2008 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

	2008 Big East football standings
	† – BCS representative as champion ; Rankings from AP Poll

West Virginia Mountaineers football
	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	No. 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; (Capacity: 60,000)
	Seasons ← 2007 2009 →

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.

ScheduleEdit

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30*	3:30 PM	Villanova	#8	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPN+	W 48–21	60,566
September 6*	4:30 PM	at East Carolina	#8	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	ESPN	L 3–24	43,610
September 18*	8:30 PM	at Colorado	#24	Folsom Field • Boulder, CO	ESPN	L 14–17 ^OT	51,883
September 27*	3:30 PM	Marshall		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Friends of Coal Bowl)	ESPN+	W 27–3	60,154
October 4	12:00 PM	Rutgers		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPN+	W 24–17	59,122
October 11†	12:00 PM	Syracuse		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPNU	W 17–6	58,133
October 23*	7:30 PM	Auburn		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Gold Rush)	ESPN	W 34–17	60,765
November 1	12:00 PM	at Connecticut		Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT	ESPN+	W 35–13	40,000
November 8	7:00 PM	Cincinnati	#23	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPNU	L 23–26 ^OT	59,834
November 22	12:00 PM	at Louisville		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPN	W 35–21	34,796
November 28	12:00 PM	at Pittsburgh	#25	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)	ABC	L 15–19	63,019
December 6	8:00 PM	South Florida		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (White Out - Pat White's final home game)	ESPN2	W 13–7	48,019
December 27*	1:00 PM	vs. North Carolina		Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC (Meineke Car Care Bowl)	ESPN	W 31–30	73,712
*Non-Conference Game. ^†Homecoming. ^#Rankings from Coaches Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staffEdit

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.^[1]

Spring GameEdit

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 ClassEdit

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
John Bassler OL	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
Tyler Bitancurt K	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
Brantwon Bowser DB	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
Jeff Braun DT	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
Ryan Clarke FB	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
J.J. Dorsey ATH	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
Tevita Finau DL	Scout:75px Rivals:75px
Larry Ford DL	Coffeyville, KS	Coffeyville Community College	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	250 lb (110 kg)	4.80	Oct 16, 2007
Larry Ford DL	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
Corey Freeman DL	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
Zach Hulce HB	Scout:75px Rivals:N/A
Josh Jenkins OL	Parkersburg, WV	Parkersburg HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	303 lb (137 kg)	Feb 6, 2008
Josh Jenkins OL	Scout:75px Rivals:75px ESPN grade: 80
Benji Kemoeatu OL	Kahuku, HI	Kahuku HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	315 lb (143 kg)	Feb 6, 2008
Benji Kemoeatu OL	Scout: Rivals:75px 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
Terence Kerns RB	Scout:75px Rivals:75px 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
Joey Madsen OL	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
Donovan Miles LB	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
Jatavious Miller LB	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
Chris Palmer DL	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
Mark Rodgers RB	Scout:75px 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
Robert Sands LB	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
D.J. Shaw DL	Scout: Rivals:
Bernard Smith LB	Atlanta, GA	Mays HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.71	Jan 27, 2008
Bernard Smith LB	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
Courtney Stuart DB	Scout: Rivals:
Jerome Swinton DB	Daytona Beach, FL	Seabreeze Beach HS	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)	160 lb (73 kg)	Feb 6, 2008
Jerome Swinton DB	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
Tyler Urban FB	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
Coley White QB	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
J.D. Woods WR	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
Jorge Wright DL	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 February 20, 2008. "Scout.com Football Recruiting". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=679&p=9&c=8&yr=2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008. "RecruitTracker 2008: West Virginia". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/277/class/2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=679&p=9&c=14&yr=2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008. "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008.

RankingsEdit

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

StatisticsEdit

TeamEdit

	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 quarterEdit

	1	2	3	4	Total
WVU					0
Opponents					0

OffenseEdit

RushingEdit

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

PassingEdit

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

ReceivingEdit

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

DefenseEdit

Name	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass Def.	Interceptions			Fumbles		Blkd Kick
Name	GP	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 teamsEdit

Name	Kicking								Punting
Name	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
Name	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

ReferencesEdit

↑ West Virginia Mountaineers football article

External linksEdit

[0] West Virginia Mountaineers football article

[1]

v · d · e
2008 Big East football standings
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

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