1998 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

1998 Penn State Nittany Lions football
1998 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy; Outback Bowl champion
Outback Bowl, W 26–14 vs. Kentucky
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 17
Record	9–3 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Joe Paterno (33rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Fran Ganter (15th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Sandusky (22nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Shawn Lee; Joe Nastasi; Brad Scioli; Floyd Wedderburn;
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
	Seasons ← 1997 1999 →

The 1998 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 33rd-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing fifth in the Big Ten. Penn State was invited to the Outback Bowl, where the Nittany Lions defeated Kentucky. The team played home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Quick facts Penn State Nittany Lions football, Lambert-Meadowlands TrophyOutback Bowl champion ...

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Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	3:30 p.m.	No. 21 Southern Miss*	No. 13	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 34–6	96,617	^[1]
September 12	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green*	No. 9	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus	W 48–3	96,291
September 19	3:30 p.m.	at Pittsburgh*	No. 8	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	CBS	W 20–13	56,743
October 3	12:00 p.m.	at No. 1 Ohio State	No. 7	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry, College GameDay)	ABC	L 9–28	93,479
October 10	3:30 p.m.	at Minnesota	No. 13	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN (Governor's Victory Bell)	ABC	W 27–17	40,546
October 17	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 12	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 31–13	97,034
October 31	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus	W 27–0	96,508
November 7	12:00 p.m.	at No. 22 Michigan	No. 9	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	L 0–27	111,019
November 14	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern	No. 19	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2	W 41–10	96,382
November 21	3:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Wisconsin	No. 16	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ESPN	L 3–24	78,964
November 28	1:00 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 23	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 51–28	96,358
January 1, 1999	11:00 a.m.	vs. Kentucky*	No. 22	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	W 26–14	66,005	^[2]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Round	Pick	Overall	Name	Position	Team
5th	5	138	Brad Scioli	Defensive end	Indianapolis Colts
5th	7	140	Floyd Wedderburn	Offensive guard	Seattle Seahawks

Schedule

1998 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Ohio State %+	7	–	1	11	–	1
No. 6 Wisconsin $+	7	–	1	11	–	1
No. 12 Michigan +	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 24 Purdue	6	–	2	9	–	4
No. 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