1998 Texas Longhorns football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 1998 Texas Longhorns football Texas Longhorns logo.svg 250 Big 12 Conference South Division Big 12 16 15 9–3 6–2 Mack Brown 1st Greg Davis 1st Pro-Set Carl Reese 1st 4-3 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Cotton Bowl Classic champion Cotton Bowl Classic W 38–11 vs. Mississippi State The 1998 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin as a member South Division of the Big 12 Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Mack Brown, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the Big 12's South Division. Texas was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Longhorns defeated Mississippi State. The team played home games at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Running back Ricky Williams had a sensational senior season, rushing for nine touchdowns and 385 yards in the season's first two games; 318 yards and six touchdowns against Rice; 350 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa State; 150 yards against Nebraska; and 166 yards and two scores against rival Oklahoma. The highlight of the season came when Williams broke the NCAA Division I-A career rushing record during the annual UT-A&M game held the day after Thanksgiving. Needing only 63 yards to break Tony Dorsett's 22-year-old career rushing record (6,082), and having already rushed for 54 yards, Williams broke two tackles, sprinted into open field and received a down field block from receiver Wane McGarity for a 60-yard touchdown run and the record. Williams' record-breaking run gave Texas a 10–0 lead in its eventual upset of sixth-ranked Texas A&M. He finished the game with 295 yards. He also broke the NCAA Division I-A career rushing touchdowns and career scoring records in 1998 with 73 and 452 respectively, and rushed for 200 or more yards in 12 different games, an NCAA record he shares with Ron Dayne and Marcus Allen. Williams won the 64th Heisman Trophy, becoming the second Longhorn to win this honor, joining Earl Campbell.http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/MIA/6002429 Q & A: Williams makes it look easy Richard, Dave Miami Dolphins December 9, 2002 January 26, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20061114222359/http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/MIA/6002429 November 14, 2006 dead Before the season Texas Longhorns football under Mack Brown#Brown's move to Texas Previous head coach John Mackovic was fired following an disappointing 4-7 season the year prior, which included one of the worst losses in program history; a 66-3 blowout at home by unranked UCLA dubbed "Rout 66". In his place a hiring committee, made up of former head coach Darrell Royal, athletic director Deloss Dodds, former players and important boosters, contacted Brown in December of 1997 about the job. The search for a successor took less than a week. Recruiting class When Brown arrived at Texas he had less than two months to put together the year's recruiting class. The stars of the 1998 class included the Texas City Four (Everick Rawls, Tyrone Jones, Ervis Hill and Jermain Anderson) along with future NFL offensive lineman Mike Williams. The group would eventually lead Texas to a combined 38-13 record over their four years.https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/looking-back-1998-texas-class-104613255/ Looking Back: 1998 Texas Class 247sports.com May 2, 2009 November 17, 2025 1998 Texas recruiting class Name Position Hometown School Height Weight Jermain Anderson DE Texas City Texas City High School 6 ft 3 in 207 lb Beau Baker OL Houston Clear Lake High School 6 ft 5 in 265 lb Ahmad Brooks DB Abilene Abilene High School 5 ft 8 in 165 lb Adam Dunn QB New Caney New Caney High School 6 ft 5 in 245 lb Montrell Flowers WR Dallas Skyline High School 5 ft 9 in 175 lb Ervis Hill DB Texas City Texas City High School 5 ft 9 in 178 lb Victor Ike RB Austin Bowie High School 5 ft 11 in 189 lb Lee Jackson DB Longview Longview High School 6 ft 3 in 193 lb Tyrone Jones LB Texas City Texas City High School 6 ft 4 in 210 lb Jamal Joyner DB Dallas Dallas Carter High School 6 ft 2 in 180 lb Antwan Kirk-Hughes OT Waxahachie Waxahachie High School 6 ft 3 in 320 lb Miguel McKay LB Lufkin Lufkin High School 6 ft 1 in 231 lb Everick Rawls LB Texas City Texas City High School 6 ft 1 in 216 lb Chris Robertson RB Denison Denison High School 6 ft 1 in 196 lb Beau Trahan QB Bay City Bay City High School 5 ft 11 in 200 lb Marcus Wilkins LB Anderson Mill Westwood High School 6 ft 2 in 215 lb Mike Williams OT The Colony The Colony High School 6 ft 6 in 339 lb Jon Wyndham DB Manor Manor High School 6 ft 1 in 187 lbReference:Looking Back: 1998 Texas Class https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/looking-back-1998-texas-class-104613255/ November 11, 2025 Returning starters The Longhorns returned 13 starters from the previous season. They returned 8 on offense and 5 on defense. Ricky Williams had considered forgoing his senior season and declaring for the NFL draft after the firing of coach Mackovic. Williams had managed to win the Doak Walker Award and finish 12th in all-time NCAA rushing in 1997 and was expected to be drafted high. As late as early January 1998, Ricky himself said he was leaning towards going pro, despite having privately decided to stay weeks earlier. He announced his intention to stay on January 8 at a press conference with Mack Brown. Brown embraced Williams and stated "We have just had a successful recruiting class, this is our first signee. He’s the best football player in the country returning next year.”https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/2018/06/27/texas-history-counting-down-the-5-moments-that-shaped-the-mack-brown-era-ricky-returns/10392982007/ Texas History: Counting down the 5 moments that shaped the Mack Brown Era: Ricky returns Joe Harrington Austin American-Statesman June 27, 2018 July 2, 2026 Ricky's decision to stay was a major PR victory for coach Brown, combined with his recruiting success. For Williams, the choice was richly rewarded with a Heisman Trophy and the all-time NCAA rushing record. The returning offensive starters were: Ben Adams (RG), Octavious Bishop (LT), Ricky Brown (FB), Kwame Cavil (WR), Jay Humphrey (RT), Wane McGarity (WR), Roger Roesler (LG), and Ricky Williams (RB). The returning defensive starters were: Aaron Babino (SS), Anthony Hicks (WLB), Tony Holmes (CB/S), Aaron Humphrey (DE), Donald McCowen (FS), Brandon Nava (SLB), Dusty Renfro (MLB), Chris Smith (DE), and Cedric Woodard (DT). Schedule 1998 AP Central September 5 6:00 p.m. w y New Mexico State Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX PPV 66–36 75,914 September 12 2:30 p.m. l y y 23 UCLA 6 Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA ABC 31–49 73,070 September 19 2:30 p.m. l y Kansas State 5 KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS ABC 7–48 43,714 September 26 6:00 p.m. w y Rice Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX rivalry FSN 59–21 71,486 October 3 6:00 p.m. w Iowa State Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX PPV 54–33 70,681 October 10 11:30 a.m. w y Oklahoma Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX Red River Shootout FSN 34–3 75,587 October 24 6:00 p.m. w y Baylor Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX rivalry FX 30–20 81,437 October 31 2:30 p.m. w y Nebraska 7 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE ABC 20–16 76,434 November 7 2:30 p.m. w 20 Oklahoma State Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX ABC 37–34 81,437 November 14 6:00 p.m. l y 18 Texas Tech Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX rivalry FSN 35–42 50,647 November 27 10:00 a.m. w Texas A&M 6 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX rivalry ABC 26–24 83,687 January 1, 1999 10:00 a.m. w y y 20 Mississippi State 25 Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX Cotton Bowl Classic FOX 38–11 72,611 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-odessa-american-longhorns-rout-missi/157274369/ The Odessa American Longhorns rout Mississippi State in Cotton Bowl January 2, 1999 October 16, 2024 Newspapers.com http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/all-time-results.html MackBrown-TexasFootball.com - Official website of the Texas Longhorns - Texas Football 2012-03-13 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20101101042752/http://mackbrown-texasfootball.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/all-time-results.html 2010-11-01 Rankings AP 0 15 RV 23 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR 20 18 25 NR 20 20 15 Coaches Poll 0 15 RV 23 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR 23 21 NR NR 23 22 16 BCS 8 14 NR 14 15 23 NR NR NR Personnel Roster 1998 Texas Longhorns y 88 So David Aaron WR 79 Sr Ben Adams OG 62 Fr Matt Anderson C/OG 11 Fr Major Applewhite QB y Major Applewhite 68 Fr Beau Baker OL 75 Sr Octavious Bishop OT 78 So Marcel Blanchard C 25 Sr Michael Boudoin RB 69 Fr Corey Bradford OG y 94 Fr Chris Breaux TE 49 Sr Zach Brockman RB 44 Jr Ricky Brown FB 9 So Kwame Cavil WR y Kwame Cavil 16 Fr Greg Cicero QB y 25 Fr Kevin Cumming WR y 5 So Eddie Diogu WR 15 Fr Adam Dunn QB y 21 So Tony Ellis RB 2 Fr Montrell Flowers WR 4 Fr Courtnee Garcia WR y 54 Sr Russell Gaskamp C y Russell Gaskamp 86 So Brandon Healy WR 74 So Joe Hubbard OG 67 Sr Jay Humphrey OT 32 Fr Kyle Hunt RB 28 Fr Victor Ike RB y 80 Fr Chad Irwin TE 19 Jr Jeremy Jones WR 76 Fr Antwan Kirk-Hughes OG 23 Fr Frank Klinkowsky WR y 14 Fr Robert Koy QB y 77 So Richard Land OT 82 Sr Derek Lewis TE 89 So Greg Martinez WR 8 Sr Wane McGarity WR y Wane McGarity 38 Sr John Miller RB 3 So Hodges Mitchell RB 71 Fr Robby Nethercut OL 22 Jr Ryan Nunez WR 17 Sr Ryan O'Neill QB 66 So Cory Quye OT 83 Jr Chris Roberts TE 37 Fr Chris Robertson RB 72 Jr Roger Roesler OG 85 Sr Derrick Scott TE 87 Jr Chris Smith TE 36 Fr Eric Tasby RB y 12 So Jamel Thompson WR 18 Fr Beau Trahan WR y 27 Fr Michael Ungar WR 3 Fr Jaime Walker FB 10 Sr Richard Walton QB y Richard Walton (American football) 61 Fr Doug Wheeler OG y 1 Sr Bryan White WR 63 Fr Mike Williams OT y Mike Williams (offensive lineman) 34 Sr Ricky Williams RB y Ricky Williams 26 Fr Chris Wood RB 65 Sr Travis Wood OG 89 Fr Jermain Anderson DE 38 Jr Aaron Babino LB 5 Fr Brooks Ahmad CB y Ahmad Brooks (cornerback) 22 So Aaron Babino S 27 Jr Chris Butcher CB 28 Fr Paul Campion DB 90 Fr Aaron Colvin DT y 99 So Derrick Curry DT 70 So Leonard Davis DT y Leonard Davis (American football) 26 Fr Terrol Dillon CB 53 Fr William Edwards LB y 47 Jr Scott Emley LB 52 Sr T.J. Fett LB 48 Fr Maurice Gordon DE y 64 So Casey Hampton DT y Casey Hampton 55 Jr Anthony Hicks LB 15 Fr Ervis Hill CB 30 Fr Richard Hightower DB y Richard Hightower 31 Sr Tony Holmes CB/S 49 Jr Aaron Humphrey DE 23 Fr Lee Jackson S 6 So Quentin Jammer S y Quentin Jammer 35 So Levar Jenkins CB 81 Fr Mike Jones DE y 39 Fr Tyrone Jones LB 41 Fr Jamal Joyner DB y 84 So J.J. Kelly DE 31 So Greg Lauer LB 4 Fr De'Andre Lewis LB 92 Jr Damon Luckett DE 44 Fr Andrae McClean LB 7 So Donald McCowen S 43 Fr Miguel McKay LB y 15 Fr Anish Michael DB y 30 Fr Cedric Mitchell LB y 95 Sr Gray Moiser DT 68 Sr Colin Muirhead DE 56 Jr Matt Murray LB 51 Jr Brandon Nava DE 32 Sr Chad Patmon CB 29 Jr Jeremiah Phipps DB 36 Sr Brady Pool DB 42 Fr Everick Rawls LB 46 Sr Dusty Renfro LB 73 So Shaun Rogers DT 40 So Josh Spoerl LB 17 So Joe Walker CB 16 Sr Michael Watson LB 45 Fr Marcus Wilkins LB 50 Jr Cedric Woodard DE/DT y Cedric Woodard 29 Fr Jon Wyndham DB 14 So Jeff Baker K 19 Jr Chris Flores K/P 33 So Ryan Long P 39 Fr Waylon Martinez P 35 Jr Greg Murray P y 13 So Kris Stockton K/P https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/2013/6/28/FB_1998_Roster 11/9/25 Mack Brown Greg Davis–Offensive coordinator Carl Reese–Defensive coordinator Depth chart Pro-Set 4-3 Yes No No 11 Major Applewhite 10 Richard Walton 34 Ricky Williams 3 Hodges Mitchell 44 Ricky Brown 8 Wane McGarity 1 Bryan White 9 Kwame Cavil 82 Derek Lewis 75 Octavious Bishop 72 Roger Roesler 54 Russell Gaskamp 79 Ben Adams 67 Jay Humphrey 4 De'Andre Lewis WILL 46 Dusty Renfro MIKE 38 Aaron Babino SAM 6 Quentin Jammer 7 Donald McCowen 15 Ervis Hill 17 Joe Walker 84 J.J. Kelly 50 Cedric Woodard 64 Casey Hampton 49 Aaron Humphrey 13 Kris Stockton 110 100 No Game summaries At Kansas State Texas at No. 5 Kansas State Longhorns Wildcats 0 0 0 7 7 28 0 13 September 18 KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas 2:30 pm CST 44,298 Partly Cloudy; 95 F; wind 22 mph on S Tim Ahlers Brad Nessler and Bob Griese ESPN2 Kansas State welcomed Texas for their first Big 12 Conference matchup, and first meeting since 1942, and Texas' first trip to Manhattan since 1926. 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams was held to just 43 yards on 25 carries for an average of just 1.7 yards per carry. He did not score in the game. Williams averaged 202 rushing yards per game in 1998 and was held to a season low 43 years, his next lowest yardage output was 90 yards against Oklahoma State. K-State racked up 223 yards on the ground on 51 carries and the Wildcats won handily, 48–7. Awards and honors Ricky Williams: Heisman Trophy,http://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy 2007-04-16 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090916003323/http://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html 2009-09-16 Walter Camp Award,http://collegefootball.about.com/od/collegefootballawards/a/award-camp.htm The Walter Camp Award 2022-07-03 Hyland Tim football.about.com https://web.archive.org/web/20120701061100/http://collegefootball.about.com/od/collegefootballawards/a/award-camp.htm 2012-07-01 dead Maxwell Awardhttp://football.about.com/cs/history/a/maxwellaward.htm Maxwell Award Winners 2022-07-03 Alder James football.about.com https://web.archive.org/web/20120307152554/http://football.about.com/cs/history/a/maxwellaward.htm 2012-03-07 dead Doak Walker Award, consensus All-American2010 NCAA Football Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/DI/2010/Awards.pdf National Collegiate Athletics Association 1999 NFL draft The following Texas players were selected in the 1999 NFL draft following the season. 2 Texas Longhorns Player Position Round Pick Franchise Ricky Williams Running back 1 5 New Orleans Saints Wane McGarity Wide receiver 4 118 Dallas Cowboys Jay Humphrey Tackle 4 125 Minnesota Vikings https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1964.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071223123711/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1964.htm 2007-12-23 1964 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com Pro-Football-Reference.com References Texas Category:Texas Longhorns football seasons Category:Cotton Bowl Classic champion seasons Texas Longhorns football