CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2008 Georgia Tech

9–⁠4 (5–⁠3 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Paul Johnson, finished No. 22 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Georgia Tech in 2008, game by game: won vs. Jacksonville State 41–14; won at Boston College 19–16; lost at Virginia Tech 17–20; won vs. Mississippi State 38–7; won vs. Duke 27–0; won vs. Gardner-Webb 10–7; won at Clemson 21–17; lost vs. Virginia 17–24; won vs. No. 16 Florida State 31–28; lost at No. 19 North Carolina 7–28; won vs. No. 23 Miami 41–23; won at No. 13 Georgia 45–42; lost vs. LSU 3–38+31−35Won 41–14 vs. Jacksonville State+27Jacksonville St…Won 19–16 at Boston College+3Boston CollegeLost 17–20 at Virginia Tech-3Virginia TechWon 38–7 vs. Mississippi State+31Mississippi Sta…Won 27–0 vs. Duke+27DukeWon 10–7 vs. Gardner-Webb+3Gardner-WebbWon 21–17 at Clemson+4ClemsonLost 17–24 vs. Virginia-7VirginiaWon 31–28 vs. No. 16 Florida State+3No. 16 Florida StateLost 7–28 at No. 19 North Carolina-21No. 19 North CarolinaWon 41–23 vs. No. 23 Miami+18No. 23 MiamiWon 45–42 at No. 13 Georgia+3No. 13 GeorgiaLost 3–38 vs. LSU-35LSU
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 28vsJacksonville StateW 41–⁠1484%
Sep 6atBoston CollegeW 19–⁠1630%
Sep 13atVirginia TechL 17–⁠2030%
Sep 20vsMississippi StateW 38–⁠764%
Oct 4vsDukeW 27–⁠076%
Oct 11vsGardner-WebbW 10–⁠790%
Oct 18atClemsonW 21–⁠1746%
Oct 25vsVirginiaL 17–⁠2466%
Nov 1vs16Florida StateW 31–⁠2853%
Nov 8at19North CarolinaL 7–⁠2841%
Nov 20vs23MiamiW 41–⁠2354%
Nov 29at13GeorgiaW 45–⁠4225%
Dec 31Bowls & playoffvsLSUChick-fil-A BowlL 3–⁠3850%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to LSU 38–⁠3 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl; No. 22 in the final AP poll; tied for first in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 50th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 125 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 9: 21
  2. Wk 11: 22
  3. Wk 14: 18
  4. Wk 15: 15
  5. Final: 22

ACC Coastal champions5–⁠3 in the conference, shared with Virginia Tech

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
5–⁠3 shared first in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
No. 22 peak No. 15
Points
317–⁠264
Coach
Paul Johnson
Elo
1585 +54 this season
SP+ rating
8.6 No. 35 of 120; offense No. 41, defense No. 29, special teams No. 111
SRS
5.5 No. 38 of 120 in FBS
Recruiting class
No. 51
Defensive coordinator
Dave Wommack
Offense
Flexbone triple option
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense66th of 120
  • Defense34th of 120
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted40th of 120
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted43rd of 120
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0339%0.9766th of 120
Defense-0.0039%0.9434th of 120
Opponent-adjusted0.05 off
0.01 def		41% off
40% def		—40th off
43rd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 332% allowed
Defense0.0own 322% caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2008 class

Omoregie Uzzi OG★★★★No. 330
T.J. Barnes OT★★★No. 452
Steven Sylvester ILB★★★No. 452
Marcus Wright RB★★★No. 713
Nick McRae OG★★★No. 857

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2008 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.767
Running backs13.00.857
Receivers22.00.767
Offensive line43.00.853
Defensive line12.00.789
Linebackers13.00.879
Defensive backs13.00.839
Athletes and specialists13.00.834
Whole class122.70.826

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2009

The 2009 draft
Rd 3Michael Johnson DECincinnati Bengals
Rd 6Andrew Gardner OTMiami Dolphins
Rd 7Vance Walker DTAtlanta Falcons
Rd 7Darryl Richard DTNew England Patriots

2008 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Virginia Tech5–⁠310–⁠415
Georgia Tech5–⁠39–⁠422
Florida State5–⁠39–⁠421
Boston College5–⁠39–⁠5
Maryland4–⁠48–⁠5
North Carolina4–⁠48–⁠5
Wake Forest4–⁠48–⁠5
Miami4–⁠47–⁠6
Clemson4–⁠47–⁠6
NC State4–⁠46–⁠7
Virginia3–⁠55–⁠7
Duke1–⁠74–⁠8

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.