The Aloha Bowl
1988
Washington State 24
Houston 22
In a battle of Cougars, Washington State scored 24 points in the second quarter and shut down Houston’s potent run-and-shoot offense to claim a 24-22 win in the 1988 Aloha Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Washington State piled up 216 yards rushing and added 154 through the air while holding UH to 68 rushing yards and 309 yards overall. Tailback Steve Broussard led WSU with 139 yards on the ground, and QB Timm Rosenbach threw for 306.
James Dixon started the game off well for UH by taking the opening kickoff 84 yards to the Washington State 15-yard line. The Cougars advanced to the 10 before Roman Anderson’s 27-yard field goal gave UH a 3-0 lead.
Washington State drove to the UH four, but Rosenbach was sacked, and his fumble was recovered by Houston’s Keith Jenkins. The teams traded punts until WSU’s Vernon Todd intercepted an Andre Ware pass at his own 45-yard line. Broussard bobbled a handoff and fumbled at the UH five, but WSU flanker Victor Wood recovered and took the ball the remaining five yards for the touchdown.
After forcing a Houston punt, WSU started on an 80-yard drive. Rosenbach hit Wood from 15 yards out with 8:39 left in the half, and Jason Hanson’s PAT made it WSU 14, UH 3. Ware’s next pass was intercepted and returned to the Houston 15. Hanson’s 33-yard field goal extended the Cougars’ lead to 17-3. Houston pulled to within eight on its next possession when Ware hit Jason Phillips for a 44-yard completion and Chuck Weatherspoon scored on a one-yard run for UH’s first touchdown of the day. However, Roman Anderson missed what would prove to be a crucial extra point attempt following Weatherspoon’s score.
Washington State answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive before halftime. Rosenbach scored from the one, and WSU led 24-9 at the break. Houston’s Cougars were not able to mount a drive in the third quarter until David Dacus replaced Ware with 6:07 on the clock. He quickly hit Kevin Mason with a 53-yard bomb down the right sideline. After a failed conversion pass, Houston trailed 24-15.
Washington State penetrated to the Houston eight, where Alton Montgomery stepped in front of a Rosenbach pass at the goal line and took it all the way back to the WSU 28 for a 72-yard return. Weatherspoon and Dacus combined to take the Cougars the rest of the way, with Weatherspoon earning the touchdown on a shovel pass from Dacus. After the Anderson PAT, Houston trailed by two with 13:16 left in the game.
Washington State’s next drive stalled on the UH 34, where Rosenbach’s pass on fourth and three fell incomplete. Houston was unable to sustain a drive and the teams exchanged punts. Houston got the ball back with 5:16 left and drove from its own 20 to the WSU 31. From there, Dacus hit Dixon with a 21-yard pass to the 10. Dixon eluded one tackle, but was hit by linebacker Tuineau Alipate and fumbled. The ball rolled to the five, where it was recovered by WSU’s Artie Holmes with 2:44 left. WSU ran out the clock to secure the 24-22 victory.
Chuck Weatherspoon led the Houston offense.
Timm Rosenbach drops back to pass.
WSU edged Andre Ware and Houston.
Victor Wood celebrates touchdown.
Tim Stallworth makes a sideline grab of a Rosenbach pass.
Attendance- 35,132
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UH- FG Anderson 27
Second Quarter
WSU- Wood 9 fumble yard recovery (Hanson kick)
WSU- Wood 15 yard pass from Rosenbach (Hanson kick)
WSU- FG Hanson 33
UH- Weatherspoon 1 run (kick failed)
WSU- Rosenbach 1 run (Hanson kick)
Third Quarter
UH – Mason 53 yard pass from Dacus (pass failed)
Fourth Quarter
UH- Weatherspoon 2 yard pass from Dacus (Anderson kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UH- Weatherspoon 14-80
WSU: Broussard 33-139
Passing
UH- Dacus 8-11-153, Ware 8-28-44
WSU- Rosenbach 19-36-306
Receiving
UH- Mason 2-83-1, Dixon 4-52
WSU- Stallworth 8-120
