1998 UMass Minutemen football | |
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Division I-AA Championship Game, W 55–43 vs. Georgia Southern | |
Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
New England Division | |
Record | 12–3 (6–2 A-10) |
Head coach |
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Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
Defensive coordinator | Don Brown (1st season) |
Base defense | 4–3 |
Home stadium | Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New England Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 1 UMass x^ | 6 | – | 2 | 12 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 9 Connecticut x^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maine | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Hampshire | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rhode Island | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mid-Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 10 Richmond x$^ | 7 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 23 Delaware | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Villanova | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 17 William & Mary | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northeastern | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Madison | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1998 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. 1998 was the most successful season in Minutemen history, as UMass won their first national championship in the NCAA DI-AA playoffs in Whipple's first year with the team. UMass entered the postseason as champions of the A-10, but were not expected to make a serious run for the title. They reached the final game ranked 12th in the nation, and were matched up with perennial powerhouse Georgia Southern, the top ranked team in the country. The Minutemen rushed out of the gates, scoring three touchdowns in the opening quarter, and won the shootout by a final score of 55–43. UMass finished the season with a record of 12–3 overall and 6–2 in conference play.
Schedule
[edit]Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Delaware | L 30–33 | 20,744 | ||||
September 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Richmond | W 22–17 | 10,219 | ||||
September 26 | 1:00 p.m. | Buffalo* | W 51–27 | 11,672 | ||||
October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Hofstra* | W 40–35 | 5,308 | ||||
October 10 | 1:00 p.m. | James Madison | No. 24 |
| W 28–26 | 14,202 | [1] | |
October 17 | 1:30 p.m. | at No. 15 Connecticut | No. 18 | L 41–44 | 8,581 | |||
October 24 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 22 Villanova![]() | No. 19 |
| W 36–26 | 12,135 | [2] | |
October 31 | 12:30 p.m. | at New Hampshire | No. 16 | W 27–26 | 3,578 | |||
November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at Rhode Island | No. 12 | W 23–13 | 5,036 | |||
November 14 | 12:30 p.m. | Maine | No. 10 |
| W 55–34 | 10,355 | ||
November 21 | 12:30 p.m. | No. 9 Connecticut* | No. 7 |
| L 27–28 | 16,392 | ||
November 28 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 6 McNeese State* | No. 12 | W 21–19 | 11,349 | [3] | ||
December 5 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 13 Lehigh* | No. 12 |
| W 27–21 | 12,108 | [4] | |
December 12 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Northwestern State* | No. 12 |
| W 41–31 | 10,424 | [5][6] | |
December 19 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Georgia Southern* | No. 12 | ESPN | W 55–43 | 17,501 | ||
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References
[edit]- ^ "Smith tip-top in UMass win". The Boston Globe. October 11, 1998. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UMass able to hold on". The Boston Globe. October 25, 1998. Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UMass holds on for its playoff life". The Boston Globe. November 29, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Burris, Joe (December 6, 1998). "UMass Is One of Four Still Moving Forward". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Town Talk 06 Dec 1998, page Page 16".
- ^ "Football vs Northwestern State on 12/12/1998 - Box Score".