1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football

Big Ten co-champion
Sugar Bowl champion

Sugar Bowl, W 24–14 vs. Texas A&M

Conference

Big Ten Conference

Ranking

Coaches

No. 2

1998 record

11–1 (7–1 Big Ten)

Head coach

John Cooper (11th year)

Offensive coordinator

Mike Jacobs (2nd year)

Defensive coordinator

Fred Pagac (3rd year)

MVP

Joe Germaine

Captain

Joe Germaine

Captain

Jerry Rudzinski

Captain

Antoine Winfield

Home stadium

Ohio Stadium
(Capacity: 89,841)

Seasons

« 1997

1999 »

1998 Big Ten football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#2 Ohio State %+		7	–	1		11	–	1
#6 Wisconsin $+		7	–	1		11	–	1
#12 Michigan +		7	–	1		10	–	3
#24 Purdue		6	–	2		9	–	4
#17 Penn State		5	–	3		9	–	3
Michigan State		4	–	4		6	–	6
Minnesota		2	–	6		5	–	6
Indiana		2	–	6		4	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6		3	–	8
Iowa		2	–	6		3	–	8
Northwestern		0	–	8		3	–	9

$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn St	0	3	6	0	9
• Ohio St	0	14	14	0	28

Date: October 3
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

Source: USA Today

Scoring summary

2	PSU	Forney 42-yard field goal	Penn St 3-0

2	OHST	Rudzinski recovered fumble in end zone (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 7-3

2	OHST	Wiley 20-yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 14-3

3	OHST	Cooper recovered blocked punt in end zone (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 21-3

3	PSU	Cerimele 1-yard run (two-point conversion failed)	Ohio St 21-9

3	OHST	Montgomery 1-yard run (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 28-9

Scoring summary

2	PSU	Forney 42-yard field goal	Penn St 3-0

2	OHST	Rudzinski recovered fumble in end zone (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 7-3

2	OHST	Wiley 20-yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 14-3

3	OHST	Cooper recovered blocked punt in end zone (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 21-3

3	PSU	Cerimele 1-yard run (two-point conversion failed)	Ohio St 21-9

3	OHST	Montgomery 1-yard run (Stultz kick)	Ohio St 28-9

#1 Ohio St at Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ohio St	10	14	0	17	41
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

Date: October 10
Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 46,390
Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary

Q1	11:32	OHST	Stultz 40 yard field goal	OHST 3–0

Q1	2:52	OHST	Lumpkin 1 yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	OHST 10–0

Q2	11:17	OHST	Boston 30 yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	OHST 17–0

Q2	6:19	OHST	Germany 37 yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	OHST 24–0

Q4	12:51	OHST	Stultz 46 yard field goal	OHST 27–0

Q4	10:57	OHST	Diggs 47 yard fumble return (Stultz kick)	OHST 34–0

Q4	3:45	OHST	Wells 2 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 41–0

Scoring summary

Q1	11:32	OHST	Stultz 40 yard field goal	OHST 3–0

Q1	2:52	OHST	Lumpkin 1 yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	OHST 10–0

Q2	11:17	OHST	Boston 30 yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	OHST 17–0

Q2	6:19	OHST	Germany 37 yard pass from Germaine (Stultz kick)	OHST 24–0

Q4	12:51	OHST	Stultz 46 yard field goal	OHST 27–0

Q4	10:57	OHST	Diggs 47 yard fumble return (Stultz kick)	OHST 34–0

Q4	3:45	OHST	Wells 2 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 41–0

	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	0	10	3	3	16
• Ohio State	14	7	10	0	31

Date: November 21
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Game attendance: 94,339
Television network: ABC

Scoring summary

1	12:20	OSU	Michael Wiley 53-yard run (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 7–0

1	9:44	OSU	Dee Miller 16-yard pass from Joe Germaine (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 14–0

2	14:33	MICH	Jay Feely 27-yard field goal	OSU 14–3

2	4:03	OSU	David Boston 30-yard pass from Joe Germaine (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 21–3

2	0:25	MICH	Tai Streets 3-yard pass from Tom Brady (Jay Feely kick)	OSU 21–10

3		OSU	David Boston 43-yard pass from Joe Germaine (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 28–10

3		MICH	Jay Feely 34-yard field goal	OSU 28–13

3		OSU	Dan Stultz 39-yard field goal	OSU 31–13

4	14:47	MICH	Jay Feely 30-yard field goal	OSU 31–16

Scoring summary

1	12:20	OSU	Michael Wiley 53-yard run (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 7–0

1	9:44	OSU	Dee Miller 16-yard pass from Joe Germaine (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 14–0

2	14:33	MICH	Jay Feely 27-yard field goal	OSU 14–3

2	4:03	OSU	David Boston 30-yard pass from Joe Germaine (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 21–3

2	0:25	MICH	Tai Streets 3-yard pass from Tom Brady (Jay Feely kick)	OSU 21–10

3		OSU	David Boston 43-yard pass from Joe Germaine (Dan Stultz kick)	OSU 28–10

3		MICH	Jay Feely 34-yard field goal	OSU 28–13

3		OSU	Dan Stultz 39-yard field goal	OSU 31–13

4	14:47	MICH	Jay Feely 30-yard field goal	OSU 31–16

The 1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head football coach was John Cooper. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 11–1, and a Big Ten Conference record of 7–1. They were co-champions of the Big Ten Conference with the Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan Wolverines and played in one of the premiere Bowl Championship Series bowl games, the 1999 Sugar Bowl.

Led by senior quarterback Joe Germaine, the Buckeyes were the preseason number one team and remained top-ranked throughout the majority of the season. The Buckeyes only loss came late in the season to the Michigan State Spartans. The team blew a 15-point lead late in the game to fall 28–24.

Because of the late loss, Ohio State was kept out of the National Championship Game, the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. Their regular season "miss" of not playing fellow tri-champion Wisconsin also cost the Bucks a trip to the 1999 Rose Bowl because Ohio State was the last to play in the Rose Bowl in 1997, Wisconsin last played in 1994.

The Buckeyes beat Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl to finish second in both polls behind the Tennessee Volunteers after their victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.

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