1998 McNeese State Cowboys football team

The 1998 McNeese State Cowboys football team was an American football team that represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference (Southland) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their ninth year under head coach Bobby Keasler, the team compiled an overall record of 9–3, with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, and finished tied for second in the Southland. The Cowboys advanced to the Division I-AA playoffs and lost to UMass in the first round.

1998 McNeese State Cowboys football
Southland co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 19–21 vs. UMass
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 8
Record	9–3 (5–2 Southland)
Head coach	Bobby Keasler (9th season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ← 1997 1999 →

1998 Southland Football League standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 Northwestern State $^		6	–	1					11	–	3
No. 8 McNeese State ^		5	–	2					9	–	3
No. 13 Troy State ^		5	–	2					8	–	4
Jacksonville State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Nicholls State		3	–	4					4	–	7
Southwest Texas State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Stephen F. Austin		2	–	5					3	–	8
Sam Houston State		1	–	6					3	–	8
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Southeastern Oklahoma State*	No. 2	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 43–3		^[1]
September 12	at No. 5 Northern Iowa*	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Waterloo, IA	W 20–17 ^OT	5,840	^[2]
September 19	at No. 22 Southern Utah*	No. 2	Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	W 66–17		^[3]
September 26	Arkansas–Monticello*	No. 2	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 65–7	17,052	^[4]
October 10	Jacksonville State	No. 1	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 30–14	17,000	^[5]
October 15	at No. 8 Northwestern State	No. 1	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	L 10–14	14,247	^[6]
October 24	Stephen F. Austin	No. 5	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 20–17	17,500	^[7]
October 31	at Sam Houston State	No. 5	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	W 35–13		^[8]
November 7	Southwest Texas State	No. 3	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 27–0		^[9]
November 14	at No. 9 Troy State	No. 3	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	W 23–3	16,125	^[10]
November 21	Nicholls State	No. 2	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	L 20–31		^[11]
November 28	No. 12 UMass*	No. 6	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 19–21	11,349	^[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "McNeese St. 43, SE Oklahoma 3". The Crowley Post-Signal. September 6, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "McNeese shocks UNI". The Courier. September 13, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "McNeese brings 22nd-ranked SUU back down to Earth". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 20, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "McNeese State 65, Arkansas–Monticello 7". The Shreveport Times. September 27, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "JSU misses shot at Cowboys". The Anniston Star. October 11, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Cowboys 'swarmed' under". The Shreveport Times. October 16, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "McNeese dishes out another loss to Lumberjacks, 20–17". Longview News-Journal. October 25, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Cowboys handle Bearkats". The Daily Advertiser. November 1, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Burton leads the way in McNeese victory". The Daily Advertiser. November 8, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "McNeese dominates Trojans". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 15, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Nicholls' upset deprives McNeese of SFL crown". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. November 22, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "UMass holds on for its playoff life". The Boston Globe. November 29, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.