Ricky Williams. Honestly, if you say "1998 Texas Longhorns football" to anyone who was in Austin that year, that’s the first thing you’ll hear. But it wasn't just about the Heisman. It was about a program that felt like it was finally waking up from a decade-long nap. John Mackovic was out. Mack Brown was in. The energy changed.
People forget how nervous everyone was heading into that season. Texas had just suffered through a 4-7 nightmare in '97. The "Route 66" loss to UCLA—where the Bruins dropped 66 points on the Longhorns in their own house—was still a fresh, stinging wound. Fans were tired of underachieving. They wanted to believe in the "Mack Era," but they’d been burned before. Then the ball kicked off against New Mexico State, and suddenly, the air felt different. It was the start of something that didn't just win games; it redefined Texas football for the next decade.
The Mack Brown Effect and the Culture Shift
Mack Brown didn't just come in and change the playbook; he changed the vibe. Before Mack, the relationship between the team and the fans felt... I don't know, clinical? Stiff? Mack brought the "Friendly Post" energy. He made the high school coaches in Texas feel like they owned the place again. Recruiting started to sizzle. But on the field, in 1998, he had a specific problem to solve: How do you take a generational talent like Ricky Williams and actually win enough games to make his stats matter?
The 1998 Texas Longhorns football team wasn't perfect. Let's be real. They lost to UCLA again early on, which felt like a "here we go again" moment. Then they dropped a game to Kansas State, who was absolutely lethal back then with Michael Bishop at quarterback. K-State was ranked No. 6, and they just dismantled Texas 48-7. It was ugly. It was the kind of loss that makes a fan base start checking basketball schedules.
But then, the gears shifted.
Ricky Williams and the Run to History
You can't talk about this season without looking at the numbers, but the numbers don't tell the whole story of the "Texas Two-Step" or the sheer physical punishment Ricky handed out. He wasn't just fast. He was dense. Tacklers would hit him and just... bounce off. It looked like a glitch in a video game.
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Williams finished that year with 2,124 rushing yards. Read that again. Over two thousand yards in 11 regular-season games.
The peak of the 1998 Texas Longhorns football season, and arguably one of the greatest moments in Memorial Stadium history, was the "Run Ricky Run" game against Texas A&M. The Day after Thanksgiving. The Aggies had a monstrous defense—the "Wrecking Crew." They were ranked No. 6 in the country. Ricky needed 11 yards to break Tony Dorsett’s all-time NCAA rushing record.
When he broke through the line and took it 60 yards for the touchdown, the stadium didn't just cheer. It shook. I've talked to people who were in the upper deck; they swear the concrete was vibrating. It was the moment the 1998 Texas Longhorns football team became legendary. They won 26-24, ruining A&M's hopes and solidifying Ricky's Heisman. It wasn't just a record; it was a statement that Texas was back on the national stage.
Major Applewhite: The Freshman Who Kept the Engine Running
While Ricky was the soul, Major Applewhite was the spark. We think of him as a legend now, but back then, he was just this skinny kid from Louisiana who beat out Richard Walton for the job. Applewhite brought a level of moxie that the Longhorns had been missing. He wasn't the biggest guy. He didn't have the strongest arm. But he had "it."
In 1998, Applewhite threw for 2,453 yards and 18 touchdowns. For a freshman in that era? Those were massive numbers. He provided the balance. You couldn't just put nine guys in the box to stop Ricky because Major would find Wane McGarity or Kwame Cavil downfield. McGarity was a monster that year, hauling in 45 catches and nine touchdowns. The synergy between the ground game and the air attack started to look like the high-powered offenses we'd see in Austin for years to come.
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The Defense: Bend, Don’t Break (Mostly)
If there was a weak link, or at least a "work in progress" link, it was the defense. They gave up a lot of points. 48 to K-State, 42 to Nebraska. It wasn't always pretty. But they had playmakers like Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers in the middle. Watching those two was like watching two refrigerators move at the speed of sound. They were the anchors.
Then you had guys like Aaron Humphrey and Cedric Woodard. They were scrappy. They played with an intensity that reflected the new coaching staff's philosophy. They weren't the 2005 defense yet, not even close, but they were learning how to win close games. The 7-point win over Oklahoma and the 2-point win over A&M proved they could hold the line when it actually counted.
Cotton Bowl Redemption
The season ended in the Cotton Bowl against Mississippi State. By this point, the 1998 Texas Longhorns football team was a juggernaut of momentum. They rolled the Bulldogs 38-11. Ricky ran for 203 yards. Major was efficient. The defense was suffocating. It was the first New Year's Day bowl win for Texas since the 1981 season.
That’s a seventeen-year gap.
Think about that. An entire generation of Longhorn fans grew up without seeing a major bowl victory. That Cotton Bowl wasn't just a trophy; it was a permission slip for Texas fans to start dreaming big again. It set the stage for the 10-win seasons that became the standard under Mack Brown.
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Why 1998 Still Matters in 2026
We look back at this season now and see it as the "Year of Ricky," but it was actually the Year of the Foundation. It proved that Texas could recruit elite talent and actually develop it. It proved that the "Longhorn Brand" wasn't just a nostalgic memory from the Darrell Royal days.
People often argue about which Texas team was better, but 1998 has a special place because it felt like a resurrection. Without the success of '98, do we get Vince Young? Do we get the 2005 National Championship? Maybe not. That 9-3 record might look "okay" on paper today, but in the context of where the program was, it was a miracle.
Key Stats from the 1998 Season
- Ricky Williams: 2,124 rushing yards, 27 TDs, 6.2 yards per carry.
- Major Applewhite: 2,453 passing yards, 18 TDs, 140.4 passer rating.
- Wane McGarity: 803 receiving yards, 17.8 yards per catch.
- Team Scoring: 34.4 points per game (Ranked 15th in NCAA).
- Final Ranking: No. 15 in the AP Poll, No. 16 in the Coaches Poll.
The 1998 Texas Longhorns football season taught us that one player can change a game, but a culture change can change a decade. If you want to understand why Texas fans are so passionate—sometimes to a fault—you have to look at 1998. It was the year that hope returned to the 40 Acres.
Actionable Takeaways for Longhorn Fans and Historians
To truly appreciate what happened in 1998, you should do more than just read a stat sheet. Here is how to dive deeper into that specific era of college football:
- Watch the "Run Ricky Run" Full Broadcast: Don't just watch the highlight. Watch the entire 4th quarter of the 1998 Texas vs. Texas A&M game. It captures the tension of the rivalry and the weight of the rushing record better than any 30-second clip can.
- Study the Mack Brown Coaching Tree: Look at the assistants on that 1998 staff, including Greg Davis and Carl Reese. Understanding their roles helps explain how the team transitioned from the pro-style mess of the mid-90s to the balanced attack of the late 90s.
- Compare the 1998 Rushing Stats: Contrast Ricky Williams' 1998 season with other Heisman winners like Barry Sanders (1988) or Derrick Henry (2015). You’ll see that Ricky’s workload and efficiency in 1998 remains one of the most dominant single-season performances in the history of the sport, especially considering the strength of the Big 12 defenses at the time.
- Visit the Frank Denius Memorial Learning Center: If you are in Austin, see the Heisman trophy and the 1998 memorabilia. Seeing the size of the jersey Ricky wore helps you realize he wasn't just a "fast back"—he was a physical anomaly.