1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

American college football season

1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys football

Holiday Bowl champion
Holiday Bowl, W 62–14 vs. Wyoming
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 11
Record	10–2 (5–2 Big 8)
Head coach	Pat Jones (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Larry Coker (6th season)
Home stadium	Lewis Field
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Big Eight Conference football standings
v t e	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 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented the Oklahoma State University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Future OSU head coach Mike Gundy was the starting QB for the Cowboys, while senior WR Hart Lee Dykes and junior RB Barry Sanders were both named first team All-American. Sanders won the Heisman Trophy as the nation's most outstanding player for the season. Sanders was also the Offensive MVP of the 1988 Holiday Bowl, and Junior LB Sim Drain III was the Defensive MVP.

Schedule

The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 9–2 record.^[1] In 1988, in what has been called the greatest season in college football history,^[2] running back Barry Sanders led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per carry and over 200 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in four games. He set college football season records with 2,628 yards rushing, 3,249 total yards, 234 points, 39 touchdowns, of which 37 were rushing (also a record), five consecutive 200 yard games, scored at least two touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, and nine times he scored at least three touchdowns. Sanders also ran for 222 yards and scored five touchdowns in his three quarters of action in the Holiday Bowl, a game that was not included with his season statistics.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 10	Miami (OH)*		Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		W 52–20	43,200
September 24	Texas A&M*	No. 18	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		W 52–15	50,440
October 1	Tulsa*	No. 13	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK \ (rivalry)		W 56–35	45,100
October 8	at Colorado	No. 13	Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 41–21	41,854
October 15	at No. 7 Nebraska	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	CSN	L 42–63	76,432
October 22	Missouri	No. 15	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		W 49–21	46,900
October 29	at Kansas State	No. 12	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		W 45–27	16,000
November 5	No. 8 Oklahoma	No. 12	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK (Bedlam)	ESPN	L 28–31	50,440
November 12	Kansas	No. 14	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		W 63–24	40,100
November 19	at Iowa State	No. 13	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA		W 49–28	38,163
December 4	vs. Texas Tech*	No. 12	Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan (Coca-Cola Classic)	CBS	W 45–42	56,000
December 30	vs. No. 15 Wyoming*	No. 12	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	ESPN	W 62–14	60,641
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
C	`51`	John Boisvert	Sr
RB		Vernon Brown	So
		Don Cox	Sr
WR	`11`	Hart Lee Dykes	Sr
QB		Kenny Ford	Fr
WR	`19`	Jarrod Green	Jr
QB	`12`	Mike Gundy	Jr
RB	`23`	Gerald Hudson	So
		Bill Jones	Sr
G	`73`	Jason Kidder	Sr
TE		Robert Kirksey
		Matt Kolb	Sr
FB	`32`	Garrett Limbrick	Sr
WR	`17`	Curtis Mayfield	So
RB		Mitch Nash	Sr
WR	`29`	Brent Parker	So
RB	`21`	Barry Sanders	Jr
QB		Chris Smith	So
G	`59`	Chris Stanley	Sr
TE	`93`	Vance Vice	Jr
OL		Web
RB		Cecil Wilson	So
OT	`62`	Mike Wolfe	Sr
OT	`56`	Byron Woodard	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL	`98`	David Bailey
CB	`1`	Mike Clark
DL	`91`	Brandon Colbert
LB	`58`	Torrance Cummings
LB	`53`	Sim Drain III	Jr
DL		Rod Gaines	Sr
CB	`2`	Melvin Gilliam
DL	`31`	Devin Jones
DL	`60`	Marcus Jones	Sr
DB	`4`	Jason Juhl
CB	`5`	Joe King
FS	`3`	Chris Lowery
DL	`57`	Shawn Mackey
		Greg McCalister	Sr
SS	`7`	Lamar McGriggs
DL		Ruben Oliver	So
LB	`37`	Bobby Raynor	So
DL		Stacey Satterwhite
DB	`45`	Rod Smith

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`25`	Cary Blanchard	Fr

Head coach

Pat Jones

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Larry Coker, Offensive coordinator
Houston Nutt, Wide receivers
Brad Seely, Offensive line

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	—	20	18	13	13	10	15	12	12	14	13	12	12	12	11
Coaches	—	—	—	—	20	14	13	10	16	12	12	15	14	12	12	12	11

^[4]

Game summaries

Miami (OH)

Texas A&M

Tulsa

At Colorado

At Nebraska

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Nebraska Cornhuskers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Cowboys	0	21	7	14	42
#7 Cornhuskers	35	14	7	7	63

at Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE

Date: October 15
Game attendance: 76,432
^[5]

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

OKST – Mike Gundy -
NEB –

Leading Rushers

OKST – Barry Sanders - 35 carries, 189 yards, 4 TD
NEB – Ken Clark - 27 carries, 256 yards, 3 TD

Leading Receivers

OKST –
NEB –

Missouri

At Kansas State

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Kansas State Wildcats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Cowboys	21	3	14	7	45
Wildcats	14	3	3	7	27

at KSU Stadium, Manhattan, KS

Date: October 29
Game attendance: 16,000
^[6]

Game information

First quarter

KSU – Washington 13-yard pass from Carl Straw (Porter kick). Wildcats 7–0.
OKST – Parker 63-yard pass from Mike Gundy (Blanchard kick). Tied 7–7.
KSU – Friedrich fumble recover in end zone (Porter kick). Wildcats 14–7.
OKST – Barry Sanders 26-yard run (Blanchard kick). Tied 14–14.
OKST – Barry Sanders 38-yard run (Blanchard kick). Cowboys 21–14.

Second quarter

OKST – Cary Blanchard 35-yard field goal. Cowboys 24–14.
KSU – Mark Porter 32-yard field goal. Cowboys 24–17.

Third quarter

OKST – Hart Lee Dykes 28-yard pass from Mike Gundy (Blanchard kick). Cowboys 31–17.
KSU – Mark Porter 37-yard field goal. Cowboys 31–20.
OKST – Vance Vice 1-yard pass from Mike Gundy (Blanchard kick). Cowboys 38–20.

Fourth quarter

KSU – Lee Pickett 1-yard run (Porter kick). Cowboys 38–27.
OKST – Barry Sanders 17-yard run (Blanchard kick), 6:38. Cowboys 45–27.

Leading Passers

KSU –
OKST – Mike Gundy - 15/19, 228 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

Leading Rushers

KSU –
OKST – Barry Sanders - 37 carries, 320 yards, 3 TD

Leading Receivers

KSU –
OKST – Hart Lee Dykes - 9 receptions, 127 yards, TD

Oklahoma

#8 Oklahoma Sooners (7–1) at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (8–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	21	3	0	7	31
Oklahoma St	7	7	0	14	28

at Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Date: November 5, 1988
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 58 °F (14 °C)
Game attendance: 50,440
TV announcers (ESPN): Roger Twibell and Lee Corso
^[7]

Oklahoma State's Brent Parker dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone with 43 seconds left.^[8]

External videos
Full game
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Charles Thompson	2/5, 24 Yds
	Rushing	Mike Gaddis	18 Rush, 213 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Leon Perry	1 Rec, 17 Yds
Oklahoma St	Passing	Mike Gundy	18/28, 228 Yds, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Barry Sanders	39 Rush, 215 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Hart Lee Dykes	9 Rec, 122 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	OU	OSU
1					Oklahoma	Mike Gaddis 13-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good	7	0
1		1	44	0:07	Oklahoma	Mike Gaddis 44-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good	14	0
1	6:52				Oklahoma St	Mike Gundy 4-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good	14	7
1		11	80	4:17	Oklahoma	Leon Perry 7-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good	21	7
2		8	89	3:48	Oklahoma St	Hart Lee Dykes 2-yard touchdown reception from Mike Gundy, Cary Blanchard kick good	21	14
2	2:08				Oklahoma	27-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar	24	14
4	13:37				Oklahoma St	Barry Sanders 1-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good	24	21
4	8:45	8	72	3:12	Oklahoma St	Barry Sanders 1-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good	24	28
4	2:33	13	80	6:12	Oklahoma	Charles Thompson 18-yard touchdown run, R.D. Lashar kick good	31	28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							31	28

Kansas

At Iowa State

Vs. Texas Tech

Vs. Wyoming

Wyoming Cowboys vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Cowboys	7	10	28	17	62
#15 Cowboys	7	0	7	0	14

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, CA

Date: December 30
Game attendance: 60,641
TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Carpenter, Kevin Kiley, Sharlene Hawkes

Game information

First quarter

OKST – Barry Sanders 33-yard run (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 7–0.
WYO – Randy Welniak 4-yard run (kick). Tied 7–7.

Second quarter

OKST – Barry Sanders 2-yard run (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 14–7.
OKST – Cary Blanchard 33-yard field goal. OKST Cowboys 17–7.

Third quarter

OKST – Mike Gundy 12-yard pass to Brent Parker (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 24–7.
WYO – Randy Welniak 4-yard run (kick). OKST Cowboys 24–14.
OKST – Barry Sanders 67-yard run (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 31–14.
OKST – Barry Sanders 1-yard run (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 38–14.
OKST – Barry Sanders 10-yard run (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 45–14.

Fourth quarter

OKST – Cary Blanchard 19-yard field goal. OKST Cowboys 48–14.
OKST – Mike Gundy 25-yard pass to Hart Lee Dykes (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 55–14.
OKST – Chris Smith 5-yard run (Blanchard kick). OKST Cowboys 62–14.

Leading Passers

OKST – Mike Gundy - 20/24, 315 yards, 2 TD
WYO – Randy Welniak -

Leading Rushers

OKST – Barry Sanders - 29 carries, 222 yards, 5 TD
WYO –

Leading Receivers

OKST – Hart Lee Dykes - 10 receptions, 163 yards, TD
WYO –

1989 NFL Draft

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Barry Sanders	Running back	1	3	Detroit Lions
Hart Lee Dykes	Wide receiver	1	16	New England Patriots

^[9]

Awards and honors

Barry Sanders, Heisman Trophy,^[10] Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year, Unanimous First-team All-American
Hart Lee Dykes, Consensus First-team All-American

References

^ "1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
^ Merron, Jeff. "Best individual college football seasons". ESPN. Retrieved August 12, 2007. Marron wrote, The only serious question when composing this list was "Who's No. 2?
^ "1988 Holiday Bowl Summary". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
^ "Oklahoma State 1988 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
^ "Cornhuskers Strike Early and Often to Continue Domination Over Cowboys With 63-42 Victory". Omaha World-Herald. October 15, 1988. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
^ "Flashback". October 5, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
^ "1988 Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State". SoonerStats.com. 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
^ "A penalty, a dropped pass and Sooners win, 31-28." Eugene Register-Guard. pg. 8F. 1988 Nov 6. Retrieved 2022-Dec-28.
^ "1989 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
^ "Heisman Winners". Heisman Trophy. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009.

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