# 1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1998 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. 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 StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 36–20 | 80,012 |
| September 12 | 8:00 p.m. | at Michigan State | No. 10 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 23–45 | 74,267 |
| September 26 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 23 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 31–30 | 80,012 |
| October 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Stanford | No. 23 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 35–17 | 80,012 |
| October 10 | 3:30 p.m. | at Arizona State | No. 22 | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | ABC | W 28–9 | 73,501 |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | Army | No. 18 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 20–17 | 80,012 |
| October 31 | 2:30 p.m. | Baylor | No. 16 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 27–3 | 80,012 |
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at Boston College | No. 13 | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA (Holy War) | CBS | W 31–26 | 44,500 |
| November 14 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. Navy | No. 12 | Jack Kent Cooke StadiumLandover, MD (rivalry) | CBS | W 30–0 | 78,844 |
| November 21 | 1:30 p.m. | LSU | No. 10 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 39–36 | 80,012 |
| November 28 | 8:00 p.m. | at USC | No. 9 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | ABC | L 0–10 | 90,069 |
| January 1, 1999 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech | No. 17 | Alltel StadiumJacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl, rivalry) | NBC | L 28–35 | 70,791 |
| Rankings 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 | 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 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 16 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | — | — | 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. Powlus was replaced by Jarious Jackson who had played sparingly in 1997 but had amassed almost 200 passing yards in the time. 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. 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. 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.
The Irish won all four of their October games, including a win over Stanford, a dominating win at Arizona State, a last minute win over Army, and a win over Baylor led by Denson's career high of 189 yards, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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. Also, offensive coordinator, Jim Colletto, was lured away to the NFL by Baltimore.

### Michigan

| Quarter | 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 |
| Michigan | Rushing | Clarence Williams | 13 Rush, 114 Yds |
| Michigan | Receiving | Marcus Knight | 5 Rec, 126 Yds |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jarious Jackson | 4/10, 96 Yds, 2 TD, INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Autry Denson | 24 Rush, 162 Yds, 2 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Raki Nelson | 2 Rec, 68 Yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | 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. | "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. | 20 | 36 |

### Stanford

| Quarter | 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 |
| Stanford | Rushing | Coy Wire | 19 Rush, 79 Yds |
| Stanford | Receiving | DeRonnie Pitts | 8 Rec, 112 Yds |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jarious Jackson | 11/15, 163 Yds, INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Jarious Jackson | 18 Rush, 100 Yds, 3 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Malcolm Johnson | 7 Rec, 113 Yds |