2008 Florida Gators football team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article documents a current sports-related event. Information may change as the event progresses. 2008 Florida Gators football SEC Champions SEC East Division Champions SEC Championship Game, W 31-20 v. Alabama BCS Championship Game, v. Oklahoma Conference SEC East Ranking BCS #2 Coaches #2 AP #1 2008 record 12–1 (7–1 SEC) Head coach Urban Meyer Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen Offensive scheme Spread Option Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong Base defense 4-3 Home stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Seasons « 2007 2008 SEC football standings v • d • e Conf Overall Team (Rank) W L W L East #1 Florida 7 – 1 12 – 1 #16 Georgia 6 – 2 9 – 3 Vanderbilt 4 – 4 6 – 6 South Carolina 4 – 4 7 – 5 Tennessee 3 – 5 5 – 7 Kentucky 2 – 6 6 – 6 West #4 Alabama 8 – 0 12 – 1 #20 Ole Miss 5 – 3 8 – 4 LSU 3 – 5 7 – 5 Arkansas 2 – 6 5 – 7 Auburn 2 – 6 5 – 7 Mississippi State 2 – 6 4 – 8 Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20 As of December 7, 2008 • Rankings: AP Top 25 Poll The 2008 Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the college football season of 2008. The team is coached by Urban Meyer and play their homes games in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. They are currently the No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll and #2 in the Coaches Poll. After clinching the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division, the team defeated the then-#1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 31–20 in the 2008 SEC Championship Game to win the SEC title. The Gators will close their season in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, where they will face the Oklahoma Sooners for the BCS National Championship. Contents [hide] 1 Previous Season 2 Pre-season 2.1 Pre-season All-SEC honors 3 Schedule 4 Game notes 4.1 Hawaii 4.2 Miami 4.3 Tennessee 4.4 Ole Miss 4.5 Arkansas 4.6 LSU 4.7 Kentucky 4.8 Georgia 4.9 Vanderbilt 4.10 South Carolina 4.11 The Citadel 4.12 Florida State 4.13 Alabama (SEC Championship Game) 4.14 Oklahoma (BCS Championship Game) 5 Rankings 6 Personnel 6.1 Depth Chart 6.2 Roster 6.3 Coaching Staff 7 Statistics 7.1 Team - Through 12 Games 7.1.1 Scores by quarter - Through 11 Games 7.2 Offense 7.2.1 Rushing Through 11 Games 7.2.2 Passing - Through 11 Games 7.2.3 Receiving - Through 11 Games 7.3 Defense 7.4 Special teams 8 References 9 See also [edit] Previous Season Entering the season as defending national champions, the Gators went 9-4 in the 2007 season in spite of a prolific offense, primarily due to a defense depleted by graduation and departures to the NFL leading to the worst defense for a Florida team since 1971[1], closing out the year with a 41-35 loss to Michigan in the 2008 Capital One Bowl on January 1. Quarterback Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman trophy. In the offseason, Florida coach Urban Meyer suffered the loss of assistant coaches for the first time in his tenure. Co-recruiting coordinator and safeties coach Doc Holliday left to become an assistant at his alma mater, West Virginia, running backs coach Stan Drayton took the same job with the Tennessee Volunteers, and co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Greg Mattison joined the new coaching staff of the Baltimore Ravens. [edit] Pre-season [edit] Pre-season All-SEC honors 2008 All-SEC First Team[2] Cornelius Ingram, TE Percy Harvin, WR Tim Tebow, QB Brandon Spikes, LB Brandon James, RS 2008 All-SEC Third Team[2] Phil Trautwein, OL Jim Tartt, OL Major Wright, DB Joe Haden, DB Wondy Pierre-Louis, DB [edit] Schedule Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance August 30, 2008* 12:30 PM Hawaii #5 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL Raycom W 56-10 90,575 September 6, 2008* 8:00 PM Miami (FL) #5 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL ESPN W 26-3 90,833 September 20, 2008 3:30 PM at Tennessee #4 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN CBS W 30-6 106,138 September 27, 2008 12:30 PM Ole Miss #4 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL Raycom L 30-31 90,106 October 4, 2008 12:30 PM at Arkansas #13 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR Raycom W 38-7 70,072 October 11, 2008 8:00 PM #3 LSU #12 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL CBS W 51-21 90,684 October 25, 2008† 12:30 PM Kentucky #7 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL Raycom W 63-5 90,589 November 1, 2008 3:30 PM vs. #8 Georgia #7 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium • Jacksonville, FL CBS W 49-10 84,649 November 8, 2008 8:00 PM at Vanderbilt #5 Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN ESPN2 W 42-14 39,773 November 15, 2008 3:30 PM #23 South Carolina #3 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL CBS W 56-6 90,646 November 22, 2008* 1:30 PM The Citadel #3 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL PPV W 70-19 90,374 November 29, 2008* 3:30 PM at #24 Florida State #3 Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL ABC/ESPN2 W 45-15 83,237 December 6, 2008 4:00 PM vs. #1 Alabama #4 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game) CBS W 31-20 75,892 January 8, 2009* 9:00 PM vs. #1 Oklahoma #2 Dolphin Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL (BCS Championship Game) FOX *Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time Zone. [edit] Game notes This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008) [edit] Hawaii 1 2 3 4 Total Warriors 0 0 0 10 10 Gators 0 28 28 0 56 The Florida Gators came into the Hawaii game expecting a season of great success, and they didn't disappoint. They showed great improvement in their rushing game with Demps, Rainey, and James all having good performances. Brandon James also had a punt return for touchdown in the second quarter. This all led to Tim Tebow only needing to pass for 137 yards and 1 touchdown. See also: 2008 Hawaii Warriors football team [edit] Miami 1 2 3 4 Total Hurricanes 0 3 0 0 3 Gators 7 2 0 17 26 Florida started the game with pre-game jitters in what was one of the most anticipated game of the second week of the 2008 college football season. They struggled well through third quarter only leading 9-3, but they tore the game open in the fourth quarter with seventeen unanswered points. Even though Urban Meyer's squad was eventually able to win 26-3, it showed that the young Miami team has a strong future ahead of them. See also: 2008 Miami Hurricanes football team [edit] Tennessee 1 2 3 4 Total Gators 17 3 7 3 30 Volunteers 0 0 0 6 6 Florida came into the game with a three game win streak versus the Volunteers, and they had an easy time making it four. On the first drive Florida went straight down the field for score, and then never let up. The game was highlighted by Brandon James' kick return for touchdown and various other great kick returns. See also: 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Florida-Tennessee rivalry [edit] Ole Miss 1 2 3 4 Total Rebels 7 0 17 7 31 Gators 0 17 0 13 30 Florida went into the game undefeated at 3-0 and was the only NCAA team left in Division I that had not committed a turnover; however, turnovers ironically became the Achilles' heel for the Gators in this game, as they fumbled the ball five times and turned it over three times. Never trailing Ole Miss by more than a touchdown, Florida came within an extra point of tying the game at the end of the fourth quarter. Ole Miss had different plans in mind, however, as the extra point kick was blocked, and Florida was held to 30. While the defense was able to force a punt out of Ole Miss on the next possession and get the ball back inside Ole Miss territory, Florida found itself with the choice between converting a 4th-and-1 situation or attempting a long field goal. Florida opted to go for for the first down, but QB Tim Tebow did not convert the one-yard run. The game ended as time expired during Ole Miss' ensuing possession. See also: 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team [edit] Arkansas 1 2 3 4 Total Gators 7 7 3 21 38 Razorbacks 0 0 7 0 7 The Gators went to Fayetteville and defeated the Hogs 38-7. Although the Gators blew out the Razorbacks, it was a defensive struggle for the first 3 quarters of the game. Tim Tebow threw his first interception in 204 pass attempts to the Razorbacks' Jerry Frankiln. Despite that, the Gators dominated the fourth quarter to defeat the Razorbacks. Redshirt freshman Chris Rainey and true freshman Jeff Demps displayed their speed on TD runs of 75 and 48 yards. Both combined for 206 rushing yards and 3 TDs. See also: 2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team [edit] LSU 1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 7 7 7 21 Gators 17 3 14 17 51 This annual rivalry marked the 10th time in college football history that back-to-back champions played in the following regular season. The last time this occurred was in 1990 with the University of Miami and Notre Dame. The Gators scored early with a Percy Harvin touchdown on the third play of the game. Their momentum continued finishing the first quarter 17-0 after a second touchdown by Percy Harvin, which was a career first for receiving TDs in a game. With less than a minute in the first half and down 20-0, LSU put together a 60 yard drive in less than one minute scoring a touchdown with 5 seconds remaining in the half. LSU opened the second half scoring a quick touchdown creating a 14-0 run after a 20-0 Florida run. Florida quickly responded with two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter and a Brandon Spikes interception-returned touchdown 12 seconds into the fourth quarter building a 41-14 lead. This was Spikes second interception of the game and of his career. After a failed fourth down attempt by LSU, Florida turned the ball over back to LSU on a forced fumble on Tim Tebow. LSU scored a touchdown shortly thereafter cutting the lead to 20 with 11 minutes left in regulation and followed with a failed onside kickoff. The following Florida drive resulted in a made field goal from 25 yards. After another failed fourth down attempt on the following LSU drive, Florida marched down the field and scored their 50th point of the game with a touchdown by senior running back Kestahn Moore. The following made extra point brought the Gators lead, and final score, to 51-21. This was the first time since 1996 that the Gators scored over 50 points on LSU. The Gators ended the game with over 475 yards of offense. See also: 2008 LSU Tigers football team [edit] Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 0 3 0 2 5 Gators 28 14 14 7 63 Homecoming for the Gators featuring an early match up with division rival Kentucky. The Gators entered the game with a 21 game winning streak against the Wildcats. The second longest active streak against an annual opponent in the NCAA. Second only to Tennessee's streak over Kentucky as well. The Gators opened the game strong with 28 points scored in the first quarter. The Gators' special teams blocked two punts on Kentucky's first and second drives of the game. Before the end of the first half, the Gators' special teams blocked a Wildcat field goal attempt, which was returned by the Gators' safety Major Wright to the Florida 40 yard line. The Gators first three touchdowns were all rushing plays by Tim Tebow, Brandon James, and Percy Harvin. Tim Tebow then threw for two touchdown passes. The first occurring with 3:15 left in the first to Percy Harvin and the second shortly into the second quarter to Jeff Demps. Kentucky got on the board with a field goal with 5:03 left in the half. Florida responded quickly with a 3-yard TD rush by Tim Tebow bringing the score at the half 42-3. This was his second rushing TD of the game, which tied former Florida Gator running back Emmitt Smith with a school-record 36 rushing touchdowns. Florida opened the second half on defense with Gator DB Ahmad Black scoring a TD on an interception 9 seconds into the half. Florida's defense continued to keep Kentucky out of scoring position allowing the Gators to pile on the points. The next Florida drive consumed over eight minutes resulting in a Kestahn Moore rushing TD increasing the lead 56 to 3. After this drive, redshirt freshman John Brantley took over the reigns as QB. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, John Brantley threw a 38 yard TD pass to David Nelson. This was John Brantley's first passing touchdown as a Gator as well as David Nelson's first reception of the year. Kentucky's following drive brought them within 5 yards of a touchdown. Florida's defense forced Kentucky into a fourth down attempt. With only a couple yards to gain, Florida Gator Lorenzo Edwards forced a turnover on downs stopping Kentucky half a yard short from the first down marker. On the following drive, Florida's Bobby Kane mishandled the punt snap sending the ball out of the endzone resulting in a safety. This was the last score of the game bringing the final score to 63-5. Florida's winning streak over the Wildcats extended to 22 straight victories, tying Tennessee's record over Kentucky. See also: 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team [edit] Georgia 1 2 3 4 Total Gators 7 7 21 14 49 Bulldogs 0 3 0 7 10 After the infamous 2007 matchup at Jacksonville, remembered for the incident when the Georgia team rushed onto the field for celebration after the first touchdown, both the Gators and the Bulldogs entered this game with their minds set for the top of the SEC East. Florida scored seven touchdowns, finishing the game with 49 points to Georgia's 10. This was the second largest margin of victory for Florida while playing against Georgia, having scored 39 points more than their Bulldog opponents. Florida intercepted three of Matthew Stafford's passes, and recovered one fumble from Knowshon Moreno. Three of the Gators' touchdowns were rushing touchdowns by quarterback Tim Tebow, some of them occurring during possessions started by turnovers forced by Florida. The Bulldogs scored one touchdown with a pass from Joe Cox to Aron White, and one field goal by Blair Walsh. See also: 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team and The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party [edit] Vanderbilt 1 2 3 4 Total Gators 21 14 7 0 42 Commodores 0 0 7 7 14 This is the first time the Gators have returned to Nashville after winning the 2006 National Championship. The 2006 game in Nashville ended closely--25 to 19. Entering the 2008 game, the Gators have outscored opponents an average of 50 to 10 since the Gators loss to Ole Miss earlier in the year. The Gators opened strong on defense forcing an early three-and-out by Vanderbilt followed by a tipped punt. The Gators' first offensive drive only had to travel 60 yards resulting in a Tim Tebow touchdown pass to wide receiver Louis Murphy while in the red-zone. Coming into the game, the Gators had the #1 red-zone scoring offense in the nation with Vanderbilt ranked #2 in red-zone defense. The Gators defense forced another three-and-out on Vanderbilt's second offensive drive. Coming into the game, the Gators ranked #16 in the nation in total defense. The Gators' second offensive drive ended in another touchdown. This time, Tim Tebow carried the ball three consecutive times with the third, and final rush, resulting in a touchdown. This was Tim Tebow's 40th rushing touchdown of his career. Extending his school-record for rushing touchdowns in a career at the University of Florida. Vanderbilt's third possession resulted in an interception by Gator DB Ahmad Black. His 5th, and team-leading, interception of the season. Vanderbilt continued to struggle on offense as well as defense as Florida continued to put points on the scoreboard early in the game setting the tone. Tim Tebow added his second rushing TD of the game after the interception after stiff arming a Vanderbilt defender to push his way into the endzone. After another failed drive for Vanderbilt on offense, their punt was blocked by Florida Gator Carlos Dunlap. The resulting field position yielded a quick scoring drive ending with a touchdown pass by Tim Tebow to Riley Cooper. The Gators fifth offensive possession ended with a questionable fumble call. Percy Harvin rushed the ball for a touchdown with the ball appearing to have crossed the plane of the endzone and then coming loose and picked up by a Vanderbilt defender. After review, the fumble call was confirmed. This was the second redzone drive of the season the Gators did not score. The other being a taken-knee at the end of the Tennessee game. Even with the missed points on the possession, the Gators quickly scored on their sixth possession of the half with a touchdown pass by Tim Tebow. The Gators opened the second half on offense and continued to rack up the points. The drive ended with a touchdown run by WR Percy Harvin. In this game, Percy Harvin set a school record for rushing yards by a wide receiver. Chris Nickson took over as quarterback for Vanderbilt after Mackenzie Adams left the field due to injury at the end of the second quarter. With 1:04 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Vanderbilt prevented a shutout and scored a touchdown with a Nickson pass. With under a minute to go in the third, redshirt freshman Gator QB John Brantley took control of the offense. Tim Tebow finished three quarters with three passing TDs and two rushing TDs. His second week in a row with 5 total TDs. This win over Vanderbilt clinched the SEC East Division championship for the Gators sending them back to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta since the 2006 season. They will face the Alabama Crimson Tide after they clinched their division title earlier in the day against rival LSU. See also: 2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team [edit] South Carolina 1 2 3 4 Total Gamecocks 0 3 3 0 6 Gators 21 7 14 14 56 This game marked the 12th time the Gamecocks have traveled to Gainesville where they were winless on the road (0-11) coming into the game. The last time the two teams met in Gainesville, the Gamecocks nearly earned their first victory against the Gators in the Swamp, but fell short with a field goal attempt blocked by Jarvis Moss with only a few seconds left in the game. History was also made in this game with it being the first college football game where a Heisman-winning coach (Steve Spurrier) coached against a Heisman-winning player (Tim Tebow). Both Heisman winners also earned their Heisman trophies at the University of Florida. This was only the fourth time in college football history that two Heisman winners faced one another. South Carolina is the third team of the season the Gators have played against that was coached by a previous championship-winning head coach (Phil Fulmer of Tennessee and Les Miles of LSU being the other two). With afternoon showers rolling through Gainesville, field conditions weren't ideal for either team early on. The Gamecocks first drive ended after just four plays resulting in a punt. As Florida drove down the field on the following possession, true freshman Jeff Demps fumbled the ball near the South Carolina 40 yard line. Carolina's and Florida's offensives woes continued in each of their next drives with a South Carolina QB Chris Smelley pass being intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Brandon Spikes. Similar to the prior week, South Carolina head coach and Florida alum Steve Spurrier rotated quarterbacks after nearly every offensive snap. On the following South Carolina offensive possession, Gator DB Ahmad Black intercepted another Chris Smelley pass after it was deflected by Gator linebacker Brandon Hicks. This was Black's sixth, and team-leading, interception of the season. It only took one offensive play for the Gators to capitalize on the Carolina turnover. Percy Harvin ran the ball for 26 yards resulting in a touchdown extending the Gators' lead 14-0 late in the first quarter. South Carolina continued to make mistakes. On the following kickoff, the South Carolina returner threw a lateral pass to his teammate who fumbled the catch. Florida senior long snapper James Smith collected the ball and ran it just one foot shy of the goal line. Tim Tebow ran the ball in for a touchdown on the resulting change of possession. Florida's 21 points were off of 3 South Carolina turnovers and only took 2:15 to score. After a South Carolina forced-fumble in the first quarter, their defense picked up their second fumble on a fumbled Tebow option-pass to Chris Rainey near the South Carolina redzone. Although South Carolina's defense had spent little time on the field, they were productive in collecting two early Florida fumbles. With South Carolina's offense struggling and unable to put points on the board, Florida regained possession after forcing a punt and quickly scored with a Tebow touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Deonte Thompson. After failed offensive drives for both teams, South Carolina was able to put together enough of an offense to attempt, and make, a field goal. This brought the score to 28-3 at the half. Florida received the ball in the second half and on the first offensive play for the Gators, Percy Harvin ran the ball 80 yards for a touchdown. This was Percy's second rushing TD of the game. The Gators crossed the 30-point mark on this score, which was the first time in Gator history that the Gators scored 30+ points in every regular season SEC game. On the following offensive drive for South Carolina, Steve Spurrier ditched the two-QB calls and left Chris Smelley in to take all snaps on the drive. South Carolina moved down the field effectively compared to the first half. After moving the ball down the field, South Carolina attempted, and made, a 44-yard field goal with 10:17 remaining in the third quarter. Florida responded with a drive that took less than four minutes and topped off with a 38 yard Jeff Demps rushing touchdown. This was Jeff Demps' fifth rushing touchdown of the season and all of which were runs of more than 35 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tim Tebow threw a TD pass to TE Aaron Hernandez extending their lead 49-6. On the following Gator offensive possession, redshirt freshman QB John Brantley took over for Tim Tebow to close out the game. Florida's defense still did not let up. True freshman Gator Will Hill picked off a Stephen Garcia pass attempt making it the third Gator interception of the game. This turnover led to another Gator score when true freshman Chris Rainey put together two runs with the second being the touchdown score that put the Gators over the 50-point mark. The Gators finished the game holding South Carolina's offense to 173 yards while the Gator offense amassed over 519 yards with 346 of those yards coming on the ground. See also: 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team [edit] The Citadel 1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 0 6 7 6 19 Gators 21 28 14 7 70 This game marks Senior day for the Gators as they play their final home game of the 2008 season in The Swamp. It will also feature the retirement of Citadel graduate and UF legend George Edmondson better known as "Mr. Two Bits" to Gator fans. This is also the only game of the season where the Gators will face a Division I-FCS opponent. See also: The Citadel Bulldogs football [edit] Florida State 1 2 3 4 Total Gators 14 14 10 7 45 Seminoles 3 6 6 0 15 The final game of the regular season for the Florida Gators was the annual game against in-state rivals Florida State University. The conditions of the day trended from drizzling to pouring rain leading this game to be nicknamed the "Soak at Doak." The Gators ended up blowing out the Seminoles 45-15 with Tim Tebow throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Star receiver for the Gators Percy Harvin was injured in the second quarter with a high ankle sprain, potentially having an affect on him for the SEC championship game the following week. This win also marks the fifth win the Gators have had over the Seminoles in the last five years. See also: 2008 Florida State Seminoles football team and Florida-Florida State rivalry [edit] Alabama (SEC Championship Game) 1 2 3 4 Total Crimson Tide 10 0 10 0 20 Gators 7 10 0 14 31 Alabama (12-0) came into the 2008 SEC Championship Game ranked #1 in the BCS and other major polls. Florida (11-1) entered the game ranked #4 in the BCS poll, #4 in the Coaches' Poll and #2 in the AP poll. Florida won 31-20. See also: 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team [edit] Oklahoma (BCS Championship Game) 1 2 3 4 Total Gators 0 Sooners 0 Main article: 2009 BCS National Championship Game The Gators will face the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2009 BCS National Championship game. Although this will be the first meeting between the two teams, there is history between the two. Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops played a critical role as defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators during the first national championship run in 1996. See also: 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team [edit] Rankings See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings 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 5 5 4 4 4 12 11 5 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 Coaches 5 5 4 4 4 13 12 7 7 7 5 3 3 3 4 2 Harris Not released 11 11 6 6 6 4 3 3 2 2 1 BCS Not released 10 8 5 4 4 4 4 2 [edit] Personnel [edit] Depth Chart (revised 11-22-08) Edit Offense WR WR Riley Cooper Percy Harvin Deonte Thompson David Nelson LT LG C RG RT Phil Trautwein Carl Johnson Maurkice Pouncey Mike Pouncey Jason Watkins James Wilson Jim Tartt Corey Hobbs Maurice Hurt Marcus Gilbert TE Aaron Hernandez Tate Casey WR Louis Murphy Carl Moore QB Tim Tebow John Brantley Chas Henry TB Jeff Demps Chris Rainey Emmanuel Moody Kestahn Moore Defense CB Janoris Jenkins Wondy Pierre-Louis DE NT DT DE Carlos Dunlap Lawrence Marsh Terron Sanders Jermaine Cunningham Justin Trattou Troy Epps Matt Patchan Duke Lemmens CB Joe Haden Markihe Anderson FS Major Wright Justin Williams Will LB Middle LB Sam LB Dustin Doe Brandon Spikes A.J. Jones Brandon Hicks Ryan Stamper Lerentee McCray SS Ahmad Black Will Hill Special Teams K Jonathan Phillips Caleb Sturgis P Chas Henry Bobby Kane LS James Smith Butch Rowley PR/KR Brandon James Kestahn Moore Jeff Demps Chris Rainey [edit] Roster 2008 Florida Gators roster v • d • e Quarterbacks 12 John Brantley - Freshman 13 Cameron Newton - Sophomore 14 Andrew Blaylock - Sophomore 15 Tim Tebow - Junior 38 Zach O'Quinn - Freshman Running Backs 3 Chris Rainey - Freshman 21 Emmanuel Moody - Sophomore 20 Christopher Scott - Junior 27 Mon Williams - Sophomore 33 Kestahn Moore - Senior 44 Ean McQuay - Freshman Athlete 2 Jeffrey Demps - Freshman 25 Brandon James - Junior Fullbacks 42 Steven Wilks - Freshman 45 T.J. Pridemore - Freshman 49 Rick Burgess - Junior Wide Receivers 1 Percy Harvin - Junior 3 Brandon Frazier - Sophomore 6 Deonte Thompson - Freshman 9 Louis Murphy - Senior 11 Riley Cooper - Junior 16 Carl Moore - Junior 18 T.J. Lawrence - Freshman 82 Omarius Hines - Freshman 83 David Nelson - Junior 85 Frankie Hammond Jr. - Freshman 88 Paul Wilson - Freshman Tight Ends 7 Cornelius Ingram - Senior 81 Aaron Hernandez - Sophomore 82 Christopher Coleman - Sophomore 84 Tate Casey - Senior Offensive Line 50 Sam Robey - Freshman 55 Mike Pouncey - Sophomore 56 Maurkice Pouncey - Sophomore 57 Carl Johnson - Sophomore 60 William Steinmann - Freshman 61 Gary Beemer - Sophomore 63 Jim Tartt - Senior 64 Kyle Newell - Senior 65 Brad Hiers - Senior 66 James Wilson - Freshman 67 Jess Williams - Freshman 68 Jim Barrie - Sophomore 72 Shawn Schmieder - Freshman 72 Bryan Jones - Freshman 74 Maurice Hurt - Sophomore 75 Phil Trautwein - Senior 76 Marcus Gilbert - Sophomore 77 Jason Watkins - Senior 78 David Young - Freshman 79 Corey Hobbs - Sophomore Defensive Line 6 Jaye Howard - Freshman 8 Carlos Dunlap - Sophomore 44 Duke Lemmens - Sophomore 47 Brandon Antwine - Sophomore 49 Jermaine Cunningham - Junior 58 Jamael Autry - Sophomore 59 John Fairbanks - Sophomore 62 Lamar Abel - Freshman 70 Ronnie Wilson - Junior 71 Matt Patchan - Freshman 90 Lawrence Marsh - Sophomore 91 Earl Okine - Freshman 92 Terron Sanders - Sophomore 93 Javier Estopinan - Senior 94 Justin Trattou - Sophomore 95 Torrey Davis - Sophomore 96 William Green - Freshman 97 John Brown - Freshman 98 Troy Epps - Junior 99 Omar Hunter - Freshman Linebackers 16 A.J. Jones - Sophomore 26 Lorenzo Edwards - Sophomore 30 John Jones - Sophomore 32 Dustin Doe - Junior 34 Lerentee McCray - Freshman 40 Brandon Hicks - Sophomore 41 Ryan Stamper - Junior 46 Michael Ross - Freshman 50 Chris Pintado - Sophomore 51 Brandon Spikes - Junior 53 Jamaal Deveaux - Senior 54 Roderick Blackett - Junior 54 Brandon Beal - Freshman Defensive Backs 4 Levi Leigh - Senior 5 Joe Haden - Sophomore 23 Corey Henderson - Freshman 27 Adrian Bushell - Freshman 33 Scott Peek - Freshman 34 Reginald Hopkins - Freshman 39 Joey Sorrentino - Junior 42 Miguel Carodine - Sophomore 45 Kyle Pratt - Senior 48 Marquis Hannah - Freshman 85 Andrew Fritze - Junior Cornerbacks 4 Wondy Pierre-Louis - Junior 14 Markihe Anderson - Junior 23 Jacques Rickerson - Sophomore 28 Jeremy Brown - Freshman 29 Rashad Dunbar - Freshman 29 Janoris Jenkins - Freshman 36 Moses Jenkins - Sophomore 37 Vincent Brown - Freshman Safeties 7 Justin Williams - Sophomore 10 Will Hill - Freshman 17 Curtis Carr - Senior 20 Dorian Munroe - Junior 21 Major Wright - Sophomore 22 Cade Holliday - Junior 24 John Curtis - Senior 31 Bryan Thomas - Sophomore 35 Cody Worton - Sophomore 35 Ahmad Black - Sophomore Punters 17 Chas Henry - Senior 42 David Lerner - Freshman 92 Bobby Kane - Sophomore Kickers 19 Caleb Sturgis - Freshman 47 Greg Taussig - Senior 38 Jonathan Phillips - Senior Long Snappers 37 Butch Rowley - Senior 43 James Smith - Senior 58 Mike Williamson - Junior [edit] Coaching Staff Urban Meyer - Head Coach - 3 years at UF Steve Addazio - Assistant Head Coach, Offense/Offensive Line - 3 years Vance Bedford - Cornerbacks - 0 years Kenny Carter - Running Backs - 0 years Billy Gonzales - Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers - 3 years Chuck Heater - Assistant Defensive Coordinator/Safeties - 3 years John Hevesy - Tight Ends/Assistant Offensive Line - 3 years Dan McCarney - Assistant Head Coach, Defense/Defensive Line - 0 years Dan Mullen - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks - 3 years Charlie Strong - Defensive Coordinator, Associate Head Coach/Linebackers - 8 years [edit] Statistics [edit] Team - Through 12 Games Team Opp Scoring 556 147 Points per Game 46 12 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 [edit] Scores by quarter - Through 11 Games 1 2 3 4 Total Florida 160 144 132 120 556 Opponents 10 31 54 52 147 [edit] Offense [edit] Rushing Through 11 Games Name GP-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G Demps 11 46 440 9.6 5 62 40.0 Harvin 10 55 525 9.5 8 80 52.5 Moody 7 48 354 7.4 1 40 50.6 Rainey 11 74 557 7.5 4 75 50.6 K. Moore 11 29 142 4.9 4 22 12.9 James 11 11 52 4.7 2 13 4.7 TEAM Total Opponents [edit] Passing - Through 11 Games Name GP-GS Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G Tim Tebow 11 - 175.19 225-148-2 65.8 2,114 22 70 192 John Brantley 8 - 163.00 28-18-1 64.3 235 3 38 29 TEAM Total Opponents [edit] Receiving - Through 11 Games Name GP-GS No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G Harvin 10 35 595 7 70 Demps 11 14 130 1 61 Cooper 11 13 172 2 43 Murphy 11 30 476 5 48 Hernandez 10 22 220 3 38 Casey 11 4 64 0 34 Nelson 10 5 132 3 41 Thompson 11 18 269 3 46 C. Moore 11 12 171 0 28 Moody 7 0 0 0 0 K. Moore 11 3 35 0 14 Rainey 11 2 26 0 16 James 11 9 73 1 22 Total Opponents [edit] Defense Name GP Tackles Sacks Pass Defense Interceptions Fumbles Blkd Kick Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds No-Yds BrUp QBH No.-Yds Avg TD Long Rcv-Yds FF Total [edit] Special teams Name Punting Kickoffs No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd No. Yds Avg TB OB Total Name Punt Returns Kick Returns No. Yds Avg TD Long No. Yds Avg TD Long Total [edit] References ^ "The. Worst. Ever. (Almost)profile". Saurian Sagacity. http://sauriansagacity.blogspot.com/2008/01/worst-ever-almost.html. ^ a b "2008 Pre-season All-SEC honors". SECsports.com. 2008-07-21. http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=2&url_article_id=11315&change_well_id=2. Retrieved on 2008-07-26. [edit] See also 2008 NCAA Division I-BS football season 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team 2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team 2008 Florida State Seminoles football team 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team 2008 Hawaii Warriors football team 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team 2008 LSU Tigers football team 2008 Miami Hurricanes football team 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team 2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team [show]v • d • eFlorida Gators Football Seasons 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909 • 1910 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1919 • 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 National Championships: 1996 • 2006 Conference Championships: 1991 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 2000 • 2006 • 2008 [show]v • d • eSoutheastern Conference football teams Eastern Division Florida Gators • Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats • South Carolina Gamecocks • Tennessee Volunteers • Vanderbilt Commodores Western Division Alabama Crimson Tide • Arkansas Razorbacks • Auburn Tigers • LSU Tigers • Ole Miss Rebels • Mississippi State Bulldogs Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Florida_Gators_football_team" Categories: Current sports events | Southeastern Conference football | 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season | Southeastern Conference | Florida Gators football