The 1988 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second and final season under head coach Dennis Erickson, the Cougars compiled a 9–3 record (5–3 in Pac-10, tied for third), and outscored their opponents 415 to 303.[1][2]
The team's statistical leaders included Timm Rosenbach with 3,097 passing yards, Steve Broussard with 1,280 rushing yards, and Tim Stallworth with 1,151 receiving yards.[3]
On October 29, Washington State beat No. 1 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, their first and only win ever over a No. 1 ranked team.[4]
Several months after this season, Erickson departed for Miami in early March 1989,[5][6][7] and Mike Price was hired a week later; a former Cougar player and assistant, he was previously the head coach for eight years in the Big Sky Conference at Weber State in Ogden, Utah.
[8][9][10][11]
Quarterback Rosenbach opted not to stay as a fifth-year senior in 1989 and announced his intent to turn professional in April.[12][13] He entered the NFL's supplemental draft, and was selected in July with the second pick by the recently relocated Phoenix Cardinals.[14][15][16]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|
September 3 | at Illinois* | | | | W 44–7 | 54,458 | [17] |
September 10 | at Minnesota* | | | | W 41–9 | 40,071 | [18] |
September 17 | Oregon | | | | L 28–43 | 30,263 | [19] |
October 1 | at Tennessee* | | | | W 52–24 | 92,276 | [20] |
October 8 | California | | - Martin Stadium
- Pullman, WA
| | W 44–13 | 27,077 | [21] |
October 15 | at Arizona | | | | L 28–45 | 48,287 | [22] |
October 22 | Arizona State | | - Martin Stadium
- Pullman, WA
| | L 28–31 | 33,170 | [23] |
October 29 | at No. 1 UCLA | | | | W 34–30 | 51,970 | [24] |
November 5 | at Stanford | | | | W 24–21 | 36,500 | [25] |
November 12 | Oregon State | No. 20 | - Martin Stadium
- Pullman, WA
| | W 36–27 | 19,702 | [26] |
November 19 | Washington | No. 19 | | | W 32–31 | 40,000 | [27] |
| vs. No. 14 Houston* | No. 18 | | ABC | W 24–22 | 35,132 | [28] |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
[29]
Game summaries
Illinois
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
• Wash St |
7 |
16 | 14 | 7 |
44 |
Illinois |
0 |
7 | 0 | 0 |
7 |
Scoring summary |
Q1 | | WSU | Rosenbach 16 yard run (Hanson kick) | WSU 7–0 |
|
Q2 | | WSU | Hanson 41 yard field goal | WSU 10–0 |
|
Q2 | | WSU | Rosenbach 6 yard run (kick failed) | WSU 16–0 |
|
Q2 | | ILL | Griffith 53 yard run (Higgins kick) | WSU 16–7 |
|
Q2 | | WSU | Broussard 1 yard run (Hanson kick) | WSU 23–7 |
|
Q3 | | WSU | Broussard 16 yard run (Hanson kick) | WSU 30–7 |
|
Q3 | | WSU | Stallworth 5 yard pass from Rosenbach (Hanson kick) | WSU 37–7 |
|
Q4 | | WSU | Rosenbach 1 yard run (Hanson kick) | WSU 44–7 |
Washington
Washington Huskies at #19 Washington State Cougars
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington
- Date: November 19, 1988
- Game weather: Snow, 34 °F (1 °C)
- Game attendance: 40,000
- Eugene Register-Guard, 1988 Nov 20.
Game information
|
First quarter
- WSU – Jason Hanson 37-yard field goal, 11:53. Washington St 3–0. Drive:
- WASH – Vince Weathersby 14-yard run (John McCallum kick), 7:34. Washington 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards.
- WASH – Aaron Jenkins 2-yard run (John McCallum kick), 7:11. Washington 14–3. Drive:
- WSU – Rich Swinton 4-yard run (run failed), 3:10. Washington 14–9. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards.
- WASH – Le-Lo Lang 20-yard interception return (John McCallum kick). Washington 21–9.
Second quarter
- WSU – Tim Stallworth 11-yard pass from Timm Rosenbach (Jason Hanson kick), 11:42. Washington 21–16. Drive:
- WASH – Aaron Jenkins 4-yard run (John McCallum kick). Washington 28–16. Drive:
Third quarter
- WSU – Jason Hanson 32-yard field goal. Washington 28–19. Drive:
- WSU – Rich Swinton 2-yard run (Jason Hanson kick). Washington 28–26. Drive:
Fourth quarter
- WASH – John McCallum 20-yard field goal, 14:15. Washington 31–26. Drive:
- WSU – Timm Rosenbach 5-yard run (run failed), 9:06. Washington St 32–31. Drive:
|
- Top passers
- Top rushers
- WASH – Aaron Jenkins – 17 rushes, 93 yards, 2 TD
- WSU – Rich Swinton – 31 rushes, 155 yards, 2 TD
- Top receivers
- WASH – Brian Slater – 3 receptions, 38 yards
- WSU – Doug Wellsandt – 4 receptions, 64 yards
|
|
Shawn Landrum blocked an Eric Canton punt which led to Timm Rosenbach's eventual game-winning fourth down touchdown run. Washington State secured an Aloha Bowl berth with the win.
Roster
1988 Washington State Cougars football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
|
Defense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
LB
|
55
|
Tuineau Alipate
|
Sr
|
DE
|
76
|
Ivan Cook (C)
|
Sr
|
DT
|
97
|
Tim Downing
|
Jr
|
DE
|
96
|
Randy Gray
|
Jr
|
LB
|
50
|
Dan Grayson
|
Jr
|
S
|
19
|
Artie Holmes
|
Sr
|
CB
|
18
|
Shawn Landrum
|
Sr
|
DB
|
10
|
Jay Languein
|
Jr
|
DT
|
91
|
Mark Ledbetter
|
Jr
|
S
|
42
|
Ron Lee
|
Sr
|
LB
|
40
|
Maury Metcalf
|
Sr
|
DB
|
6
|
Chris Moton
|
So
|
DB
|
37
|
Roosevelt Noble
|
Jr
|
LB
|
41
|
Bob O'Neal
|
Sr
|
LB
|
57
|
Keith Rice
|
Sr
|
DT
|
75
|
Tony Savage
|
Jr
|
CB
|
29
|
Vernon Todd
|
Sr
|
DL
|
90
|
Jeron Woodley
|
So
|
|
Special teams
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
|
[31]
NFL draft
Three Cougars were selected in the 1989 NFL draft, held April 23–24.
[32][33]
The supplemental draft was held on July 7.
[12][13][14][15][16]
References
- ^ "1988 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). WSUCougars.com. Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 77. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "1988 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "Bruins derailed by Cougs". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). news service reports. October 30, 1988. p. 1C.
- ^ Bergum, Steve (March 6, 1989). "Erickson's air express off to Miami". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. A1.
- ^ "Erickson takes Miami job". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 6, 1989. p. 1D.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (March 6, 1989). "Erickson leaves 'dream'". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1A.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (March 14, 1989). "Price comes to 'save the day'". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1A.
- ^ Blanchette, John (March 14, 1989). "Choice of Price applauded by players". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. B1.
- ^ Bergum, Steve (March 15, 1989). "Price: 'I'm here to save the day'". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
- ^ "'The Price is Right' for Cougars". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 15, 1989. p. 5B.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Dave (April 11, 1989). "Rosenbach enters supplemental". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. C1.
- ^ a b "Rosenbach expects to be top NFL pick". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). news service reports. July 7, 1989. p. 2C.
- ^ a b "Cards nab Rosenbach; Walsh to Dallas". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 8, 1989. p. 2C.
- ^ a b "Rosenbach picked by Phoenix". Idahonian. (Moscow). Associated Press. July 7, 1989. p. 1A.
- ^ a b Meehan, Jim (July 8, 1989). "From Cougar to Cardinal". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1D.
- ^ "Now Illini know score". Quad-City Times. September 4, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Huskies, Cougs take two from Big Ten". The News Tribune. September 11, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Oregon makes it gray day for WSU". Tri-City Herald. September 18, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rosenbach, Cougars rip Vols, 52–24". The Billings Gazette. October 2, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rosenbach leads WSU to 44–13 win over Cal". The Billings Gazette. October 9, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wildcats thump Cougars, sustain postseason hopes". The Arizona Republic. October 16, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sun Devils' pressure too much for Cougars". Bonner County Daily Bee. October 23, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Washington State stuns No. 1 UCLA". Wisconsin State Journal. October 30, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cougars don't bowl over". The Spokesman-Review. November 6, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cougars stop Beavers; Honolulu ahead?". Shoshone News-Press. November 13, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cougars conquer Huskies; head to Honolulu". The Coeur d'Alene Press. November 20, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Houston talk fires up Washington State". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. December 26, 1988. Retrieved May 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Football media guide". Washington State University Athletics. 2014. p. 75. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^ "Cougars feast on Illini in rare road victory, 44-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 4, 1988. p. 5B.
- ^ "Cougar roster". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 19, 1988. p. B2.
- ^ Gerheim, Earl (April 25, 1989). "Vikings take EWU's Mickel". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C3.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (April 24, 1989). "Utley, Washington, Dyko get NFL calls". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1B.
External links
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Culture & lore | |
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