1998 Oahu Bowl
| 1998 Jeep Oahu Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 1st Oahu Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 25, 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Aloha Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Honolulu, Hawaii | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | QB Blane Morgan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 34,083 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1998 Oahu Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Air Force Falcons and the University of Washington Huskies. The Oahu Bowl pitted the fifth place team from the Pac-10 against the runner up of the WAC.
Background
The Falcons finished second in the Western Athletic Conference, but 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.[1]
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 as halftime soon came. Jackson Whiting made it 23-13 with a 42-yard field goal. Spanky Gilliam made it 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. Marques Tuiasosopo ran in for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to narrow the lead, but the 2 point conversion failed, leaving it 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 their failed conversion attempt only made the final score 43-25. Brock Huard was ineffective for the Huskies, going 23 of 32 with 3 interceptions and 267 yards before being replaced by Tuiasasopo. Blane Morgan went 12 of 16 for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns. Farmer caught 4 passes for 109 yards.[2]
Aftermath
Neither team returned to the Oahu Bowl, which disbanded two years later.
Statistics
| 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 |