1998 Humanitarian Bowl

1998 Humanitarian Bowl
Southern Miss Golden Eagles Idaho Vandals
(7–4) (8–3)
C-USA Big West
35 42
Head coach: 
Jeff Bower		 Head coach: 
Chris Tormey
1234 Total
Southern Miss 138014 35
Idaho 72177 42
DateDecember 30, 1998
Season1998
StadiumBronco Stadium
LocationBoise, Idaho
MVPJohn Welsh, QB – Idaho [1]
FavoriteSouthern Miss by 16 [2]
RefereeNick Define (MAC)
Attendance19,667
PayoutUS$750,000 per team [3][4]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersWayne Larrivee, Randy Wright
Humanitarian Bowl
 < 1997  1999 > 

The 1998 Humanitarian Bowl was the second edition of the bowl game, held on December 30 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Played on the blue turf, it featured the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and the Idaho Vandals, the champions of the Big West Conference. Idaho was in its first-ever bowl game and upset Southern Miss 42–35,[5][6][7][8][9] after entering as a 16-point underdog.[2][10][11]

It was Idaho's third season back in Division I-A; the Vandals had been in Division I-AA from 1978 through 1995 and were frequently in its postseason. Six weeks earlier, Idaho had defeated rival Boise State on this field by one point, scoring a two-point conversion in overtime to gain their only Big West title.[12][13] Southern Miss was 5–1 in Conference USA, runner-up to undefeated Tulane; it was their tenth bowl game.

  1. ^ Meehan, Jim (December 31, 1998). "Welsh has a day like no other". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C5.
  2. ^ a b "The latest line: college football bowl games". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. December 30, 1998. p. 6B.
  3. ^ "Vandals take the field". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. December 30, 1998. p. 1A.
  4. ^ "CNN/SI - '98-'99 College Bowls - 1998-99 College Football Bowl Schedule - Tuesday January 05, 1999 01:01 AM". Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  5. ^ Meehan, Jim (December 31, 1998). "Destiny smiles on Idaho: UI stuns Southern Miss". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C1.
  6. ^ Johnson, David (December 31, 1998). "Vandals seize the moment". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1A.
  7. ^ Sahlberg, Bert (December 31, 1998). "True Humanitarians". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
  8. ^ Pond, Alex (December 31, 1998). "Vandals victorious". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. p. 1C.
  9. ^ "Idaho stuns S. Mississippi in Boise bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. December 31, 1998. p. 2D.
  10. ^ Meehan, Jim (December 30, 1998). "Idaho looks for huge upset". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C1.
  11. ^ Sahlberg, Bert (December 30, 1998). "Opportunity knocks at last". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
  12. ^ Sahlberg, Bert (November 22, 1998). "Guts and glory". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1A.
  13. ^ Pond, Alex (November 23, 1998). "The call to glory". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. p. 1C.