In 1998, under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and new head coach John L. Smith, Redman started 10 of 11 regular-season games as a junior and established Conference USA and Louisville season records for attempts (473), completions (309), yards (4,042) and touchdowns (29) despite missing a game because of a knee injury. His 404.2 yards-per-game average was the fifth highest in I-A history. On November 14, 1998, Redman torched East Carolina by completing 44 of 56 passes (with six touchdown passes) for 592 yards—the 10th-best single-game yardage total of all time. The Cardinals had a huge turnaround from the season before, going 7-4 in the regular season and participating in a bowl game for the first time since 1993.