CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2008 Louisiana

6–⁠6 (5–⁠2 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Rickey Bustle.

Schedule and results

Louisiana in 2008, game by game: lost at Southern Miss 21–51; lost at No. 24 Illinois 17–20; won vs. Kent State 44–27; lost at Kansas State 37–45; won at UL Monroe 44–35; won at North Texas 59–30; won vs. Arkansas State 28–23; won vs. Florida International 49–20; lost vs. UTEP 24–37; lost at Florida Atlantic 29–40; lost at Troy 3–48; won vs. Middle Tennessee 42–28+29−45Lost 21–51 at Southern Miss-30Southern MissLost 17–20 at No. 24 Illinois-3No. 24 IllinoisWon 44–27 vs. Kent State+17Kent StateLost 37–45 at Kansas State-8Kansas StateWon 44–35 at UL Monroe+9UL MonroeWon 59–30 at North Texas+29North TexasWon 28–23 vs. Arkansas State+5Arkansas StateWon 49–20 vs. Florida International+29Florida Interna…Lost 24–37 vs. UTEP-13UTEPLost 29–40 at Florida Atlantic-11Florida AtlanticLost 3–48 at Troy-45TroyWon 42–28 vs. Middle Tennessee+14Middle Tennessee
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30atSouthern MissL 21–⁠5126%
Sep 13at24IllinoisL 17–⁠2021%
Sep 20vsKent StateW 44–⁠2757%
Sep 27atKansas StateL 37–⁠4529%
Oct 4atUL MonroeW 44–⁠3534%
Oct 11atNorth TexasW 59–⁠3066%
Oct 18vsArkansas StateW 28–⁠2355%
Nov 1vsFlorida InternationalW 49–⁠2067%
Nov 8vsUTEPL 24–⁠3767%
Nov 15atFlorida AtlanticL 29–⁠4040%
Nov 22atTroyL 3–⁠4825%
Dec 3vsMiddle TennesseeW 42–⁠2853%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Middle Tennessee 42–⁠28; unranked in the final AP poll; 2nd in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 31st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 92 on file).

Record
6–⁠6
Conference
5–⁠2 2nd in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
397–⁠404
Coach
Rickey Bustle
Elo
1424 +32 this season
SP+ rating
-11.1 No. 97 of 120; offense No. 43, defense No. 115, special teams No. 73
SRS
−7.2 No. 87 of 120 in FBS
Recruiting class
No. 108
Offensive coordinator
Ron Hudson
Defensive coordinator
Kevin Fouquier
Offense
Multiple
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense27th of 120
  • Defense116th of 120
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted34th of 120
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted128th of 120
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0743%0.9127th of 120
Defense0.1344%0.93116th of 120
Opponent-adjusted0.06 off
0.10 def		42% off
44% def		—34th off
128th 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
Offense-0.2own 313% allowed
Defense0.0own 312% 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

Tim Jackson CB★★★No. 1247
Nathan Sowels CB★★★No. 1247
Rodney Gillis CB★★No. 1436
Evan Ruiz OG★★No. 1550
Brendan Wilson TE★★No. 1583

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

The 2008 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.00.722
Running backs12.00.772
Receivers32.00.756
Offensive line32.00.751
Defensive line32.00.730
Linebackers12.00.700
Defensive backs52.40.784
Athletes and specialists22.00.745
Whole class202.10.752

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.

2008 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Troy6–⁠18–⁠5
Louisiana5–⁠26–⁠6
Florida Atlantic4–⁠37–⁠6
Arkansas State4–⁠36–⁠6
Florida International3–⁠45–⁠7
Middle Tennessee3–⁠45–⁠7
UL Monroe3–⁠44–⁠8
North Texas0–⁠71–⁠11

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