# 1998 Syracuse Orangemen football team

The 1998 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Paul Pasqualoni, the Orangemen compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the Big East title. Syracuse was invited to the Orange Bowl, where the Orangemen lost to Florida. The team played home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.
Syracuse University collected the largest share of the $141.2-million pot that was split among bowl games participating universities. Syracuse received nearly $4.7-million, through its affiliation with the Big East Conference.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 12:30 pm | No. 10 Tennessee* | No. 17 | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ESPN | L 33–34 | 49,550 |
| September 12 | 3:30 pm | at No. 13 Michigan* | No. 19 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI | ABC | W 38–28 | 111,012 |
| September 19 | 12:00 pm | Rutgers | No. 13 | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ESPN Plus | W 70–14 | 42,716 |
| October 1 | 8:00 pm | at NC State* | No. 11 | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ESPN | L 17–38 | 51,200 |
| October 10 | 5:30 pm | Cincinnati* | No. 24 | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ESPN2 | W 63–21 | 47,251 |
| October 17 | 3:30 pm | at Boston College | No. 23 | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | CBS | W 42–25 | 43,413 |
| October 31 | 12:00 pm | Pittsburgh | No. 17 | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | ESPN Plus | W 45–28 | 49,012 |
| November 7 | 7:30 pm | at West Virginia | No. 15 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (rivalry) | ESPN | L 28–35 | 54,655 |
| November 14 | 8:00 pm | No. 16 Virginia Tech | | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ESPN2 | W 28–26 | 49,336 |
| November 21 | 4:00 pm | at Temple | No. 24 | Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia, PA | | W 38–7 | 12,483 |
| November 28 | 3:30 pm | No. 19 Miami (FL) | No. 21 | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | CBS | W 66–13 | 49,521 |
| January 2 | 8:00 pm | vs. No. 7 Florida* | No. 18 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (Orange Bowl) | ABC | L 10–31 | 67,919 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 17 | 19 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 15T | RV | 24 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 25 |
| Coaches Poll | 14 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 25T | 24 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 24 |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 20 | 17 | — | — | — | 15 | 15 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### At Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Syracuse | 17 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
| Michigan | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: September 12, 1998
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Mostly sunny, high 80s
* Game attendance: 111,012
* TV: ABC
* Box Score
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Syracuse | Passing | Donovan McNabb | 21/27, 233 Yds, 3 TD |
| Syracuse | Rushing | Donovan McNabb | 19 Rush, 60 Yds, TD |
| Syracuse | Receiving | Kevin Johnson | 6 Rec, 78 Yds, TD |
| Michigan | Passing | Tom Brady | 13/24, 104 Yds, TD, INT |
| Michigan | Rushing | Walter Cross | 10 Rush, 104 Yds, 2 TD |
| Michigan | Receiving | Tai Streets | 5 Rec, 53 Yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | SYR | UM |
| 1 | 10:04 | 11 | 78 | 4:56 | Syracuse | Kevin Johnson 6-yard touchdown run, Nathan Trout kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 8:28 | 3 | 31 | 0:45 | Syracuse | Rob Konrad 26-yard touchdown reception from Donovan McNabb, Nathan Trout kick good | 14 | 0 |
| 1 | 5:19 | 6 | 44 | 1:36 | Syracuse | 33-yard field goal by Nathan Trout | 17 | 0 |
| 2 | 5:36 | 14 | 86 | 7:06 | Syracuse | Donovan McNabb 17-yard touchdown run, Nathan Trout kick good | 24 | 0 |
| 2 | 0:46 | 5 | 39 | 0:28 | Michigan | Tai Streets 4-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady, Jay Feely kick good | 24 | 7 |
| 3 | 5:27 | 11 | 59 | 4:38 | Syracuse | Kevin Johnson 9-yard touchdown reception from Donovan McNabb, Nathan Trout kick good | 31 | 7 |
| 3 | 1:47 | 5 | 52 | 2:10 | Syracuse | Rob Konrad 9-yard touchdown reception from Donovan McNabb, Nathan Trout kick good | 38 | 7 |
| 4 | 6:56 | 6 | 78 | 2:46 | Michigan | Walter Cross 1-yard touchdown run, Jay Feely kick good | 38 | 14 |
| 4 | 0:55 | 5 | 50 | 0:36 | Michigan | Walter Cross 5-yard touchdown run, Jay Feely kick good | 38 | 21 |
| 4 | 0:03 | 9 | 48 | 0:52 | Michigan | Marcus Knight 16-yard touchdown reception from Drew Henson, Jay Feely kick good | 38 | 28 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 38 | 28 |