1998 Oahu Bowl
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football game
| name =
| year_game_played = 1998
| title_sponsor = Jeep
| game_name = Oahu Bowl
| subheader = 1st Oahu Bowl
| football_season = 1998
| visitor_name_short = Air Force
| visitor_nickname = Falcons
| home_name_short = Washington
| home_nickname = Huskies
| visitor_record = 11–1
| home_record = 6–5
| visitor_coach = Fisher DeBerry
| home_coach = Jim Lambright
| visitor_rank_AP = 16
| visitor_rank_coaches = 13
| home_rank_AP =
| home_rank_coaches =
| visitor_1q = 7
| visitor_2q = 13
| visitor_3q = 16
| visitor_4q = 7
| home_1q = 0
| home_2q = 13
| home_3q = 0
| home_4q = 12
| date_game_played = December 25
| stadium = Aloha Stadium
| MVP = QB Blane Morgan
| odds = Air Force by 4 points
| referee = Rich Kollen (Big West)
| attendance = 34,083
| us_network = ABC
| first_game_ever_played = yes
}}
The 1998 Oahu Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Air Force Falcons and the Washington Huskies. Part of the 1998–99 bowl season, the inaugural Oahu Bowl matched the fifth-place team from the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) against the champions of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Background
The #16 Falcons finished first in the WAC and had only lost one game, to TCU. They were 10th on points scored, with 36.0 points per game and 7th on points allowed with 14.2 points per game, in their sixth bowl appearance in the 1990s.
Washington went from 2–0 and #9 ranked to being unranked and 6–5, though they at least won the Apple Cup. The Huskies were 52nd in points scored, with 25.2 per game and 76th in points allowed, with 28.6 per game, in their seventh bowl appearance in the decade.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-to-host-two-bowl-games/|title = Hawaii to Host Two Bowl Games}}
Air Force was favored by four points.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IFdWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6391%2C6811098 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |title=The Latest Line: College football bowl games |date=December 25, 1998 |page=6C}}
Game summary
Jemal Singleton scored in both the first and second quarters to give Air Force a 14–0 lead, but Washington responded with a Braxton Cleman touchdown run less than two minutes later. Scott McKay added onto the lead with a touchdown run to make it 20-7 after their two-point conversion attempt failed. Cleman scored his second touchdown of the day to make it 20–13, with Huard's conversion pass attempt falling short to keep the score the same at halftime.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C2RWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5fEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4134%2C2179083 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Air Force runs past Huskies |date=December 26, 1998 |page=C1}}{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IVdWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1592%2C7212078 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |last=Sakamoto |first=Gordon |title=Fired-up Air Force humbles Washington |date=December 26, 1998 |page=1D}}
Jackson Whiting increased the Falcons' lead to 23–13 with a 42-yard field goal, then Spanky Gilliam extended it to 30–13 with his touchdown run. Matt Farmer caught a 79-yard touchdown pass from Blane Morgan with :07 remaining in the third quarter. Their conversion attempt to make it a 25-point lead failed, however, and the score remained at 36–13. Husky backup quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo ran in for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to narrow the lead, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 36–19. McKay caught a 30-yard touchdown from Morgan as the Falcons scored their final points of the day. Manuel Austin caught a pass from Tuiasasopo with 4:09 remaining, but another failed conversion attempt left the final score 43–25. Starter Brock Huard was ineffective for the Huskies, going 23 of 32 with three interceptions and 267 yards before being replaced by Tuiasasopo. Morgan went 12 of 16 for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Farmer caught four passes for 109 yards.{{Cite web |url=http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/bowl_afahistory.html |title = Air Force Bowl History Quick Facts :: |access-date=2015-07-25 |archive-date=2015-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022741/http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/bowl_afahistory.html |url-status=dead }}
Aftermath
Neither team returned to the Oahu Bowl, which disbanded two years later. Washington (6–6) ended their first non-winning season in 22 years. Five days later, sixth-year head coach Jim Lambright was relieved of his duties by athletic director Barbara Hedges.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JldWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6109%2C8387900 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |last=Cour |first=Jim |title=Huskies dismiss Lambright as head coach |date=December 31, 1998 |page=1D}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EGRWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5fEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6641%2C6594428 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |last=Strickland |first=Carter |title=UW drops ax on Lambright era |date=December 31, 1998 |page=C1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b2pfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pC4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4731%2C4107009 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=UW has had enough of Lambright |date=December 31, 1998 |page=4B}} His successor was Rick Neuheisel, the head coach at Colorado in the Big 12 Conference.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wWpfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vC4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2161%2C2191524 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Neuheisel sneaks in at Washington |date=January 10, 1999 |page=1B}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zlFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2053%2C2688419 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |last=Mossman |first=John |title=Neuheisel takes job at Washington |date=January 10, 1999 |page=1G}}
Air Force (12–1) moved up in the final rankings, thirteenth in the AP Poll,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A9NYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7PEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5344%2C3342934 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Final AP poll |date=January 5, 1999 |page=C3}} and tenth in the Coaches Poll.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cswqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s9AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6470%2C320562 |work=Moscow-Pullman Daily News |location=(Idaho-Washington) |agency=wire services |title=College football final polls |date=January 5, 1999 |page=2B}}
Statistics
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Statistics !! Air Force !! Washington | ||
| First Downs | 26 | 21 |
| Yards Rushing | 232 | 107 |
| Yards Passing | 267 | 310 |
| Total Yards | 489 | 417 |
| Punts-Average | 2–45.5 | 2–40.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 3 |
References
{{reflist|2}}
{{1998 bowl game navbox}}
{{Oahu Bowl navbox}}
{{Air Force Falcons bowl game navbox}}
{{Washington Huskies bowl game navbox}}
Category:Air Force Falcons football bowl games
Category:Washington Huskies football bowl games
Category:December 1998 sports events in the United States