CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2008 Middle Tennessee

5–⁠7 (3–⁠4 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Rick Stockstill.

Schedule and results

Middle Tennessee in 2008, game by game: lost vs. Troy 17–31; won vs. Maryland 24–14; lost at Kentucky 14–20; lost at Arkansas State 14–31; won vs. Florida Atlantic 14–13; lost at Florida International 21–31; lost at Louisville 23–42; lost at Mississippi State 22–31; won vs. UL Monroe 24–21; won at Western Kentucky 21–10; won vs. North Texas 52–13; lost at Louisiana 28–42+39−19Lost 17–31 vs. Troy-14TroyWon 24–14 vs. Maryland+10MarylandLost 14–20 at Kentucky-6KentuckyLost 14–31 at Arkansas State-17Arkansas StateWon 14–13 vs. Florida Atlantic+1Florida AtlanticLost 21–31 at Florida International-10Florida Interna…Lost 23–42 at Louisville-19LouisvilleLost 22–31 at Mississippi State-9Mississippi Sta…Won 24–21 vs. UL Monroe+3UL MonroeWon 21–10 at Western Kentucky+11Western KentuckyWon 52–13 vs. North Texas+39North TexasLost 28–42 at Louisiana-14Louisiana
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 28vsTroyL 17–⁠3147%
Sep 6vsMarylandW 24–⁠1442%
Sep 13atKentuckyL 14–⁠2025%
Sep 20atArkansas StateL 14–⁠3145%
Sep 30vsFlorida AtlanticW 14–⁠1356%
Oct 11atFlorida InternationalL 21–⁠3152%
Oct 18atLouisvilleL 23–⁠4225%
Oct 25atMississippi StateL 22–⁠3133%
Nov 8vsUL MonroeW 24–⁠2155%
Nov 15atWestern KentuckyW 21–⁠1057%
Nov 22vsNorth TexasW 52–⁠1380%
Dec 3atLouisianaL 28–⁠4247%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Louisiana 42–⁠28; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 18th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 63 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠4 tied for 5th in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
274–⁠299
Coach
Rick Stockstill
Elo
1407 −57 this season
SP+ rating
-15.0 No. 104 of 120; offense No. 107, defense No. 87, special teams No. 81
SRS
−10.8 No. 100 of 120 in FBS
Recruiting class
No. 63
Offensive coordinator
G.A. Mangus
Defensive coordinator
Manny Diaz
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense89th of 120
  • Defense51st of 120
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted102nd of 120
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted53rd of 120
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense-0.0238%0.8889th of 120
Defense0.0140%0.9651st of 120
Opponent-adjusted-0.00 off
0.02 def		38% off
40% def		—102nd off
53rd 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 333% allowed
Defense0.0own 332% 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

Sancho McDonald DUAL★★★No. 933
Marcus Thurmond WR★★★No. 951
Malcolm Beyah ATH★★★No. 1019
Brent Burnette PRO★★★No. 1110
Kendall Dangerfield DT★★★No. 1166

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

The 2008 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks23.00.836
Running backs22.00.788
Receivers22.50.792
Offensive line52.20.775
Defensive line22.50.762
Linebackers32.00.778
Defensive backs22.00.784
Athletes and specialists22.50.778
Whole class202.30.784

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

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.