1988 Florida Gators football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record7–5 (4–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLynn Amadee (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorGary Darnell (1st season)
Home stadiumFlorida Field
1988 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 19 LSU + 6 –1 –08 –4 –0
No. 8 Auburn + 6 –1 –010 –2 –0
No. 15 Georgia 5 –2 –09 –3 –0
No. 17 Alabama 4 –3 –09 –3 –0
Florida 4 –3 –07 –5 –0
Tennessee 3 –4 –05 –6 –0
Ole Miss 3 –4 –05 –6 –0
Kentucky 2 –5 –05 –6 –0
Vanderbilt 2 –5 –03 –8 –0
Mississippi State 0 –7 –01 –10 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was Galen Hall's fifth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Hall's 1988 Florida Gators finished with a 7–5 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 4–3, tying for fourth place among the ten SEC teams.[1]

The Gators started the 1988 season 5–0 and were ranked as high as No. 14. During an October game against the Memphis State Tigers, star running back Emmitt Smith injured his knee and was unable to play for a month. Florida lost the Memphis State contest and the next three as well, with the Gator offense unable to score a single touchdown while Smith was sidelined. The offense under coordinator Lynn Amadee struggled all season, with Gator quarterbacks combining to throw three touchdowns and 17 interceptions,[2] leading one Florida sports columnist to dub the offense the "Amadeeville Horror".[3] Defensive tackle Trace Armstrong was All-SEC in 1988, setting a new school, single-season record for tackles for a loss with nineteen, including seven sacks. In both 1987 and 1988, walk-on safety Louis Oliver was an All-American.

As of the conclusion of the 2022 season, Florida's 16-0 loss to Auburn on October 29, 1988 is the last time the Gators suffered a shutout, and Florida has scored in an all time NCAA record 436 consecutive games.[4]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 3Montana State*
W 69–069,121[5]
September 10at Ole Miss
W 27–1542,000[6]
September 17Indiana State*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 58–070,147[7]
September 24Mississippi StateNo. 20
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 17–073,138[8]
October 1No. 14 LSUNo. 17
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
CBSW 19–674,264[9]
October 8Memphis State*No. 14
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 11–1773,194[10]
October 15at VanderbiltNo. 20
TBSL 9–2441,000[11]
October 29No. 9 Auburndagger
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ESPNL 0–1675,199[12]
November 5vs. No. 19 Georgia
TBSL 3–2681,958[13]
November 12at Kentucky
W 24–1951,191[14]
November 26at No. 5 Florida State*
ESPNL 17–5262,693[15]
December 29vs. Illinois*
ESPNW 14–1048,218[16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[1]

Roster

1988 Florida Gators football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
FB 38 Willie McGrady So
WR 14 Ernie Mills So
QB 1 Kyle Morris So
RB 22 Emmitt Smith So
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DE 93 Trace Armstrong Sr
DT 50 Brad Culpepper Fr
LB 49 Joey Nicoletto Sr
DL 68 Rhondy Weston Sr
DB 41 John Spierto Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • Injured Injured
    • Redshirt Redshirt

    Rankings


    References

    1. 1 2 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
    2. ↑ "1988 Florida Gators Stats".
    3. ↑ "Brent Pease Gators offense is worse than Jeff Bowden's ever was at FSU - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
    4. ↑ "Florida vs. Oregon State - College Football Game Recap - December 17, 2022".
    5. ↑ "Gators chew up 'Cats". The Independent-Record. September 4, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    6. ↑ "Trick play helps Gators trip Ole Miss, 27–15". The Pensacola News-Journal. September 11, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    7. ↑ "Florida freshman helps Gators blitz ISU". The Indianapolis Star. September 18, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    8. ↑ "96-yard run keys Florida win over MSU". Enterprise-Journal. September 25, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    9. ↑ "Gator defense intercepts LSU". The Commercial Appeal. October 2, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    10. ↑ "Memphis State shocks Gators". The Bradenton Herald. October 9, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    11. ↑ "Power of gold helps Vanderbilt down Florida". The Jackson Sun. October 16, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    12. ↑ "Tigers maul Gators 16–0". The Palm Beach Post. October 30, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    13. ↑ "Punchless UF crumbles 26–3 to Bulldogs". St. Petersburg Times. November 6, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    14. ↑ "Gators find an offense and victory". Tallahassee Democrat. November 13, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    15. ↑ "Big plays by FSU bury Gators, 52–17". The Miami Herald. November 27, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
    16. ↑ "Smith's TDs lift Gators". Birmingham Post-Herald. December 30, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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