1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
SEC Western Division co-champion
SEC Championship Game, L 14–24 vs. Tennessee
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 11–38 vs. Texas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Record	8–5 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Lynn Amedee (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Joe Lee Dunn (3rd season)
Base defense	3–3–5
Home stadium	Scott Field
Seasons ←  1997 1999  →

1998 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 1 Tennessee x$#		8	–	0					13	–	0
No. 5 Florida  %		7	–	1					10	–	2
No. 14 Georgia		6	–	2					9	–	3
Kentucky		4	–	4					7	–	5
Vanderbilt		1	–	7					2	–	9
South Carolina		0	–	8					1	–	10
Western Division
No. 16 Arkansas x		6	–	2					9	–	3
Mississippi State xy		6	–	2					8	–	5
Alabama		4	–	4					7	–	5
Ole Miss		3	–	5					7	–	5
LSU		2	–	6					4	–	7
Auburn		1	–	7					3	–	8
Championship: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University as a member of the Western Division of the Southern Conference (SEC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jackie Sherrill, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, sharing the SEC's Western Division title with Arkansas. By virtue of Mississippi State's head-to-head win over the Razorbacks, the team advanced to the SEC Championship Game, losing to the eventual national champion, Tennessee. This remains the only appearance in the SEC Championship Game for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they were defeated by Texas. Mississippi State played home games Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	5:00 pm	Vanderbilt		Scott Field Starkville, MS	ESPN2	W 42–0	32,150	[1]
September 12	11:30 am	at Memphis *		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	FSN	W 14–6	28,467	[2]
September 19	6:00 pm	at Oklahoma State *	No. 25	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		L 23–42	42,250	[3]
September 26	11:30 am	at South Carolina		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	JPS	W 38–0	70,052	[4]
October 10	11:30 am	Auburn		Scott Field Starkville, MS	JPS	W 38–21	40,029	[5]
October 17	1:30 pm	East Tennessee State *		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS		W 53–6	37,573	[6]
October 24	5:00 pm	at LSU	No. 24	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 6–41	80,040	[7]
November 7	5:00 pm	at Kentucky		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	ESPN2	L 35–37	57,760	[8]
November 14	11:30 am	Alabama		Scott Field Starkville, MS (rivalry)	JPS	W 26–14	40,517	[9]
November 21	11:30 am	No. 9 Arkansas		Scott Field Starkville, MS	JPS	W 22–21	36,656	[10]
November 26	7:00 pm	at Ole Miss	No. 25	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	ESPN	W 28–6	50,412	[11]
December 5	6:30 pm	vs. No. 1 Tennessee *	No. 23	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game)	ABC	L 14–24	74,795	[12]
January 1	10:00 am	vs. No. 20 Texas *	No. 25	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	FOX	L 11–38	72,611	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

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Rankings

See also: 1998 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	25	—	—	RV	RV	24	—	—	—	RV	25	23	25	RV
Coaches Poll	—	—	RV	—	—	RV	RV	24	RV	—	—	RV	24	22	23	RV
BCS	Not released								—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Game summaries

Ole Miss

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
•Mississippi St	7	7	7	7	28
Ole Miss	3	3	0	0	6

• Date: November 26
• Location: Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
• Game attendance: 50,412
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico & Mike Gottfried

Scoring summary

1	9:36	MISS	Carlisle McGee 40 yard field goal	MISS 3-0
1	4:27	MSU	James Johnson 2 yard run (Brian Hazelwood kick)	MSU 7-3
2	7:36	MSU	James Johnson 1 yard run (Brian Hazelwood kick)	MSU 14-3
2	1:51	MISS	Carlisle McGee 22 yard field goal	MSU 14-6
3	1:06	MSU	Dicenzo Miller 28 yard pass from Wayne Madkin (Brian Hazelwood kick)	MSU 21-6
4	2:34	MSU	Tim Nelson 30 yard interception return (Brian Hazelwood kick)	MSU 28-6

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References

1. McMillan, Zack (September 6, 1998). "Bulldogs pound Vanderbilt". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Miss. St. holds off Memphis". The Tennessean. September 13, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Oklahoma State pounds Miss. State". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 20, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Gamecocks dazed by defeat". The Charlotte Observer. September 27, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "MSU downs Auburn, still unbeaten in SEC". The Vicksburg Post. October 11, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bulldogs maul Buccaneers". Johnson City Press. October 18, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "LSU takes bite out of Dawgs". The Sun Herald. October 25, 1998. Retrieved July 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "MSU falls short against 'Cats". The Greenwood Commonwealth. November 8, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Deja vu: Dogs need 2 more wins all over again". The Clarion-Ledger. November 15, 1998. Retrieved February 20, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Bulldogs take Hogs to wire". The Shreveport Times. November 22, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bulldogs advance to SEC title game". Birmingham Post-Herald. November 27, 1998. Retrieved July 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tennessee overtakes Mississippi State 24–14". The Courier-Journal. December 6, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Longhorns rout Mississippi State in Cotton Bowl". The Odessa American. January 2, 1999. Retrieved October 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1998 Mississippi State Football Results/Schedule". Mississippi State Athletics. Archived from the original on January 28, 1999. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
15. "NCAA Football - Mississippi State vs. Mississippi". USA Today .