In 1987, Mallory became the first Big Ten coach to be awarded back-to-back coach of the year honors after the Hoosiers earned an 8–4 record (with wins over Ohio State and Michigan), a second-place finish in the Big Ten, and a Peach Bowl appearance against Tennessee. In what was the first-ever meeting between the schools, Tennessee was victorious by a final score of 27–22. In 1988, Indiana finished the regular season with a 7–3–1 record, a 5–3 mark in the Big Ten, and a top-20 ranking. It earned the team a postseason berth for the third consecutive year with a game against South Carolina in the 1988 Liberty Bowl. The Hoosiers dominated the game and cruised to a 34–10 victory before 39,210 fans. Indiana set a Liberty Bowl record with 575 yards of total offense. Indiana finished with a 6–4–1 regular-season record in 1990, a mark good enough to earn the Hoosiers a berth in the Peach Bowl for a game against the Auburn Tigers, which Indiana would lose 27–23. Part of Indiana's success can be attributed to star running back Vaughn Dunbar.