2008 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

2008 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Meineke Car Care Bowl Champions
Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. North Carolina, 31-30 win
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
AP	#23
2008 record	9–4 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach	Bill Stewart
Offensive coordinator	Jeff Mullen
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Jeff Casteel
Base defense	3–3–5
Home stadium	Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000)
Seasons « 2007 2009 »

2008 Big East football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#17 Cincinnati †		6	–	1					11	–	3
Pittsburgh		5	–	2					9	–	4
#23 West Virginia		5	–	2					9	–	4
Rutgers		5	–	2					8	–	5
Connecticut		3	–	4					8	–	5
South Florida		2	–	5					8	–	5
Louisville		1	–	6					5	–	7
Syracuse		1	–	6					3	–	9
† – BCS representative as champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008 West Virginia Mountaineers football team competed on behalf of West Virginia University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bill Stewart, who took over after he led the Mountaineers to a 2008 Fiesta Bowl victory over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners as the interim head coach after the departure of former head coach Rich Rodriguez. The team finished the season with a 9–4 record and a win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
2008-08-30	3:30pm	Villanova*	#8	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPN+	W 48–21	60,566
2008-09-06	4:30pm	at East Carolina*	#8	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	ESPN	L 3–24	43,610
2008-09-18	8:30pm	at Colorado*	#21	Folsom Field • Boulder, CO	ESPN	L 14–17 OT	51,883
2008-09-27	3:30pm	Marshall*		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Friends of Coal Bowl)	ESPN+	W 27–3	60,154
2008-10-04	12:00pm	Rutgers		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPN+	W 24–17	59,122
2008-10-11	12:00pm	Syracuse		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPNU	W 17–6	58,133
2008-10-23	7:30pm	Auburn*		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (GOLD RUSH)	ESPN	W 34–17	60,765
2008-11-01	12:00pm	at #25 Connecticut		Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT	ESPN+	W 35–13	40,000
2008-11-08	7:00pm	Cincinnati	#20	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPNU	L 23–26 OT	59,834
2008-11-22	12:00pm	at Louisville		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPN	W 35–21	34,796
2008-11-28	12:00pm	at #25 Pittsburgh		Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)	ABC	L 15–19	63,019
2008-12-06	8:00pm	South Florida		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (WHITE OUT)	ESPN2	W 13–7	48,019
2008-12-27	1:00pm	vs. North Carolina*		Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC (Meineke Car Care Bowl)	ESPN	W 31–30	73,712
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

Head coach Bill Stewart is the Mountaineers 32nd head coach in school history. He returns defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich. His new hirings are associate head coach, recruiting coordinator, fullback, and tight ends coach Doc Holliday, assistant head coach and safeties coach Steve Dunlap, running backs coach Chris Beatty, offensive line coach Dave Johnson, and cornerbacks coach David Lockwood. Jeff Mullen, former quarterbacks coach at Wake Forest, was announced as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The receivers coach was named on January 29, Lonnie Galloway, the receivers coach from Appalachian State.

Spring Game

The Gold & Blue Spring Game was held on Saturday, April 19, 2008, at Mountaineer Field. A record crowd of over 25,000 fans attended as the Gold defeated the Blue 59–15. Kicker Pat McAfee was four-for-four on field goals with a long of 47 yards, and starting quarterback Pat White and backup Jarrett Brown both had touchdown passes. Brown also had a four-yard touchdown run and two backup kickers hit a field goal each. The defense recorded six sacks in total, and walk-on linebacker Najee Good led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Pat Lazear had the only interception on the game off of a White pass. Backup runningback led all ballcarriers with 54 yards on 17 carries while sophomore Brandon Hogan led all receivers with 49 yards on 6 catches.

Recruiting Class

Recruits

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date John Bassler OL Union Bridge, MD Francis Scott Key HS 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 285 lb (129 kg) 5.40 Jul 3, 2007  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Tyler Bitancurt K Springfield, VA West Springfield HS 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) 170 lb (77 kg) N/A Dec 9, 2007  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Brantwon Bowser DB Phoenix, AZ Phoenix Community College 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 190 lb (86 kg) 4.50 Jan 7, 2008  Scout:   Rivals: Jeff Braun DT Westminster, MD West Hills HS 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 300 lb (140 kg) 5.50 Nov 25, 2006  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 74 Ryan Clarke FB Hyattsville, MD Dematha Catholic HS 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) 235 lb (107 kg) Feb 3, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 J.J. Dorsey ATH Winchester, VA John Handley HS 620 ft 1 in (18,900 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) 4.60 May 23, 2007  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Tevita Finau DL Phoenix, AZ Phoenix Community College 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) 275 lb (125 kg) 4.80 Feb 1, 2008  Scout:   Rivals: Larry Ford DL Coffeyville, KS Coffeyville Community College 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 250 lb (110 kg) 4.80 Oct 16, 2007  Scout:   Rivals: Corey Freeman DL University Heights, OH Cleveland Heights HS 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 210 lb (95 kg) 4.52 Jan 24, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Zach Hulce HB Puyallup, WA Glendale Junior College 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) 200 lb (91 kg) 4.41 Feb 27, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:N/A Josh Jenkins OL Parkersburg, WV Parkersburg HS 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 303 lb (137 kg) Feb 6, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 80 Benji Kemoeatu OL Kahuku, HI Kahuku HS 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 315 lb (143 kg) Feb 6, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 76 Terence Kerns RB Chatham, VA Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 225 lb (102 kg) 4.55 Apr 12, 2006  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 77 Joey Madsen OL Chardon, OH Chardon HS 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 275 lb (125 kg) 5.00 Jul 12, 2007  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Donovan Miles LB Stafford, VA Brooke Point HS 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 225 lb (102 kg) 4.50 Jun 5, 2007  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 78 Jatavious Miller LB Pahokee, FL Pahokee HS 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) 203 lb (92 kg) Feb 6, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 67 Chris Palmer DL Philadelphia, PA St. John Neumann HS 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 292 lb (132 kg) 5.01 Jun 29, 2007  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 73 Mark Rodgers RB Lawndale, CA Leuzinger HS 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) 180 lb (82 kg) 4.55 Apr 1, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:N/A   ESPN grade: 40 Robert Sands LB North Bergen, NJ North Bergen HS 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) 196 lb (89 kg) 4.59 Feb 6, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 D.J. Shaw DL Wesson, MS Copiah-Lincoln 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 285 lb (129 kg) Jan 28, 2008  Scout:   Rivals: Bernard Smith LB Atlanta, GA Mays HS 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 220 lb (100 kg) 4.71 Jan 27, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 75 Courtney Stuart DB Phoenix, AZ Phoenix Community College 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 220 lb (100 kg) 4.45 Jan 23, 2008  Scout:   Rivals: Jerome Swinton DB Daytona Beach, FL Seabreeze Beach HS 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) 160 lb (73 kg) Feb 6, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 78 Tyler Urban FB North Huntingdon, PA Norwin SHS 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 240 lb (110 kg) Feb 2, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 74 Coley White QB Daphne, AL Daphne HS 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 170 lb (77 kg) 4.50 Feb 5, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 J.D. Woods WR Naples, FL Golden Gate HS 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 190 lb (86 kg) 4.50 Feb 5, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Jorge Wright DL Miami, FL Dr. Michael M. Krop HS 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 260 lb (120 kg) Jan 30, 2008  Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 40 Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 36   Rivals: 43 ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "West Virginia Commit List for 2008". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2008/alabama-96. Retrieved 2008-02-20.  "Scout.com Football Recruiting". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=679&p=9&c=8&yr=2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.  "RecruitTracker 2008: West Virginia". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/277/class/2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.  "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=679&p=9&c=14&yr=2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.  "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.

Rankings

See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking Movement

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Final
AP	8	8	25	21	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	20	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	23
Coaches	8	8	24	22	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	23	NR	NR	25	NR	NR	NR
Harris	not available				NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	22	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	N/A
BCS	not available							NR	NR	NR	25	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	N/A

Statistics

Team

Team Opp Scoring       Points per Game     First Downs       Rushing       Passing       Penalty     Total Offense       Avg per Play       Avg per Game     Fumbles-Lost     Penalties-Yards       Avg per Game

Team Opp Punts-Yards       Avg per Punt     Time of Possession/Game     3rd Down Conversions     4th Down Conversions     Touchdowns Scored     Field Goals-Attempts-Long     PAT-Attempts     Attendance       Games/Avg per Game

Scores by quarter

1 2 3 4 Total WVU 0 Opponents 0

Offense

Rushing

Name	GP-GS	Att	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Noel Devine	8–8	132	909	6.9	3	92	113.3
Pat White	7–7	102	545	5.3	44	4	77.9
Jock Sanders	8–8	30	168	5.6	19	2	21
Jarrett Brown	5–1	32	157	4.9	35	1	31.4
Mark Rodgers	5–0	12	69	5.8	19	0	13.8
Total
Opponents

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Cmp-Att-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	Avg/G
Pat White	7–7	99–142–3	69.7	885	13	44	126.4
Jarrett Brown	5–1	22–30–1	73.3	114	1	25	22.8
Total
Opponents

Receiving

Name	GP-GS	Rec.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Jock Sanders	8–8	35	263	7.5	6	25	32.9
Alric Arnett	8–8	19	226	11.9	3	44	28.3
Dorrell Jalloh	8–8	17	202	11.9	3	35	25.3
Noel Devine	8–8	22	96	4.4	0	17	12
Wes Lyons	4–0	9	90	10	0	19	22.5
Will Johnson	4–2	7	48	6.9	1	12	12
Tito Gonzales	3–0	4	35	8.8	0	11	11.6
Tyler Urban	2–0	1	25	25	2	25	12.5
Bradley Starks	3–0	4	20	5	0	13	6.6
Total
Opponents

Defense

Name	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass Def.	Interceptions			Fumbles		Blkd Kick
		Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds	No-Yds	BU	No.-Yds	Avg	TD	Rcv-Yds	FF	No.
Mortty Ivy	8	24	37	61	4.0 – 10	.5 – 3	2	3–48	16	0	1–30	0	0
Quinton Andrews	8	28	26	54	2.0 – 4	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sidney Glover	8	23	22	45	4.5 – 18	1.0 – 7	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ellis Lankster	8	27	17	44	1.5 – 11	0	4	1–31	31	0	0	0	0
Anthony Leonard	8	12	31	43	1.5 – 4	.5 – 3	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
J.T. Thomas	8	12	25	37	3.5 – 24	1.5 – 15	3	0	0	0	0	2	1
Chris Neild	8	9	23	32	2.5 – 6	1.5 – 4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Brandon Hogan	8	15	13	28	0	0	3	2–50	25	0	2–0	0	0
Franchot "Boogie" Allen	8	13	13	26	2.5 – 4	1.0 – 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eain Smith	8	10	15	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Holmes	8	7	13	20	3.5 – 25	3.0 – 24	1	1	0	0	0	2	0
Robert Sands	8	8	11	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Doug Slavonic	8	3	15	18	2.5 – 9	2.5 – 9	1	0	0	0	1–0	1	0
Ovid Goldbourne	8	5	12	17	.5 – 3	.5 – 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Reed Williams	4	6	11	17	2.0 – 4	0	1	1–11	11	0	0	0	0
Pat Lazear	8	4	11	15	1.0 – 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kent Richardson	8	8	5	13	1.0 – 1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nate Sowers	7	7	6	13	.5 – 1	0	1	1–0	0	0	0	0	0
Pat Liebig	5	1	10	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Guesly Dervil	7	4	5	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zac Cooper	8	3	5	8	1.0 – 8	1.0 – 8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total

Special teams

Name	Kicking								Punting
	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	LG	No.	Yds	Avg.	TB	-20	LG
Pat McAfee	25	25	100	9	10	90	52	37	1643	44.4	5	18	65
Total

Name	Punt Returns					Kick Returns
	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Ellis Lankster	20	171	8.6	0	36	3	67	22.3	0	31
Brandon Hogan	2	17	8.5	11	0
Mark Rodgers						13	301	23.2	0	44
Jock Sanders	1	0	0	0	0	5	108	21.6	0	32
Total

External links

• West Virginia Mountaineers official site
• 2008 Schedule