The 1998 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 16th-year head coach Sam Goodwin, the Demons compiled an overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the Southland title. Northwestern State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where the Demons beat Illinois State in the first round and Appalachian State in the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual national champion, UMass in the semifinals. The team played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
| 1998 Northwestern State Demons football | |
|---|---|
Southland champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 31–41 vs. UMass | |
| Conference | Southland Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 3 |
| Record | 11–3 (6–1 Southland) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Harry Turpin Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | No. 12 Southern* | No. 16 | W 28–7 | [1] | ||
| September 12 | at Southwestern Louisiana* | No. 14 | W 24–22 | [2][3] | ||
| September 19 | Henderson State* | No. 10 |
| W 53–7 | [4] | |
| September 26 | at Southwest Texas State | No. 8 | W 34–10 | [5] | ||
| October 3 | at No. 25 (I-A) Missouri* | No. 7 | L 14–35 | 48,298 | [6][7] | |
| October 15 | No. 1 McNeese State | No. 8 |
| W 14–10 | 14,247 | [8] |
| October 24 | at Nicholls State | No. 4 | W 28–26 | [9] | ||
| October 31 | No. 15 Troy State | No. 4 |
| L 13–14 | 10,362 | [10] |
| November 7 | No. 22 Jacksonville State | No. 9 |
| W 53–36 | 12,779 | [11] |
| November 14 | Sam Houston State | No. 7 |
| W 59–3 | 5,117 | [12] |
| November 21 | at Stephen F. Austin | No. 5 | W 35–21 | [13] | ||
| November 28 | No. 21 Illinois State* | No. 2 |
| W 48–28 | 8,118 | [14] |
| December 5 | No. 7 Appalachian State* | No. 2 |
| W 31–20 | 10,817 | [15] |
| December 12 | No. 12 UMass* | No. 2 |
| L 31–41 | 10,424 | [16][17] |
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References edit
- ^ "The Town Talk 06 Sep 1998, page Page 13".
- ^ "The Town Talk 13 Sep 1998, page Page 16".
- ^ "Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football History vs Northwestern State University".
- ^ "The Town Talk 20 Sep 1998, page Page 15".
- ^ "Demons give Goodwin 100th win". The Shreveport Times. September 27, 1998. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Town Talk 04 Oct 1998, page Page 14".
- ^ "Football History vs Northwestern State University".
- ^ "Cowboys 'swarmed' under". The Shreveport Times. October 16, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Town Talk 25 Oct 1998, page Page 14".
- ^ "The Town Talk 01 Nov 1998, page Page 14".
- ^ "The Times 08 Nov 1998, page Page 45".
- ^ "Roadkill, Demons slaughter Bearkats, 59–3". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. November 15, 1998. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Town Talk 22 Nov 1998, page Page 16".
- ^ Dubois, Carl (November 29, 1998). "NSU Bombs Way Past Illinois State". The Times. p. 1D. Retrieved October 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Big plays keep NSU rolling on". The Shreveport Times. December 6, 1998. Retrieved November 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Town Talk 06 Dec 1998, page Page 16".
- ^ "Football vs Northwestern State on 12/12/1998 - Box Score".
- ^ "1998 Demon Football Schedule".