1988 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1988 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1988 season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his 12th year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6 overall, 3–4 in the SEC). The Vols' offense scored 212 points while the defense allowed 286 points.

1988 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	5–6 (3–4 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Majors (12th season)
Offensive coordinator	Walt Harris (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	Ken Donahue (4th season)
Captains	Keith DeLong Nate Middlebrooks
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 19 LSU +	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 8 Auburn +	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Georgia	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Alabama	4	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Florida	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	at No. 12 Georgia	No. 18	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	ESPN	L 17–28	82,122	[1]
September 10	Duke*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		L 26–31	93,144	[2]
September 17	No. 9 LSU		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	TBS	L 9–34	92,849	[3]
September 24	at No. 4 Auburn		Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	CBS	L 6–38	83,687	[4]
October 1	Washington State*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		L 24–52	92,276	[5]
October 15	No. 20 Alabama		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)		L 20–28	93,025	[6]
October 22	at Memphis State*		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN		W 38–25	55,173	[7]
November 5	Boston College*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		W 10–7	90,030	[8]
November 12	at Ole Miss		Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (rivalry)		W 20–12	27,686	[9]
November 19	Kentucky		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		W 28–24	90,353	[10]
November 26	at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)		W 14–7	41,404	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Keith DeLong	Linebacker	1	28	San Francisco 49ers
Jeff Francis	Quarterback	6	140	Los Angeles Raiders

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References

1. "Giles, Georgia hand Vols loss". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 4, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Duke stuns Tennessee". The Charlotte Observer. September 11, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "LSU cruises over struggling UT". The Jackson Sun. September 18, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Vols lose to Auburn". Bristol Herald Courier. September 25, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Rosenbach, Cougars rip Vols, 52–24". The Spokesman-Review. October 2, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Sputtering UT slips again". The Tennessean. October 16, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Vols finally have celebration". The Commercial Appeal. October 23, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Penalty stops Eagles, 10–7". The Boston Globe. November 6, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Vols win again, stuff Rebels, 20–12". Kingsport Times-News. November 13, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "UK ends year of near-misses with 28–24 loss to Tennessee". The Courier-Journal. November 20, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Davis sparks UT victory". The Leaf-Chronicle. November 27, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1988 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
13. "1989 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.