1988 Northwestern State Demons football team

The 1988 Northwestern State Demons football team was an American football team that represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their sixth year under head coach Sam Goodwin, the team compiled an overall record of 10–3, with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, and finished as Southland champion. After they defeated Boise State in the forst round, the Demons lost to Idaho in the Division I-AA quarterfinals.

1988 Northwestern State Demons football
SLC champion
NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal, L 30–38 vs. Idaho
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	10–3 (6–0 Southland)
Head coach	Sam Goodwin (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	John Thompson (3rd season)
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Northwestern State $^	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
No. 9 Stephen F. Austin ^	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
No. 10 North Texas ^	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
McNeese State	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Northeast Louisiana	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
SW Texas State	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Sam Houston State	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Southwest Missouri State*		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 24–8		[1]
September 10	at No. T–18 Nevada*		Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	L 26–35	13,850	[2]
September 24	No. 10 (D-II) East Texas State*		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 41–13	8,200	[3]
October 1	Southwest Texas State		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 49–21	8,500	[4]
October 8	at McNeese State	No. T–19	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	W 25–20		[5]
October 15	Nicholls State*	No. 18	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	W 27–12		[6]
October 22	vs. Northeast Louisiana	No. 16	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (rivalry)	W 27–15	11,568	[7]
October 29	Sam Houston State	No. 13	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 49–14	9,750	[8]
November 5	at No. 7 North Texas	No. 11	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 25–17	13,920	[9]
November 12	at No. 10 Jackson State*	No. 7	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 16–21	10,500	[10][11]
November 19	at No. 1 Stephen F. Austin	No. 10	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (rivalry)	W 20–17		[12]
November 26	at No. 12 Boise State*	No. 8	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID (NCAA Division I-AA first round)	W 22–13	10,537	[13][14]
December 3	at No. 1 Idaho*	No. 8	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID (NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal)	L 30–38	6,800	[15][16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game