2008 Miami Hurricanes football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 2008 Miami Hurricanes Miami Hurricanes logo.svg 125 Atlantic Coast Conference (Coastal) ACC 7–6 4–4 Randy Shannon 2nd Patrick Nix 2nd Bill Young 1st Pro-style, spread 4–3, zone blitz Dolphin Stadium(Capacity: 74,916) Emerald Bowl L 17–24 vs. California The 2008 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Hurricanes' 83rd season of football and 5th as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hurricanes were led by second-year head coach Randy Shannon and played their home games at Dolphin Stadium. They finished the season 7–6 overall and 4–4 in the ACC to finish in a tie for third place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Emerald Bowl where they lost to California, 24–17. Before the season Roster changes University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips and defensive end Calais Campbell made the decision to forgo their senior years and declare for the NFL Draft. Phillips was drafted in the first round, No. 31 overall by the New York Giants. Campbell was drafted in the second round, No. 50 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Linebacker Tavaris Gooden was also drafted in the third round, No. 79 overall to the Baltimore Ravens. Senior quarterback Kirby Freeman, who split time with now undrafted free-agent Kyle Wright in 2007, was informed by the University of Miami coaching staff that he would begin the year third on the depth chart, behind redshirt freshman Robert Marve and true freshman Jacory Harris. Shocked at this news, Freeman decided to transfer, going back to his native Texas at Baylor University.QB Freeman Requests Release from Scholarship, Kirby Freeman Plans to Leave UM, Meaning the Canes Would Have No Experienced Quarterbacks Next Season Barry Jackson http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/colleges/um/story/328477.html The Miami Herald December 28, 2007 December 28, 2007 D1Freeman Confirms Transfer Plans Jerry Hill http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/content/sports/college/2007/12/29/12292007wacfreeman.html Waco Tribune-Herald December 29, 2007 December 29, 2007 June 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Freshman Doug Wiggins, rated the nation's thirty-third best player coming out of high school by Rivals.com, transferred to Western Michigan. The reasons for the move were unclear but reports eventually surfaced that Wiggins had had trouble adjusting to his backup role.Scout.com Article Freshman Chris Perry transferred to Texas Tech University after redshirting his freshman year at UM.Scout.com Article Junior DajLeon Farr, previously a top tight end recruit out of high school, transferred to the University of Memphis.Scout.com Article Daren Daly, a former walk-on kicker who previously attended Florida State University, also decided to transfer and faced his former Hurricanes team as a member of the UCF Golden Knights. Other transfers included George Robinson, George Timmons, Jerrell Mabry, Charlie Jones, Demetri Stewart, and Luqman Abdallah. Junior defensive end Courtney Harris suffered an Achilles injury and was out for the season.UM's Hernandez Set to Start Friday http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/557497.html The Miami Herald June 4, 2008 June 4, 2008 7D Recruiting class of 2008 Name Pos Ht Wt Hometown High School/Prep School/Junior College Travis Benjamin WR 5-11 160 Belle Glades, Florida Glades Central HS Arthur Brown LB 6-2 210 Wichita, Kansas Wichita East HS Ramon Buchanan LB 6-1 195 Melbourne, Florida Palm Bay HS LaRon Byrd WR 6-4 205 Boutte, Louisiana Hahnville HS John Calhoun FB 6-3 235 Micco, Florida Sebastian River HS Thearon Collier WR 5-9 163 Miami, Florida Booker T. Washington HS Taylor Cook QB 6-7 230 Eagle Lake, Texas Rice Consolidated HS Marcus Forston DT 6-2 305 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Jordan Futch LB 6-3 202 Hollywood, Florida Chaminade Madonna College Prep Gavin Hardin LB 6-5 240 Jackson, Tennessee Jackson Central-Merry High School Antonio Harper LB 6-4 220 Memphis, Tennessee Melrose HS Brandon Harris CB 5-11 185 Miami, Florida Booker T. Washington HS Jacory Harris QB 6-4 172 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Patrick Hill FB 5-11 248 Torrance, California El Camino Comm. College C.J. Holton S 6-2 195 Crawfordville, Florida Wakulla HS Chris Jhon S 6-0 200 Weston, Florida Cypress Bay HS Aldarius Johnson WR 6-2 200 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Davon Johnson WR 5-11 170 Miami, Florida Booker T. Washington HS Ben Jones OT 6-6 280 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Zach Kane FB/LB 6-3 220 Toms River, New Jersey Toms River North HS Jeremy Lewis DT 6-3 295 West Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach Lakes HS Brandon Marti LB 6-0 196 Miami, Florida Gulliver Prep C.J. Odom S 6-0 210 Ft. Myers, Florida Ft. Myers HS Micanor Regis DT 6-3 300 Pahokee, Florida Pahokee HS Marcus Robinson LB 6-2 210 Homestead, Florida Homestead HS Andrew Smith DE 6-3 240 Coconut Creek, Florida Monarch HS Cannon Smith QB 5-11 200 Chatham, Virginia Hargrave Military Academy Sean Spence LB 6-1 200 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Tommy Streeter WR 6-6 200 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Vaughn Telemaque S 6-2 190 Long Beach, California Long Beach Poly HS Kendall Thompkins WR 5-10 165 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Brandon Washington G 6-4 315 Miami, Florida Northwestern HS Jake Wieclaw PK 6-2 180 New Lenox, Illinois Lincoln Way Central HS Joe Wylie S 6-2 172 Lauderdale Lakes, Florida Boyd Anderson Schedule 2008 Eastern AP August 28 Thursday 7:30 pm w y Charleston Southern Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL ESPN360 52–7 48,119 September 6 8:00 pm l y y Florida 5 rivalry) (College GameDay Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL ESPN 3–26 90,833 September 20 3:30 pm w y y Texas A&M Kyle Field College Station, TX ABC 41–23 84,165 September 27 12:00 pm l North Carolina Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL ESPN2 24–28 35,830 October 4 3:30 pm l Florida State rivalry Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL ABC 39–41 65,786 October 11 3:45 pm w y UCF Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL ESPNU 20–14 40,011 October 18 3:30 pm w y Duke Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC ESPNU 49–31 32,011 October 25 12:00 pm w y Wake Forest Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL ESPNU 16–10 41,208 November 1 12:00 pm w y Virginia Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA Raycom 24–17 OT 53,308 November 13 Thursday 7:30 pm w Virginia Tech rivalry Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL ESPN 16–14 46,838 November 20 Thursday 7:30 pm l y 23 Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA ESPN 23–41 49,335 November 29 12:00 pm l y NC State Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC Raycom 28–38 56,329 December 27 8:00 pm l y y California Emerald Bowl AT&T Park San Francisco, CA ESPN 17–24 42,268 Game summaries Charleston Southern Charleston Southern University Charleston Southern 0 0 7 0 7 Miami 21 7 14 10 52 The game was the first time the Hurricanes played Charleston Southern. It was also the first home game for the Hurricanes in Dolphin Stadium with an attendance of 48,119.Title Unknown http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2008/Internet/single%20game/FBS_teamattend.html NCAA.org https://web.archive.org/web/20090525102458/http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2008/Internet/single%20game/FBS_teamattend.html May 25, 2009 live July 10, 2009 Florida 2008 Florida Gators football team Miami 0 3 0 0 3 #5 Florida 7 2 0 17 26 The Hurricanes had not lost to the Gators since 1985, owning six consecutive victories in the series. Overall, the Hurricanes leads the series 28–26. The game was the third-most watched game in ESPN history.Susan Miller http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/colleges/um/story/681611.html UM-Florida Game Draws Large Rating for ESPN The Miami Herald D7 September 11, 2008 September 11, 2008 Texas A&M 2008 Texas A&M Aggies football team Miami 14 10 17 0 41 Texas A&M 10 0 7 6 23 This game was played on September 20, 2008, at College Station, Texas, before a Kyle Field crowd of 84,165. The two schools had been against each other twice before: the Aggies won 70–14 in 1944, with Miami winning 34–17 in 2007.University of Miami 2009 Football Media guide, past game results, pp. 190–195 For the Hurricanes, Robert Marve completed 16 of his 22 passes, for a total of 212 yards; he threw two touchdown passes, and suffered one interception. Graig Cooper ran for a career-best 128 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Hurricanes compiled 398 yards of offense for the game. The 18-point margin was Texas A&M's worst in a non-conference home contest since losing 30–10 to Alabama in 1988.University of Miami 2009 Football Media Guide, game #3 summary, page 113 North Carolina 2008 North Carolina Tar Heels football team North Carolina 0 7 7 14 Miami 14 3 0 7 The two schools played for the fifth straight year, and the Tar Heels owned a 6–5 lead in the series heading into the game. UNC now leads the series 7–5. Florida State section June 2015 2008 Florida State Seminoles football team Florida State 7 17 10 7 41 Miami 0 3 19 17 39 The Hurricanes and Seminoles will meet for the 53rd time, last season, the Hurricanes defeated FSU 37–29 in Tallahassee and now holds a 30–22 lead in the series. The only time the two schools have met at Dolphin Stadium, UM won 16–14 in the 2004 Orange Bowl Classic. UCF 2008 UCF Knights football team UCF 0 7 0 7 14 Miami 10 0 0 10 20 This game, played on October 11, 2008, in Miami, was the first between the two schools, with Central Florida having joined Division I-A in 1996. For the Hurricanes, Graig Cooper ran for 90 yards and the game-winning touchdown on a career-high 23 attempts. The Hurricanes forced the Knights into punting 12 times, and limited their offense to a total of 78 yards (74 yards gained via the pass, and 4 yards on the ground). Despite the Hurricanes' defensive effort, the game remained close as UCF scored on an interception return of 62 yards, and on a 91-yard kickoff return.University of Miami 2009 Football Media Guide, game #6 summary, page 114 Duke 2008 Duke Blue Devils football team Miami 7 7 21 14 49 Duke 0 17 7 7 31 Miami had a 4–1 lead in the series and had won three straight games since joining the ACC and four in a row altogether. Wake Forest 2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team Wake Forest 7 3 0 0 10 Miami 3 0 10 3 16 The only times the two teams have played in ACC action, the Hurricanes won both games by a combined score of 99–24, and UM held a 5–3 lead in the series. Virginia 2008 Virginia Cavaliers Football Team Miami 7 3 0 7 7 24 Virginia 10 7 0 0 0 17 This was the sixth game between the two schools, and the fifth straight year the two schools had met. Virginia Tech 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team Virginia Tech 0 7 0 7 14 Miami 7 0 6 3 16 Despite losing the last two games to VT, the Hurricanes still held a 16–9 lead in the series. Frank Beamer's Hokies were 11–3 the previous year and were the ACC champions. They lost the Orange Bowl to Kansas, where new Hurricanes defensive coordinator Bill Young held that position for the Jayhawks. Georgia Tech 2008 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team #23 Miami 0 3 7 13 23 Georgia Tech 3 21 17 0 41 Georgia Tech's triple option offense ran for 472 yards against the Hurricanes. The Jackets scored three second-quarter touchdowns and reached a 24–3 halftime lead. After that, the Hurricanes got no closer than 27–10 as Georgia Tech were successful. Late in the game, Georgia Tech ran the ball half-heartedly on 4th down to avoid scoring and avoid insulting the Hurricanes by either kneeling, kicking a field goal, or scoring a touchdown. The score was 41–10 at one point. North Carolina State 2008 NC State Wolfpack football team Miami 7 7 7 7 28 North Carolina State 7 10 11 10 38 North Carolina State won 38–28. Emerald Bowl thumb|250px|Hurricanes' quarterback looks to pass at the 2008 Emerald Bowl Miami 0 7 7 3 California 14 0 3 7 2008 Emerald Bowl 2008 California Golden Bears football team The Hurricanes accepted an invitation to the 2008 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco to face California in what was essentially a home game for the Bears. Freshman quarterback Jacory Harris started at quarterback after Marve was suspended for academic reasons. Four other players were suspended for violating team rules and not allowed on the trip.https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-miami-ivorysuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns Miami snapper is 5th Hurricane suspended for bowl Yahoo! Sports December 25, 2008 December 30, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20081228090100/http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-miami-ivorysuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns December 28, 2008 dead The Bears reached an early 14–0 lead, but Harris was able to lead the Hurricanes back with touchdown passes in the second and third quarter while the Hurricanes' defense was able to shut out the Cal offense in the second quarter and limited them to a field goal in the third. The go ahead score came late in the fourth quarter when Bears linebacker Zack Follett forced a fumble in the backfield by Harris that the Bears recovered and were able to convert into a touchdown. The game marked the third consecutive loss for the Hurricanes, while the bowl win was the end of Cal's season with three wins in a row. Rankings 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings 15 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 23 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 26 NR NR NR 5 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 26 NR NR 7 NR NR NR NR NR 23 NR NR Statistics Team Team Opp Scoring 352 314   Points per game 27.1 24.2 First downs 220 214   Rushing 89 109   Passing 119 82   Penalty 12 23 Total offense 4238 4127   Avg per play 5.1 5.0   Avg per game 326.0 317.5 Fumbles-Lost 11-5 30-11 Penalties-Yards 74-605 63-537   Avg per game 46.5 41.3 Team Opp Punts-Yards 69-2714 72-2736   Avg per punt 39.3 38.0 Time of possession/Game 29:28 30:32 3rd down conversions 64-189 66-182 4th down conversions 13-19 8-217 Touchdowns scored 42 39 Field goals-Attempts-Long 18-20-52 13-20-51 PAT-Attempts 40-40 37-37 Attendance 277792 365981   Games/Avg per Game 6/46299 6/60997 1/42268 Scores by quarter Miami 90 53 108 94 7 Opponents 65 98 69 82 0 Offense Rushing Name GP-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G Graig Cooper 13-11 171 888 47 841 4.9 4 51 64.7 Javarris James 9-1 68 299 13 286 4.2 4 13 31.8 Robert Marve 11-11 59 236 117 119 2.0 2 43 10.8 Lee Chambers 5-0 18 119 3 116 6.4 0 25 23.2 Derron Thomas 10-0 31 130 19 111 3.6 1 34 11.1 Jacory Harris 13-2 45 218 117 101 2.2 2 30 7.8 Shawnbrey McNeal 7-0 13 62 0 62 4.8 2 31 8.9 Travis Benjamin 12-5 5 42 0 42 8.4 1 18 3.5 Matt Bosher 13-13 1 9 0 9 9.0 0 9 0.7 Jason Fox 12-12 1 5 0 5 5.0 1 5 0.4 Davon Johnson 11-1 1 3 0 3 3.0 0 3 0.3 Cannon Smith 1-0 1 2 0 2 2.0 0 2 2.0 Thearon Collier 12-3 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 Total 13 426 2013 333 1680 3.9 17 51 129.2 Opponents 13 493 2444 470 1974 4.0 21 58 151.8 Passing Name GP-GS Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G Robert Marve 11-11 107.19 213-116-13 54.5 1293 9 69 117.5 Jacory Harris 13-2 125.76 194-118-7 60.8 1195 12 41 91.9 Graig Cooper 13-0 858.40 1-1-0 100.0 51 1 51 3.9 Travis Benjamin 12-0 242.80 1-1-0 100.0 17 0 17 1.4 Cannon Smith 1-0 116.80 1-1-0 100.0 2 0 2 2.0 TEAM 10-0 0.0 1-0-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 Total 13 117.88 411-237-20 57.7 2558 22 69 196.8 Opponents 13 117.37 336-172-4 51.2 2153 15 74 165.6 Receiving Name GP Rec. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G Aldarius Johnson 12 31 332 10.7 3 29 27.7     Graig Cooper 13 29 113 3.9 1 11 8.7     Thearon Collier 12 26 324 12.5 2 43 27.0     Dedrick Epps 12 22 304 13.8 2 69 25.3     Laron Byrd 13 21 228 10.9 4 26 17.5     Travis Benjamin 12 18 293 16.3 3 51 24.4     Kayne Farquharson 12 18 280 15.6 3 37 23.3     Chris Zellner 13 14 91 6.5 1 12 7.0     Leonard Hankerson 8 11 140 12.7 2 41 17.5     Sam Shields 13 11 124 11.3 0 23 9.5     Javarris James 9 11 118 10.7 0 20 13.1     Davon Johnson 11 5 71 14.2 1 18 6.5     Khalil Jones 8 5 39 7.8 0 11 4.9     Derron Thomas 10 4 35 8.8 0 19 3.5     Patrick Hill 13 4 17 4.2 0 10 1.3     Richard Gordon 12 3 24 8.0 0 15 2.0     Kendal Thompkins 2 2 4 2.0 0 6 2.0     Jacory Harris 13 1 17 17.0 0 17 1.3     Lee Chambers 5 1 4 4.0 0 4 0.8    Total 13 237 2558 10.8 22 69 196.8    Opponents 13 172 2153 12.5 15 74 165.6     Defense Name GP Tackles Sacks Pass defense Interceptions Fumbles BlkdKick Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds No-Yds BrUp QBH No.-Yds Avg TD Long Rcv-Yds FF Total Special teams Name Punting Kickoffs No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd No. Yds Avg TB OB Matt Bosher 66 2659 40.3 76 3 24 19 2 69 3956 57.3 6 2 TEAM 3 55 18.3 31 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Total 69 2714 39.3 76 3 24 19 3 69 3956 57.3 6 2 Name Punt returns Kick returns No. Yds Avg TD Long No. Yds Avg TD Long Travis Benjamin 16 181 11.3 0 44 22 496 22.5 0 57 Thearon Collier 8 35 4.4 0 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 Graig Cooper 3 90 30.0 1 66 4 89 22.2 0 26 Richard Gordon 1 13 13.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Brandon Harris 0 0 0.0 0 0 13 274 21.1 0 41 Ryan Hill 0 0 0.0 0 0 8 91 11.4 0 29 Darryl Sharpton 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 18 6.0 0 9 Patrick Hill 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 9 9.0 0 9 Kylan Robinson 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 8 8.0 0 8 TEAM 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 Sam Shields 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 35 0.0 0 35 Total 28 319 11.4 1 66 53 1020 19.2 0 57 Coaching staff Position Name Yrs. in Current Pos. Head coach Randy Shannon 2nd Offensive Coordinator Patrick Nix 2nd Defensive Coordinator Bill Young 1st Special Teams / TEs Joe Pannunzio 3rd Quarterbacks Patrick Nix 2nd Running Backs Tommie Robinson 2nd Wide Receivers Aubrey Hill 1st Offensive Line Jeff Stoutland 2nd Defensive Line Clint Hurtt 3rd Linebackers Michael Barrow 2nd Defensive Backs Wesley McGriff 2nd Strength & Conditioning Andreu Swasey 7th References Miami Category:Miami Hurricanes football seasons Miami Hurricanes football