The 1988 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 1988, was the 17th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the .

Nebraska scored first following a 3 yard touchdown run from halfback Keith Jones, opening up a 7-0 lead 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, for Nebraska to open a 14-0 lead.

Florida State got on the board, after quarterback Danny McManus threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Herb Gainer, cutting the lead in half. With 4:48 left in the first half, running back Dayne Williams scored from 4 yards out, to tie the game at 14. With 44 seconds left in the half, McManus connected with Gainer on a 25 yard connection, 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's Steve Taylor notched the equalizer, rumbling in from 2 yards out, tying the game at 21. Florida State settled for a field goal, and claimed 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 4 yard touchdown run, giving Nebraska a 28-24 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Nebraska got the ball back on its own 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. Tyreese Knox took the handoff, looking for a sure touchdown, when a defender forced a fumble at the goal line, recovered by Florida State. Following 10 plays, on an 82 yard drive, Florida State had moved to the Nebraska 15. McManus threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Ronald Lewis to give Florida State the clinching 31-28 score.

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External links

• http://huskerpedia.com/games/1987/12floridastate.html