2008 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
| 2008 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football | |
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| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| 2008 record | 5–7 (3–4 Sun Belt) |
| Head coach | |
| Offensive coordinator | G. A. Mangus |
| Defensive coordinator | Manny Diaz |
| Home stadium | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (Capacity: 30,788) |
| 2008 Sun Belt football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy $ | 6 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Lafayette | 5 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Atlantic | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | 4 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2008 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Middle Tennessee competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The team was led by head coach . The Blue Raiders played their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.
Middle Tennessee compiled a 5–7 overall record and 3–4 record against Sun Belt opponents. In week 2, the Blue Raiders beat just their fourth-ever opponent from a Bowl Championship Subdivision (BCS) conference when they upset Maryland, 24–14. All three of the other instances in the past were against Vanderbilt. The following week, Middle Tennessee came within inches of repeating the feat, when a comeback attempt against Kentucky fell just short.
Middle Tennessee compiled two rapid-fire fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the comeback attempt ultimately fell short.Troy eventually finished the season as the Sun Belt Conference champions.
After receiving the kick-off, Middle Tennessee quarterback Joe Craddock led an 80-yard, 10-play drive. It included a fake punt that caught Maryland off-guard and the punter completed a 28-yard pass for the first down conversion. Craddock ended the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass. On Maryland's second offensive play of the game, Da'Rel Scott broke free for a 63-yard run for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Middle Tennessee re-took the lead with a 31-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Turner threw an interception which was returned 25 yards to the Maryland five yard-line, and then subsequently ran in for a touchdown. Turner then completed a short toss to Darrius Heyward-Bey who ran it downfield for an 80-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Maryland found itself inside the Middle Tennessee 35-yard line three times, but couldn't capitalize on the opportunities. Middle Tennessee defenders saved two potential touchdowns with interceptions on their own two-yard line and in the endzone.
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