1988 Colorado Buffaloes football
Freedom Bowl, L 17–20 vs. BYU
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
1988 record8–4 (4–3 Big 8)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGerry DiNardo (5th season)
Offensive schemeWishbone/I-Formation
Defensive coordinatorMike Hankwitz (1st season)
Base defense3–4
MVPEric Bieniemy
Captains
  • Don DeLuzio
  • Erik Norgard
Home stadiumFolsom Field
(Capacity: 51,463)
Seasons
← 1987
1989 →
1988 Big Eight Conference football standings
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 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado finished the regular season at 8–3 (4–3 in Big 8, fourth),[1] and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The eight wins were the most by the Buffaloes in twelve years,[1] with narrow losses to ninth-ranked Oklahoma and #7 Nebraska.[2][3]

Ranked twentieth in the coaches' poll, Colorado was invited to the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, California,[4] but was upset 17–20 by BYU of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), led by sophomore quarterback Ty Detmer.[5][6]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 10Fresno State*
KCNCW 45–332,417
September 17at No. 19 Iowa*
W 24–2167,700
September 24Oregon State*
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
W 28–2141,297
October 1at Colorado State*
W 27–2333,979
October 8No. 13 Oklahoma State
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
KCNCL 21–4141,854
October 15at Kansas
KCNCW 21–922,500
October 22No. 9 Oklahoma
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
ESPNL 14–1749,716
October 29Iowa Statedagger
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
KCNCW 24–1237,241
November 5at Missouri
W 45–836,931
November 12at No. 7 NebraskaNo. 19
KCNCL 0–776,359
November 19Kansas State
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
KCNCW 56–1432,617
December 29vs. BYU*
RaycomL 17–2035,941
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Source:[7]

Game summaries

at Iowa

Colorado at #19 Iowa
1 234Total
• Colorado 14 037 24
Iowa 0 1470 21

See also: 1988 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Source:[8]

at Nebraska

#19 Colorado at #7 Nebraska
1 234Total
Colorado 0 000 0
• Nebraska 0 070 7

See also: 1988 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Source:[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Buffs win humbly, 56-14". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. November 20, 1988. p. 5B.
  2. ^ "Oklahoma edges Buffs". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. October 23, 1988. p. 2B.
  3. ^ a b "Cornhuskers barely beat Buffaloes, 7-0". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. November 13, 1988. p. 3B.
  4. ^ Robinson, Doug (December 29, 1988). "Cougars, Buffaloes both have plenty of questions Freedom Bowl will answer". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  5. ^ "BYU's Detmer decks CU, 20-17". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. December 30, 1988. p. 4D.
  6. ^ Robinson, Doug (December 30, 1988). "BYU edges Colorado in Ty-pical fashion". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  7. ^ 2011 Colorado football information guide
  8. ^ "Colorado ambushes Iowa, 24-21". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. September 18, 1988. p. 3B.

External links

Colorado Buffaloes football
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