# 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

The 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Ken Hatfield, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, winning the SWC title. Arkansas was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Razorbacks lost to UCLA. The team played home games at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Defensive end Wayne Martin, safety Steve Atwater, and placekicker Kendall Trainor were all named 1st Team All-American. Senior linebacker LaSalle Harper was named defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl, despite Arkansas losing the game.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | Pacific (CA)* | | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | | W 63–14 | 49,600 |
| September 10 | Tulsa* | | Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | | W 30–26 | 43,008 |
| September 17 | Ole Miss* | | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR (rivalry) | | W 21–13 | 55,360 |
| October 1 | TCU | | Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | Raycom | W 53–10 | 41,240 |
| October 8 | Texas Tech | No. 20 | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | | W 31–10 | 49,818 |
| October 15 | at Texas | No. 17 | Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (rivalry) | HSE | W 27–24 | 73,451 |
| October 22 | at Houston | No. 13 | Houston AstrodomeHouston, TX | Raycom | W 26–21 | 21,775 |
| October 29 | Rice | No. 11 | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | | W 21–14 | 50,612 |
| November 5 | at Baylor | No. 11 | Floyd Casey StadiumWaco, TX | HSE | W 33–3 | 40,148 |
| November 12 | Texas A&M | No. 11 | Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR (rivalry) | HSE | W 25–20 | 53,818 |
| November 26 | at No. 3 Miami (FL)* | No. 8 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL | CBS | L 16–18 | 63,271 |
| January 2 | vs. No. 9 UCLA* | No. 8 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | CBS | L 3–17 | 74,304 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | 19 т | 17 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 13 |

## Game summaries
### At Miami (FL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Razorbacks | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
| • No. 3 Hurricanes | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 18 |

### Vs. UCLA (Cotton Bowl)
## 1989 NFL draft

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Wayne Martin | Defensive end | 1 | 19 | New Orleans Saints |
| Steve Atwater | Strong safety | 1 | 20 | Denver Broncos |
| Fred Childress | Guard | 2 | 55 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Kerry Owens | Linebacker | 4 | 89 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Richard Brothers | Defensive back | 7 | 189 | Chicago Bears |
| Kendall Trainor | Kicker | 9 | 234 | Phoenix Cardinals |
| LaSalle Harper | Linebacker | 9 | 243 | Chicago Bears |