TTicket Stub: September 3, 1988 - Washington State (44) vs. Illinois (7) in Champaign-Urbana. Measures about 3.25" x 2" and is ungraded. Selling as is - see photos for condition as there may be some wear and creases! Will ship in a plastic top loader. FREE SHIPPING!!

The Cougars ran for 373 yards to hand the Illini their worst opening day setback since 1968. Howard Griffith started his first game at fullback and had a 53 yard touchdown.

The 1988 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second and final season under head coach Dennis Erickson, the Cougars compiled a 9–3 record (5–3 in Pac-10, tied for third), and outscored their opponents 415 to 303. The team's statistical leaders included Timm Rosenbach with 3,097 passing yards, Steve Broussard with 1,280 rushing yards, and Tim Stallworth with 1,151 receiving yards. On October 29, Washington State beat No. 1 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, their first and only win ever over a No. 1 ranked team. Several months after this season, Erickson departed for Miami in early March 1989, and Mike Price was hired a week later; a former Cougar player and assistant, he was previously the head coach for eight years in the Big Sky Conference at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. Quarterback Rosenbach opted not to stay as a fifth-year senior in 1989 and announced his intent to turn professional in April. He entered the NFL's supplemental draft, and was selected in July with the second pick by the recently relocated Phoenix Cardinals.

The 1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach John Mackovic, the Fighting Illini compiled a 6–5–1 record (5–2–1 in conference games), tied for third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 235 to 229. They concluded the season with a loss to Florida and freshman running back Emmit Smith in the 1988 All-American Bowl. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jeff George (2,257 passing yards, 57.9% completion percentage), running back Keith Jones (1,108 rushing yards, 60 points scored), and Steve Williams (38 receptions for 523 receiving yards). Three Illinois players won first-team honors on the 1988 All-Big Ten Conference football team: defensive lineman Moe Gardner (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive back Glenn Cobb (AP-1, UPI-1); and linebacker Darrick Brownlow (AP-1).