1988 John Hancock Sun Bowl , part of the 1988 bowl game season , took place on December 24 , 1988 , at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso , Texas . The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide , representing the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , and the Army Cadets , competing as a football independent . The game put Alabama 's air attack against Army 's ground attack , and ended with Alabama just edging past Army in the fourth quarter to win the game 29 – 28
football independent
NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
1988 Sun Bowl