1988 Fiesta Bowl

The 1988 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. It was the 17th edition of the Fiesta Bowl and matched the independent #3 Florida State Seminoles and the fifth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference.[3][4][5][6]

1988 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl
Florida State Seminoles Nebraska Cornhuskers
(10–1) (10–1)
Independent Big Eight
31 28
Head coach: 
Bobby Bowden		 Head coach: 
Tom Osborne
APCoaches
33
APCoaches
55
1234 Total
Florida State 02137 31
Nebraska 140140 28
DateJanuary 1, 1988
Season1987
StadiumSun Devil Stadium
LocationTempe, Arizona
MVPDanny McManus (QB, FSU)
Neil Smith            (DL, NU)
FavoriteFlorida State by 3½ points [1][2]
Attendance72,112
United States TV coverage
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersCharlie Jones, Jimmy Cefalo
Nielsen ratings7.9

Game summary

Kickoff was just after 11:30 a.m. MST,[7] and underdog Nebraska scored first with a 3-yard touchdown run from senior halfback Keith Jones with 9:31 left in the first quarter. With 1:15 left in the opening stanza, Dana Brinson fielded a punt and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown and Nebraska led 14–0.[5][6]

Florida State got on the board in the second quarter when quarterback Danny McManus threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Herb Gainer. With 4:48 left in the first half, running back Dayne Williams scored from 4 yards out, to tie the game at fourteen. With 44 seconds left in the half, McManus connected with Gainer on a 25-yard touchdown pass, marking their second hook-up of the game, and the Seminoles took a 21–14 advantage into halftime.

With 11:41 left in the third quarter, Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor notched the equalizer, rumbling in from two yards out to tie the game at 21. Florida State settled for a field goal for a 24–21 lead with 7:49 left in the quarter. With just 40 seconds left in the quarter, running back Tyreese Knox scored on a four-yard run, giving Nebraska a 28–24 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Nebraska got the ball back on its 26-yard line. Following a methodical drive, they managed to move all the way to the FSU 2-yard line for a first and goal. Knox took the handoff, looking for a sure touchdown, when a defender forced a fumble at the goal line, recovered by Florida State. Ten plays later, Florida State had advanced to the Nebraska 15 and McManus threw a touchdown pass to Ronald Lewis for the clinching 31–28 score.[5][6]

Florida State climbed to second in the final AP poll and Nebraska fell to sixth.

Scoring

First quarter

Second quarter

  • Florida State – Herb Gainer 10 pass from Danny McManus (Derek Schmidt kick)
  • Florida State – Dayne Williams 4 run (Schmidt kick)
  • Florida State – Gainer 25 pass from McManus (Schmidt kick)

Third quarter

  • Nebraska – Steve Taylor 2 run (Drennan kick)
  • Florida State – Field goal, Schmidt 32
  • Nebraska – Tyreese Knox 4 run (Drennan kick)

Fourth quarter

  • Florida State – Ronald Lewis 15 pass from McManus (Schmidt kick)
Source:[5][8]

Statistics
Statistics   Florida   
State		 Nebraska 
First Downs2620
Rushes–yards29–8254–242
Passing yards375142
Passes28–51–17–14–1
Total yards457384
Punts–average4–304–36
Fumbles–lost2–14–2
Turnovers by23
Penalties-yards2–209–78
Time of possession31:0728:53
Source:[5][8]

References
  1. "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1988. p. 28.
  2. "Betting line". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). January 1, 1988. p. 19.
  3. "Fiesta foes search for No. 2". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 1, 1988. p. 3D.
  4. "Other bowls: Fiesta". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1988. p. 26.
  5. "Seminoles trip Nebraska, state their claim to No. 1". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). January 2, 1988. p. 3B.
  6. "McManus guides Florida State over Cornhuskers in Fiesta Bowl". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1988. p. 23.
  7. "TV-radio". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). January 1, 1988. p. 19.
  8. "Fiesta Bowl". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). (box score). January 2, 1988. p. 8.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.