1998 UMass Minutemen football team

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.

1998 UMass Minutemen football
NCAA Division I-AA national champion A-10 New England Division co-champion Lambert Cup winner
Division I-AA Championship Game, W 55–43 vs. Georgia Southern
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Division	New England Division
1998 record	12–3 (6–2 A-10)
Head coach	Mark Whipple (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Don Brown (1st season)
Home stadium	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium (17,000)

1998 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
New England
No. 9 Connecticut x^		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 1 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
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
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Delaware		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE		L 30–33	20,744
September 12	1:00 p.m.	at Richmond		UR Stadium Richmond, VA		W 22–17	10,219
September 26	1:00 p.m.	Buffalo*		McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 51–27	11,672
October 3	12:00 p.m.	at No. 5 Hofstra*		Hofstra Stadium Hempstead, NY		W 40–35	5,308
October 10	1:00 p.m.	James Madison	No. 24	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 28–26	14,202
October 17	1:30 p.m.	at Connecticut	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT (rivalry)		L 41–44	8,581
October 24	1:00 p.m.	Villanova	No. 19	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 36–26	12,135
October 31	12:30 p.m.	at New Hampshire	No. 16	Cowell Stadium Durham, NH (rivalry)		W 27–26	3,578
November 7	12:00 p.m.	at Rhode Island	No. 12	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI		W 23–13	5,036
November 14	12:30 p.m.	Maine	No. 10	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 55–34	10,355
November 21	12:30 p.m.	Connecticut*	No. 7	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)		L 27–28	16,392
November 28	7:00 p.m.	at McNeese State*	No. 12	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)		W 21–19	11,349
December 5	12:00 p.m.	Lehigh*	No. 12	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinals)		W 27–21	12,108
December 12	2:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State*	No. 12	Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinals)		W 41–31	10,424
December 19	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Georgia Southern*	No. 12	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	ESPN	W 55–43	17,501
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

References