1988 Idaho Vandals football team

Coordinates: 46°43′34″N 117°01′05″W / 46.726°N 117.018°W / 46.726; -117.018

1988 Idaho Vandals football

Big Sky Champions
I-AA Semifinalists
Conference	Big Sky Conference
1988 record	11-2 (7-1 Big Sky)
Head coach	Keith Gilbertson
Offensive coordinator	Bill Diedrick
Defensive coordinator	Barry Lamb
Home stadium	Kibbie Dome

The 1988 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by third-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

The Vandals won their third conference title in four seasons, and made the I-AA playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Led by redshirt junior quarterback John Friesz, Idaho finished the regular season at 9-1 and 7-1 in the Big Sky. The Vandals scheduled only ten regular season games for the first time since 1969.^[1] Idaho would play only ten regular season games again in 1995, their final year the Big Sky. The shortened regular season was beneficial in 1988, as the Vandals played three post-season games, falling on the road in the national semifinals in Gilbertson's final game as the Vandals' head coach.

Notable games

Following a sole loss on the road to conference rival Montana, Idaho won its final seven games of the regular season. The Vandals defeated Nevada-Reno for a second consecutive year, only the third time in the eleven meetings since the Wolf Pack joined the Big Sky in 1979. The Vandals defeated rival Boise State for the seventh consecutive year, the seventh of twelve straight over the Broncos.

Division I-AA playoffs

For the fourth consecutive season, Idaho returned to the I-AA playoffs. In the first round, the Vandals hosted conference foe Montana, who had handed the Vandals their only defeat. The Vandals won the rematch 38-19 at the Kibbie Dome two days after Thanksgiving.^[2] Idaho also hosted in the quarterfinals, and defeated Northwestern State (La.) 38-30, but lost quarterback John Friesz with an ankle sprain in the third quarter.^[3]

In the semifinals Idaho was eliminated 38-7 on the road at Furman in Greenville, South Carolina, ending the Vandals' season at 11-2. With their third-string quarterback and many other reserves playing against the top-ranked defense in Division I-AA, the Vandals were only down 10-0 at the half, but the score mounted to 38-0 before the Vandals scored. The Vandal defense gave up 320 rushing yards to the Paladins.^[4] Furman went on to win the I-AA title the following week.

Notable players

The 1988 team included two future NFL players with lengthy pro careers: guard Mark Schlereth (fifth-year senior) and junior John Friesz, the future collegiate hall of fame quarterback was a three-year starter (1987–89).

1988 season schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
Sep 10	Portland State - (Div. II)*	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 27-18	10,100
Sep 17	at Pacific - (Div. I-A)*	Pacific Memorial Stadium • Stockton, CA	W 36-26	13,868
Sep 24	at Montana	Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT - (Little Brown Stein)	L 17-26
Oct 01	Northern Arizona	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 31-20	16,100
Oct 08	Montana State	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 41-24	9,200
Oct 15	at Eastern Washington	Joe Albi Stadium • Spokane, WA	W 31-22	6,644
Oct 22	Weber State	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 27-24	9,500
Nov 05	at Nevada	Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV	W 32-31	16,410
Nov 12	Idaho State	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 41-7	9,200
Nov 19	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID - (BSU-UI rivalry)	W 26-20	23,687
Nov 26	Montana	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID - (I-AA playoffs - 1st round)	W 38-19	5,500
Dec 03	Northwestern St. (La.)*	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID - (I-AA playoffs - Quarterfinals)	W 38-30	6,800
Dec 10	at Furman*	Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC - (I-AA playoffs - Semi-finals)	L 7-38	11,645
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

^[5]

References

↑ (Moscow) Idahonian - Wind chill doesn't ground Vandals - 1988-03-29 - p.10A
↑ (Moscow) Idahonian - Round two: Vandals deck Grizzlies - 1988-11-28 - p.6A
↑ (Moscow) Idahonian - Vandals: Plenty of pain and gain - 1988-12-05 - p.6A
↑ (Moscow) Idahonian - UI dream year ends with nightmare - 1988-12-12 - p.1B
↑ College Football Data Warehouse - Idaho 1985-89 - accessed 2010-08-22

External links

Gem of the Mountains: 1989 University of Idaho yearbook - 1988 football season

1988 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants

Boise State The Citadel Delaware Eastern Kentucky Furman Georgia Southern Idaho Jackson State Marshall Montana North Texas Northwestern State Stephen F. Austin UMass Western Illinois Western Kentucky

Champion – Furman Paladins

Idaho Vandals football

Venues	MacLean Field (1914–1936) Neale Stadium (1937–1968) Rogers Field (1969–1970) Joe Albi Stadium (1971) Kibbie Dome (1971–present) Martin Stadium (1999–2001)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Boise State (Governor's Trophy) Montana (Little Brown Stein) Washington State (Battle of the Palouse)

Culture & lore	Joe Vandal Go, Vandals, Go The Sound of Idaho

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

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