2008 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2008 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tar Heels played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and were led by second-year coach Butch Davis. The Tar Heels began their season on August 30 against McNeese State at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The team went 4–4 in conference play and 8–5 overall, but in 2011, North Carolina vacated all its wins from the 2008 and 2009 seasons.[1]

2008 North Carolina Tar Heels football
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
DivisionCoastal
2008 record0–5, 8[1] wins vacated (0–4 ACC, 4 wins vacated)
Head coachButch Davis (2nd season)
Offensive coordinatorJohn Shoop (2nd season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorEverett Withers (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumKenan Memorial Stadium
(Capacity: 60,000)
2008 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Atlantic Division
Boston College xy  5 –3     9 –5  
No. 21 Florida State x  5 –3     9 –4  
Maryland  4 –4     8 –5  
Wake Forest  4 –4     8 –5  
Clemson  4 –4     7 –6  
NC State  4 –4     6 –7  
Coastal Division
No. 15 Virginia Tech xy$  5 –3     10 –4  
No. 22 Georgia Tech x  5 –3     9 –4  
North Carolina  0 –4     0 –5  
Miami  4 –4     7 –6  
Virginia  3 –5     5 –7  
Duke  1 –7     4 –8  
Championship: Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 12
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • North Carolina vacated 8 wins, including 4 ACC wins
Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

The Tar Heels received 16 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 6, 2008. One student athlete had already enrolled before National Signing Day and one signed several days later, making this class smaller and less-heralded than the previous year's class.

Coaching staff

After signing a contract extension at the end of the 2007 season, Butch Davis enters his second season as head coach. Chuck Pagano resigned as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach to become an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL. He was replaced by Minnesota assistant Everett Withers.[2][3]

Name Position [4] Seasons in Position
Butch Davis Head Coach 2nd
John Blake Associate Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator / Defensive Line 2nd
Ken Browning Running Backs 15th
Jeff Connors Strength and Conditioning Coordinator 8th
Steve Hagen Tight Ends 2nd
John Lovett Special Teams Coordinator / Defensive Assistant 2nd
Sam Pittman Offensive Line 2nd
John Shoop Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks 2nd
Tommy Thigpen Linebackers 4th
Charlie Williams Wide Receivers 2nd
Everett Withers Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Backs 1st

Roster
Wide Receiver
  • 1 Brooks Foster – Senior
  • 2 Cooter Arnold – Senior
  • 3 Kenton Thornton – Junior
  • 15 Anthony Parker-Boyd – Sophomore
  • 19 Josh Washburn – Junior
  • 23 Quentin Plair – Sophomore
  • 34 Brett Long – Senior
  • 82 Todd Harrelson – Freshman
  • 83 Dwight Jones – Freshman
  • 85 Rashad Mason – Freshman
  • 87 Brandon Tate – Senior
  • 88 Hakeem Nicks – Junior
Offensive Lineman
  • 60 Zack Handerson – Sophomore
  • 64 Jonathan Cooper – Freshman
  • 65 Cam Holland – Freshman
  • 66 Mike Ingersoll – Sophomore
  • 67 Morgan Randall – Sophomore
  • 68 Mike Dykes – Freshman
  • 69 Lowell Dyer – Junior
  • 70 Alan Pelc – Sophomore
  • 71 Carl Gaskins – Freshman
  • 72 Kyle Jolly – Junior
  • 73 Aaron Stahl – Junior
  • 74 Sam Ellis – Sophomore
  • 75 Garrett Reynolds – Senior
  • 76 Bryon Bishop – Senior
  • 77 Kevin Bryant – Freshman
  • 79 Calvin Darity – Senior
Half-back
Tight End
  • 80 Ed Barham – Sophomore
  • 81 B.J. Phillips – Sophomore
  • 86 Randy White – Freshman
  • 89 Richard Quinn – Senior
  
Quarterback
  • 7 Mike Paulus – Freshman
  • 11 Cameron Sexton – Junior
  • 13 T. J. Yates – Sophomore
  • 14 Braden Hanson – Freshman
Running Back
  • 5 Jamal Womble – Freshman
  • 8 Greg Little – Sophomore
  • 20 Shaun Draughn – Sophomore
  • 30 Carter Brown – Sophomore
  • 32 Ryan Houston – Sophomore
  • 45 Devon Ramsay – Freshman
Fullback
  • 4 Bobby Rome – Junior
  • 6 Anthony Elzy – Sophomore
  • 43 Curtis Byrd – Sophomore
Defensive tackle
  • 9 Marvin Austin – Sophomore
  • 91 Tydreke Powell – Freshman
  • 93 Cam Thomas – Junior
  • 94 Brian White – Junior
  • 96 Tavares Brown – Junior
  • 97 Aleric Mullins – Junior
Defensive End
  • 40 Darius Powell – Sophomore
  • 42 Robert Quinn – Freshman
  • 84 Vince Jacobs – Sophomore
  • 90 Quinton Coples – Freshman
  • 92 E. J. Wilson – Junior
  • 94 Michael McAdoo – Freshman
  • 95 Greg Elleby – Sophomore
  • 98 Darrius Massenburg – Sophomore
Cornerback
  • 12 Charles Brown – Sophomore
  • 16 Kendric Burney – Sophomore
  • 23 Jordan Hemby – Junior
  • 24 Tavorris Jolly – Sophomore
  • 26 Richie Rich – Junior
  • 29 Brian Gupton – Freshman
  • 34 Johnny White – Sophomore
  • 37 LaCount Fantroy – Freshman
  
Linebacker
  • 35 Herman Davidson – Freshman
  • 36 Kennedy Tinsley – Junior
  • 41 Mark Paschal – Senior
  • 44 Chase Rice – Senior
  • 45 Alex Crisp – Sophomore
  • 47 Zach Brown – Freshman
  • 49 Ryan Taylor – Junior
  • 52 Quan Sturdivant – Sophomore
  • 53 Kenneth Harris – Freshman
  • 54 Bruce Carter – Sophomore
  • 55 Linwan Euwell – Freshman
  • 57 Dion Guy – Freshman
  • 57 Hayden Hunter – Sophomore
  • 58 Ebele Okakpu – Freshman
Safety
  • 7 Josh Stewart – Sophomore
  • 10 Melvin Williams – Junior
  • 21 Da'Norris Searcy – Sophomore
  • 25 Matt Merletti – Sophomore
  • 27 Deunta Williams – Sophomore
  • 28 Jonathan Smith – Sophomore
  • 31 Trimane Goddard – Senior
  • 32 Tyler Caldwell – Junior
  • 43 Jabir Jones – Senior
Long Snapper
  • 51 Trevor Stuart – Sophomore
  • 58 Mark House – Sophomore
Punter / Place Kicker
  • 11 Casey Barth – Freshman
  • 16 Trase Jones – Sophomore
  • 17 Grant Schallock – Sophomore
  • 18 Jay Wooten – Freshman
  • 19 Terrence Brown – Senior
  • 29 Reid Phillips – Sophomore


Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 306:05 p.m.McNeese State*
ESPN360W 35–27 (vacated)58,000
September 117:45 p.m.at Rutgers*
ESPNW 44–12 (vacated)42,502
September 203:30 p.m.Virginia Tech
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ABC/ESPNL 17–2059,800
September 2712:00 p.m.at Miami (FL)
ESPN2W 28–24 (vacated)35,830
October 47:00 p.m.No. 23 Connecticut*
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ESPN2W 38–12 (vacated)59,500
October 113:30 p.m.Notre Dame*No. 22
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ABC/ESPNW 29–24 (vacated)60,500
October 183:30 p.m.at VirginiaNo. 18
ABC/ESPN2L 13–16 OT52,342
October 2512:00 p.m.Boston College
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
RaycomW 45–24 (vacated)48,000
November 812:00 p.m.No. 20 Georgia TechNo. 19
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
RaycomW 28–7 (vacated)59,000
November 153:30 p.m.at MarylandNo. 17
ABC/ESPNL 15–1746,113
November 2212:00 p.m.North Carolina State
RaycomL 10–4160,000
November 293:30 p.m.at Duke
ESPNUW 28–20 (vacated)30,322
December 271:00 p.m.vs. West Virginia*
ESPNL 30–3173,712
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Did not play: Clemson, Florida State, and Wake Forest.[5] The spring football game is on March 28, 2009.[6]

Game summaries

McNeese State
1 2 3 4 Total
McNeese State 0 14 6 7 27
North Carolina 7 7 7 14 35

Brandon Tate put on a dazzling one-man show, scoring on an 82-yard punt return and putting North Carolina ahead for good with a 57-yard touchdown catch to help the Tar Heels hold off McNeese State 35-27. Tate finished with a school-record 397 all-purpose yards for the Tar Heels, who showed little else in an unimpressive start to their second season under Butch Davis. In a game suspended nearly two hours due to weather, they blew a 14-0 first-half lead and had to rally from a third-quarter deficit against Football Championship Subdivision McNeese State, who outplayed the Heels much of the way. T. J. Yates had 221 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.[7]

Rutgers
See also: 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
1 2 3 4 Total
North Carolina 0 17 21 6 44
Rutgers 3 3 0 6 12

T. J. Yates threw three touchdown passes and the Tar Heels won for the first time outside North Carolina since 2002, beating error-prone Rutgers 44-12 in a nationally televised game that pitted Butch Davis against his former pupil, Greg Schiano. Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate combined for 10 catches, 204 receiving yards, and three touchdowns as the Heels offense rolled over Rutgers. Carolina's defense generated 4 Rutgers turnovers (3 INTs and a fumble) and scored off of a 66-yard interception return by Bruce Carter.[8]

References
  1. North Carolina has vacated all wins from the 2008 and 2009 football seasons: "North Carolina Response to Notice of NCAA Allegations" (PDF). September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  2. "Butch Davis Agrees To Contract Extension Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  3. "Pagano Headed Back To NFL." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on February 12, 2008.
  4. "North Carolina Coaching Staff Archived 2007-12-14 at the Wayback Machine." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  5. "ACC Releases North Carolina's 2008 Football Schedule." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on February 12, 2008.
  6. "Spring Football Showcase Set For March 28." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on February 9, 2009.
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