (65 for 122 for 957 passing yards)
• John Vitale – started 12 games at center
• Derrick Walker – started 1 game at tight end and 1 game at split end
• Tracy Williams – started 1 game at tailback

Defense

• Bobby Abrams – started 12 games at outside linebacker
• Erick Anderson – started 6 games at inside linebacker (led team with 77 tackles)
• David Arnold – started 10 games at cornerback
• Mike Evans – started 1 game at defensive tackle
• J. J. Grant – started 9 games at inside linebacker (tied for second on the team with 72 tackles)
• Mark Gutzwiller, defensive back
• John Hermann – started 2 games at defensive tackle
• David Key – started 12 games at cornerback (fifth on the team with 63 tackles)
• Alex Marshall – started 9 games at outside linebacker
• Mark Messner – started 12 games at defensive tackle (fourth on the team with 70 tackles)
• Anthony Mitchell – started 1 game at outside linebacker
• Vada Murray – started 12 games at free safety (second on team with 4 interceptions)
• T. J. Osman – started 12 games at middle guard
• Todd Plate – started 2 games at cornerback
• Marc Spencer – started 3 games at inside linebacker
• Tripp Welborne – started 12 games at strong safety (led team with five interceptions; tied for second on the team with 72 tackles)
• Brent White – started 9 games at defensive tackle
• Tim Williams – started 2 games at outside linebacker

Special teams

• Tony Boles – kick off returns (14 returns for an average of 24.1 yards)
• Mike Gillette – placekicker (18 of 27 on field goals) and punter (46 punts for an average of 39.9 yards)
• Gulam Khan – placekicker (0 for 1 on field goals)
• John Kolesar – kickoff returns (13 returns for an average of 23.5 yards); punt returns (17 returns for an average of 11.9 yards)

Awards and honors

• All-Americans: Mark Messner, John Vitale
• All-Conference: Mark Messner, John Vitale, Mike Husar, John Kolesar, Tony Boles, Mike Gillette, David Arnold
• Most Valuable Player: Mark Messner
• Meyer Morton Award: John Vitale
• John Maulbetsch Award: Tripp Welborne
• Frederick Matthei Award: Warde Manuel
• Arthur Robinson Scholarship Award: David Weil
• Dick Katcher Award: Mark Messner
• Hugh Rader Jr. Award: Mark Messner
• Robert P. Ufer Award: John Kolesar

Coaching staff

• Head coach: Bo Schembechler
• Assistant coaches: Tirrel Burton, Cam Cameron, Lloyd Carr, Jerry Hanlon, Bill Harris, Jim Herrmann, Les Miles, Gary Moeller, Bobby Morrison, Tom Reed
• Trainer: Russ Miller
• Manager: Pat Perkins, Scott Boyle

References

1. "1988 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
2. "1988 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
3. "1988 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
4. "Michigan 1988 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
5. "Hurricanes blow past Wolverines." Eugene Register-Guard. 1988 Sept 18.
6. "Miami Doesn't Wilt in Michigan Heat" Chicago Tribune. 1988 Sept 18.
7. University of Michigan Football Record Book Pt. 1
8. Eugene Register-Guard. 1988 Oct 9. Retrieved 2015-Oct-04.
9. "Michigan, Iowa Both Fit To Be Tied". Chicago Tribune. October 16, 1988. Retrieved September 2, 2019.

External links

• 1988 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History