1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team


The 1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eleventh year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled a 11–1 record, finished in a three-way tie with Wisconsin and [1998 1998 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan] for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 506 to 130. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes defeated No. 11 West Virginia, No. 21 Missouri, No. 7 Penn State, and No. 11 Michigan. Their sole loss was to unranked Michigan State, a November 7 loss that dropped the Buckeyes from No. 1 to No. 7 in the following week's AP poll. The Buckeyes concluded the season with a 24–14 victory over No. 8 Texas A&M in the 1999 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the final AP and Coaches polls.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 182.1 rushing yards and 279.5 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 61.8 rushing yards and 174.5 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included senior quarterback Joe Germaine, running back Michael Wiley, wide receiver David Boston, and kicker Dan Stultz. Cornerback Antoine Winfield was selected as a consensus first-team All-American. David Boston and safety Damon Moore also received first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America and The Sporting News, respectively. Eight Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 1998 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Germaine; Wiley; Boston; Winfield; Moore; guard Rob Murphy; and linebackers Na'il Diggs and Andy Katzenmoyer.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Game summaries

Indiana

Michigan

Ohio State secured a share of its 28th Big Ten title as the fans stormed the field with less than 30 seconds to play. Joe Germaine completed 19-of-24 passes for 330 yards, his seventh career 300-yard game, and his favorite target was David Boston, who finished with 10 receptions for 217 yards, most ever by a Michigan opponent. Boston also broke his own single-season reception mark and moved past Cris Carter on the school's all-time yardage list.

Personnel

Coaching staff