1988 All-American Bowl

The 1988 All-American Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the University of Florida Gators on December 29, 1988. The game was the final contest of the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 14–10 victory for Florida.

1988 All-American Bowl
Illinois Fighting Illini Florida Gators (6–4–1) (6–5) Big Ten SEC 10 14 Head coach:  John Mackovic Head coach:  Galen Hall
1 2 3 4 Total Illinois 0 7 0 3 10 Florida 7 0 0 7 14
Date	December 29, 1988
Season	1988
Stadium	Legion Field
Location	Birmingham, Alabama
MVP	RB Emmitt Smith (Florida)[1]
Attendance	48,218
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Roger Twibell and Lee Corso
All-American Bowl ←  1987 1989 →

Game summary

Head Coach John Mackovic led Illinois to a 6-4-1 record and a third-place finish in the Big Ten, reaching the All-American Bowl against the successful Southeastern Conference team from Florida. On the first play from scrimmage, Florida freshman Emmitt Smith ran 55 yards for a touchdown. Illinois tied the score on a 30-yard run by Keith Jones in the second quarter. After a fourth-quarter Doug Higgins field goal gave Illinois a three-point lead, Smith scored his second touchdown with less than four minutes remaining to give the Gators the victory.

Scoring summary

Quarter	Team	Scoring summary	Score
			Illinois	Florida
1	Florida	Emmitt Smith 55-yard touchdown run, John Francis kick good	0	7
2	Illinois	Keith Jones 30-yard touchdown run, Doug Higgins kick good	7	7
3			7	7
4	Illinois	Doug Higgins 44-yard field goal	10	7
	Florida	Emmitt Smith 2-yard touchdown run, John Francis kick good	10	14
			10	14

Statistical summary

Team Statistics

(Rushing-Passing-Total): UI - 55-194-249; UF - 187-69-256.

Individual Statistical Leaders

Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TD): UI - Jones 18-88-1; UF - Smith 28-159-2.

Passing (Att.-Comp.-Int.-TD-Yds.): UI - Jeff George 37-20-2-0-194; UF - Kyle Morris 12-6-2-0-50.

Receiving (No.-Yds.-TD): UI - Mike Bellamy 5-49-0; Steven Williams 5-49-0; UF - Terence Barber 4-29-0.

References

1. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 100. Retrieved October 1, 2011.