1998 UMass Minutemen football team

1998 UMass Minutemen football
National Champions A-10 Champions Lambert Cup Winners
NCAA Division I-AA Championship vs. Georgia Southern, W 55–43
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference New England Division
1998 record	12–3 (6–2 A-10)
Head coach	Mark Whipple (1st year)
Home stadium	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium (17,000)

1998 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
New England
#8 Connecticut x^		6	–	2					10	–	3
#12 UMass x^		6	–	2					12	–	3
Maine		3	–	5					6	–	5
New Hampshire		3	–	5					4	–	7
Rhode Island		2	–	6					3	–	8
Mid–Atlantic
#5 Richmond x$^		7	–	1					9	–	3
#22 Delaware		4	–	4					7	–	4
Villanova		4	–	4					6	–	5
#16 William & Mary		4	–	4					7	–	4
Northeastern		3	–	5					5	–	6
James Madison		2	–	6					3	–	8
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I–AA Poll

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

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3, 1998	7:00 PM	at #3 Delaware		Delaware Stadium • Newark, DE		L 30–33	20,744
September 12, 1998	1:00 PM	at Richmond		UR Stadium • Richmond, VA		W 22–17	10,219
September 26, 1998	1:00 PM	Buffalo*		McGuirk Stadium • Hadley, MA		W 51–27	11,672
October 3, 1998	12:00 PM	at #5 Hofstra*		Hofstra Stadium • Hempstead, NY		W 40–35	5,308
October 10, 1998	1:00 PM	James Madison	#24	McGuirk Stadium • Hadley, MA		W 28–26	14,202
October 17, 1998	1:30 PM	at Connecticut	#18	Memorial Stadium • Storrs, CT (Rivalry)		L 41–44	8,581
October 24, 1998	1:00 PM	Villanova	#19	McGuirk Stadium • Hadley, MA		W 36–26	12,135
October 31, 1998	12:30 PM	at New Hampshire	#16	Cowell Stadium • Durham, NH (Rivalry)		W 27–26	3,578
November 7, 1998	12:00 PM	at Rhode Island	#12	Meade Stadium • Kingston, RI		W 23–13	5,036
November 14, 1998	12:30 PM	Maine	#10	McGuirk Stadium • Hadley, MA		W 55–34	10,355
November 21, 1998	12:30 PM	Connecticut*	#7	McGuirk Stadium • Hadley, MA (Rivalry)		L 27–28	16,392
November 28, 1998	7:00 PM	at McNeese State*	#12	Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)		W 21–19	11,349
December 5, 1998	12:00 PM	Lehigh*	#12	McGuirk Stadium • Hadley, MA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinals)		W 27–21	12,108
December 12, 1998	2:00 PM	at Northwestern State*	#12	Turpin Stadium • Natchitoches, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinals)		W 41–31	10,424
December 19, 1998	2:00 PM	vs. #1 Georgia Southern*	#12	Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	ESPN	W 55–43	17,501
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from the FCS Sports Network Poll, unless otherwise noted. All times are in Eastern Time.