1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Gator Bowl, L 28–35 vs. Georgia Tech
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 22
APNo. 22
Record9–3
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJim Colletto (2nd season)
Offensive schemeOption
Defensive coordinatorGreg Mattison (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
MVPAutry Denson
Captains
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
1998 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
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 was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Bob Davie, the Irish compiled a 9–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 300 to 213, and were ranked No. 22 in the final AP poll and UPI polls. They opened the season with a victory over No. 5 Michigan but lost the following week to unranked Michigan State. They then won eight straight games over unranked opponents before losing to USC. They ended the season with a loss to Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.[1][2]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jarious Jackson (1,740 passing yards), tailback Autry Denson (1,274 rushing yards, 90 points scored), wide receiver Malcolm Johnson (43 receptions for 692 yards), and linebacker Bobbie Howard (118 tackles).[3][4]

The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 52:30 p.m.No. 5 MichiganNo. 22
NBCW 36–2080,012
September 128:00 p.m.at Michigan StateNo. 10
ABCL 23–4574,267
September 262:30 p.m.PurdueNo. 23
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 31–3080,012
October 32:30 p.m.StanfordNo. 23
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 35–1780,012
October 103:30 p.m.at Arizona StateNo. 22
ABCW 28–973,501
October 242:30 p.m.ArmyNo. 18
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 20–1780,012
October 312:30 p.m.BaylorNo. 16
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
NBCW 27–380,012
November 712:00 p.m.at Boston CollegeNo. 13
CBSW 31–2644,500
November 143:30 p.m.vs. NavyNo. 12
CBSW 30–078,844
November 211:30 p.m.LSUNo. 10
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
NBCW 39–3680,012[5]
November 288:00 p.m.at USCNo. 9
ABCL 0–1090,069
January 1, 199912:00 p.m.vs. No. 12 Georgia TechNo. 17
NBCL 28–3570,791[6]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP22102323T23T221818161312109161722
Coaches Poll241125RV232220201613131010161822
BCSNot released161312109——Not released

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.[7] Powlus was replaced by Jarious Jackson who had played sparingly in 1997 but had amassed almost 200 passing yards in the time.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

The Irish won all four of their October games, including a win over Stanford,[12] a dominating win at Arizona State,[13] a last minute win over Army,[14] and a win over Baylor led by Denson's career high of 189 yards,[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] 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,[20] 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.[21] They finished the season with a 9–3 record and dropped to 22nd in the national rankings.

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.[22] Also, offensive coordinator, Jim Colletto, was lured away to the NFL by Baltimore.[23]

Game summaries

Michigan

No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (0–0) at No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Michigan 3 10 0720
Notre Dame 3 3 171336

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Michigan PassingTom Brady23/36, 267 Yds
RushingClarence Williams13 Rush, 114 Yds
ReceivingMarcus Knight5 Rec, 126 Yds
Notre Dame PassingJarious Jackson4/10, 96 Yds, 2 TD, INT
RushingAutry Denson24 Rush, 162 Yds, 2 TD
ReceivingRaki Nelson2 Rec, 68 Yds, TD

At Michigan State

Purdue

Stanford

Stanford Cardinal (1–3) at No. 23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–1)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Stanford 3 0 01417
Notre Dame 21 7 7035

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
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Stanford PassingTodd Husak25/41, 226 Yds, TD
RushingCoy Wire19 Rush, 79 Yds
ReceivingDeRonnie Pitts8 Rec, 112 Yds
Notre Dame PassingJarious Jackson11/15, 163 Yds, INT
RushingJarious Jackson18 Rush, 100 Yds, 3 TD
ReceivingMalcolm Johnson7 Rec, 113 Yds

At Arizona State

Army

Baylor

At Boston College

vs Navy

LSU

At USC

Vs. Georgia Tech—Gator Bowl

Roster

1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
QB 3 Arnaz Battle Fr
WR 88 Bobby Brown Jr
WR 18 Joey Getherall Fr
RB 23 Autry Denson Sr
RB 12 Tony Fisher Fr
G 69 Mike Gandy Jr
WR 14 David Givens Fr
FB 45 Joey Goodspeed Jr
TE 87 Jabari Holloway So
WR 21 Javin Hunter Fr
QB 7 Jarious Jackson Jr
WR 6 Malcolm Johnson Sr
C 64 John Merandi Jr
TE 86 Dan O'Leary So
OT 54 Luke Petitgout Sr
G 79 Mike Rosenthal Sr
OT 71 Jerry Wisne Sr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB 30 Rocky Boiman Fr
DE 99 Jason Ching Jr
FS 1 Deke Cooper Jr
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
CB 36 Tim Lynch Sr
LB 4 Kory Minor Sr
DE 93 B. J. Scott Jr
LB 49 Joe Thomas Sr
DE 98 Anthony Weaver Fr
DT 94 Andy Wisne So
CB 1 Brock Williams So
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 19 Jim Sanson Jr
P 8 Hunter Smith Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

Statistics

Passing

  1. Jarious Jackson - 104 of 188 (55.3%) for 1,740 yards, 13 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
  2. Arnaz Battle - 8 of 20 (40.0%) for 134 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions

[3][4]

Rushing

  1. Autry Denson - 1,176 yards on 251 attempts, 4.7-yard average, 15 touchdowns
  2. Jarious Jackson - 441 yards on 113 attempts, 3.9-yard average, 3 touchdowns
  3. Jamie Spencer - 256 yards on 54 attempts, 4.7-yard average, 2 touchdowns
  4. Joey Goodspeed, 202 yards on 29 attempts, 7.0-yard average, 0 touchdowns

[3][4]

Receiving

  1. Malcolm Johnson - 43 receptions for 692 yards, 16.1-yard average, 6 touchdowns
  2. Bobby Brown - 13 receptions for 286 yards, 22.0-yard average, 1 touchdown
  3. Jabari Holloway - 15 receptions for 262 yards, 17.5-yard average, 2 touchdowns
  4. Raki Nelson - 11 receptions for 217 yards, 19.7-yard average, 2 touchdowns
  5. Joey Getherall - 13 receptions for 197 yards, 15.2-yard average, 1 touchdown

[3][4]

Scoring

  1. Autry Denson - 90 points scored, 15 touchdowns
  2. Jim Sanson - 64 points scored, 31 or 36 PAT, 11 of 15 field goals
  3. Malcolm Johnson - 36 points, 6 touchdowns

[3][4]

Tackles

  1. Bobbie Howard (LB) - 118
  2. Jimmy Friday (LB) - 79
  3. Deke Cooper (DB) - 78
  4. Tony Driver (CB) - 60
  5. Kory Minor (LB) - 60
  6. A'Jani Sanders (S) - 58

[4]

References

  1. ↑ "1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  2. ↑ "1998 Football Review: The 58th Annual Post-Season Report" (PDF). The Notre Dame Scholastic. January 1999. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Notre Dame Archives.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1998 Football Review, p. 48.
  5. ↑ "Bittersweet win for Irish". The Indianapolis Star. November 22, 1998. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Yellow Jackets leave Irish buzzing, 35–28". Detroit Free Press. January 2, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Football Prepares for 1998 Season". UND.cstv.com. August 12, 1998. Retrieved August 28, 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ "Game-By-Game Individual Statistics". UND.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ "Football Upset by Michigan State". UND.cstv.com. September 12, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Irish Win Thriller Over Boilermakers". UND.cstv.com. September 26, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Irish Handle Stanford". UND.cstv.com. October 3, 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "Irish Run Over the Bears". UND.cstv.com. October 31, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  16. ↑ "Goalline Stand Equals Victory". UND.cstv.com. November 7, 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  17. ↑ "Irish Sink Navy, 30–0". UND.cstv.com. November 14, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  18. ↑ "Notre Dame Downs LSU". UND.cstv.com. November 21, 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Irish Blanked by USC". UND.cstv.com. November 28, 1998. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Fallout from the Big East / Notre Dame Bowl Deal Continues". techsideline.com. May 6, 1998. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. ↑ "Seven Notre Dame Players Taken in NFL Draft". UND.cstv.com. April 18, 1999. Retrieved August 29, 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ↑ "Assistant Football Coach Heads to NFL". UND.cstv.com. February 5, 1999. Retrieved August 29, 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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