1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Gator Bowl, L 28–35 vs. Georgia Tech
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22 [1]
AP	No. 22 [1]
Record	9–3
Head coach	Bob Davie (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Colletto (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Option
Defensive coordinator	Greg Mattison (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium (c. 80,012, grass)
Seasons ←  1997 1999  →

1998 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
UCF			–						9	–	2
No. 22 Notre Dame			–						9	–	3
Louisiana Tech			–						6	–	6
Northeast Louisiana			–						5	–	6
UAB			–						4	–	7
Arkansas State			–						4	–	8
Navy			–						3	–	8
Southwestern Louisiana			–						2	–	9
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. ^[2] The team was coached by Bob Davie and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	2:30 p.m.	No. 5 Michigan	No. 22	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 36–20	80,012
September 12	8:00 p.m.	at Michigan State	No. 10	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ABC	L 23–45	74,267
September 26	2:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 23	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 31–30	80,012
October 3	2:30 p.m.	Stanford	No. 23	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 35–17	80,012
October 10	3:30 p.m.	at Arizona State	No. 22	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	ABC	W 28–9	73,501
October 24	2:30 p.m.	Army	No. 18	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 20–17	80,012
October 31	2:30 p.m.	Baylor	No. 16	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 27–3	80,012
November 7	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 13	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (Holy War)	CBS	W 31–26	44,500
November 14	3:30 p.m.	vs. Navy	No. 12	Jack Kent Cooke Stadium Landover, MD (rivalry)	CBS	W 30–0	78,844
November 21	1:30 p.m.	LSU	No. 10	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 39–36	80,012
November 28	8:00 p.m.	at USC	No. 9	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	ABC	L 0–10	90,069
January 1, 1999	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech	No. 17	Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) (rivalry)	NBC	L 28–35	70,791
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

See also: 1998 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	22	10	23	23T	23T	22	18	18	16	13	12	10	9	16	17	22
Coaches Poll	24	11	25	RV	23	22	20	20	16	13	13	10	10	16	18	22
BCS	Not released								16	13	12	10	9	—	—	Not released

Roster

1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 88 Bobby Brown Jr RB 23 Autry Denson Sr RB 12 Tony Fisher Fr WR 6 David Givens Fr TE 87 Jabari Holloway So WR 21 Javin Hunter Fr QB 7 Jarious Jackson Jr WR 83 Malcolm Johnson Sr TE 86 Dan O'Leary So OT 54 Luke Petitgout Sr G 79 Mike Rosenthal Sr OT 71 Jerry Wisne Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 30 Rocky Boiman Fr LB 39 Anthony Denman So S 25 Tony Driver So LB 51 Tyreo Harrison Fr LB 27 Bobbie Howard Sr DE 44 Grant Irons So DT 90 Lance Legree So LB 4 Kory Minor Sr CB 1 Brock Williams So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Jim Sanson P 8 Hunter Smith Sr	Head coach Bob Davie Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Season summary

With wins in their final five regular season games of 1997, the Irish started Davie's second season with confidence. Despite losing record-setting quarterback Ron Powlus, the Irish returned 14  starters, including tailback Autry Denson and three senior linebackers that were placed on the preliminary list for the Dick Butkus Award. ^[3] Powlus was replaced by Jarious Jackson who had played sparingly in 1997 but had amassed almost 200 passing yards in the time. ^[4] In Jackson's first start, against Michigan, he threw two touchdowns to lead the Irish, ranked 22nd, over the 5th ranked Wolverines. Denson added 162 yards and two touchdowns to give the Irish a 36–20 win. ^[5] The Irish moved to tenth in the rankings, however didn't stay long, as Michigan State, who led by 39 points at halftime, beat the Irish for the second year in a row. ^[6] Dropping back to 23rd in the nation, the Irish returned home to face Purdue. The Boilermakers handed the Irish their first loss in 1997 which dropped the Irish from the rankings, and the Irish looked for retribution in this game. With the Irish down two with less than two minutes remaining, Tony Driver, who was switched to cornerback in the offseason, intercepted a Drew Brees pass to set up the go-ahead field goal for the Irish. With the Boilermakers once again moving the ball, Driver had his second interception with less than a minute remaining to preserve the win for the Irish. ^[7]

The Irish won all four of their October games, including a win over Stanford, ^[8] a dominating win at Arizona State, ^[9] a last minute win over Army, ^[10] and a win over Baylor led by Denson's career high of 189 yards, ^[11] to move back into the top-15 in the rankings. In the next game, the Boston College Eagles were poised for the upset of the Irish. Down 30–26, the Eagles had the ball on the Irish four-yard line with less than a minute remaining. The Irish defense, however, held the Eagles for four downs to preserve the win. ^[12] The next week, led by Denson, who became the all-time leader in rushing yards at Notre Dame, the Irish shut-out Navy to increase their NCAA record winning streak over the Midshipmen to 35 games. ^[13] Once again ranked tenth, the Irish faced LSU in their final home game. Avenging their loss in the 1997 Independence Bowl, the Irish beat the Tigers on a late touchdown run. ^[14] With a potential BCS berth on the line, and without Jackson, who was injured in the final play against LSU, the Irish traveled to face rivals USC in their final regular season game. Playing two backups at quarterback, including true freshman Arnaz Battle, the Irish were dominated by the tough Trojan defense that caused five turnovers. Though the Trojans, led by freshman quarterback Carson Palmer, couldn't produce much offense themselves, they only needed two scores to defeat the Irish 10–0. ^[15] Missing out on a BCS bowl game, the Irish, who signed a deal early in the year that gave them a tie-in with the Big East Conference bowl games, ^[16] accepted a bid to play Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl. Wearing their alternate green jerseys for the first time since the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, the Irish got behind early to the Yellow Jackets with two long touchdowns. Though closing the gap to a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Irish couldn't move the ball on their last two drives and lost their fourth straight bowl game. ^[17] They finished the season with a 9–3 record and dropped to 22nd in the national rankings. ^[1]

After the season, seven players were taken in the 1999 National Football League (NFL) Draft. Among them were Denson, who left with multiple Notre Dame rushing records, Malcolm Johnson, who left with a Notre Dame record of six consecutive games with a touchdown catch, and most of the offensive line starters. ^[18] Also, offensive coordinator, Jim Colletto, was lured away to the NFL by Baltimore. ^[19]

Michigan

See also: 1998 Michigan Wolverines football team

#5 Michigan Wolverines (0–0) at #22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	3	10	0	7	20
Notre Dame	3	3	17	13	36

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: September 5
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 80,012
• TV: NBC
• Box Score, Box Score

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	Tom Brady	23/36, 267 Yds
	Rushing	Clarence Williams	13 Rush, 114 Yds
	Receiving	Marcus Knight	5 Rec, 126 Yds
Notre Dame	Passing	Jarious Jackson	4/10, 96 Yds, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Autry Denson	24 Rush, 162 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Raki Nelson	2 Rec, 68 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP UM ND 1 9:37 57 Michigan 36-yard field goal by Kraig Baker 3 0 1 7:30 5 57 Notre Dame 32-yard field goal by Jim Sanson 3 3 2 11:36 7 54 2:28 Michigan 21-yard field goal by Jay Feely 6 3 2 3:08 11 50 4:29 Notre Dame 27-yard field goal by Jim Sanson 6 6 2 0:23 12 72 2:45 Michigan Tom Brady 1-yard touchdown run, Jay Feely kick good 13 6 3 11:34 10 62 3:26 Notre Dame 32-yard field goal by Jim Sanson 13 9 3 7:40 7 34 3:43 Notre Dame Dan O'Leary 4-yard touchdown reception from Jarious Jackson, Jim Sanson kick good 13 16 3 5:02 1 35 Notre Dame Raki Nelson 35-yard touchdown reception from Jarious Jackson, Jim Sanson kick good 13 23 4 13:23 9 52 4:05 Notre Dame Autry Denson 3-yard touchdown run, Jim Sanson kick good 13 30 4 4:09 Notre Dame Autry Denson 1-yard touchdown run, Jim Sanson kick no good 13 36 4 2:09 80 Michigan Jerame Tuman 8-yard touchdown reception from Drew Henson, Jay Feely kick good 20 36 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 36

Stanford

See also: 1998 Stanford Cardinal football team and Notre Dame – Stanford rivalry

Stanford Cardinal (1–3) at #23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Stanford	3	0	0	14	17
Notre Dame	21	7	7	0	35

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: October 3
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 53 °F (12 °C)
• Game attendance: 80,012
• TV: NBC
• Box Score

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stanford	Passing	Todd Husak	25/41, 226 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Coy Wire	19 Rush, 79 Yds
	Receiving	DeRonnie Pitts	8 Rec, 112 Yds
Notre Dame	Passing	Jarious Jackson	11/15, 163 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Jarious Jackson	18 Rush, 100 Yds, 3 TD
	Receiving	Malcolm Johnson	7 Rec, 113 Yds

References

1. "Final Rankings" (PDF). Notre Dame Football Media Guide. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
2. "Notre Dame Yearly Results (1995-1999)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
3. "Football Prepares for 1998 Season". UND.cstv.com. August 12, 1998. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
4. "Game-By-Game Individual Statistics". UND.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
5. "Notre Dame Owns Second Half, Victory in Opener". UND.cstv.com. September 5, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
6. "Football Upset by Michigan State". UND.cstv.com. September 12, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
7. "Irish Win Thriller Over Boilermakers". UND.cstv.com. September 26, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
8. "Irish Handle Stanford". UND.cstv.com. October 3, 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
9. Reisner, Mel (October 10, 1998). "Football Too Much for Sun Devils in 28–9 Win". UND.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
10. Ross, JR (October 24, 1998). "Notre Dame Edges Army, 20–17". UND.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
11. "Irish Run Over the Bears". UND.cstv.com. October 31, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
12. "Goalline Stand Equals Victory". UND.cstv.com. November 7, 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
13. "Irish Sink Navy, 30–0". UND.cstv.com. November 14, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
14. "Notre Dame Downs LSU". UND.cstv.com. November 21, 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
15. "Irish Blanked by USC". UND.cstv.com. November 28, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
16. "Fallout from the Big East / Notre Dame Bowl Deal Continues". techsideline.com. May 6, 1998. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
17. "Irish Can't Stop Georgia Tech, Fall in Gator Bowl, 35–28". UND.cstv.com. January 1, 1999. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
18. "Seven Notre Dame Players Taken in NFL Draft". UND.cstv.com. April 18, 1999. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
19. "Assistant Football Coach Heads to NFL". UND.cstv.com. February 5, 1999. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2007.