2008 Navy
8–5, coached by Ken Niumatalolo. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 16 Wake Forest 24–17Sep 27
Wake Forest was ranked No. 16, above it.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs Towson | W 41–13 | 86% |
| Sep 5 | at Ball State | L 23–35 | 48% |
| Sep 13 | at Duke | L 31–41 | 64% |
| Sep 20 | vs Rutgers | W 23–21 | 58% |
| Sep 27 | at 16Wake Forest | W 24–17 | 22% |
| Oct 4 | at Air Force | W 33–27 | 37% |
| Oct 18 | vs 23Pittsburgh | L 21–42 | 60% |
| Oct 25 | vs SMU | W 34–7 | 82% |
| Nov 1 | vs Temple | W 33–27 | 72% |
| Nov 15 | vs Notre Dame | L 21–27 | 51% |
| Nov 25 | at Northern Illinois | W 16–0 | 48% |
| Dec 6 | vs Army | W 34–0 | 78% |
| Dec 20Bowls & playoff | vsWake ForestEagleBank Bowl | L 19–29 | 47% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Wake Forest 29–19 in the EagleBank Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll.
In program history: The 67th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 139 on file).
Led the nationShun White: yards per carry (8.3)
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- —
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 353–286
- Coach
- Ken Niumatalolo
- Elo
- 1534 +6 this season
- SP+ rating
- -3.5 No. 80 of 120; offense No. 67, defense No. 81, special teams No. 22
- SRS
- 1.8 No. 52 of 120 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 113
- Offensive coordinator
- Ivin Jasper
- Defensive coordinator
- Buddy Green
- Captains
- Clint Sovie and Jarod Bryant
- Most valuable player
- Shun White
- Offense
- Triple option
- Defense
- Multiple
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.06 | 41% | 0.84 | 33rd of 120 |
| Defense | 0.04 | 45% | 0.89 | 71st of 120 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.05 off 0.06 def | 41% off 46% def | — | 38th off 96th 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.3 | own 31 | 2% allowed |
| Defense | -0.1 | own 33 | 4% 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
| Jarren Brown RB | ★★★ | No. 1231 |
| Jon Teague K | ★★★ | No. 1247 |
| Brandon Turner S | ★★ | No. 1436 |
| Mike McCarthy OG | ★★ | No. 1436 |
| Thomas Batchelder ILB | ★★ | No. 1436 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2008 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.768 |
| Receivers | 1 | 2.0 | 0.744 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 2.0 | 0.767 |
| Linebackers | 5 | 2.0 | 0.753 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.811 |
| Whole class | 12 | 2.2 | 0.765 |
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.