The 2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
during the
2008–09 college football season. The team's head coach was
Bobby Johnson, who served his seventh season in the position. The Commodores played their six home games at
Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
.
This was Vanderbilt's first 5–0 start since
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
and first
bowl appearance since
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
, ending a streak of 25 straight losing seasons.
Schedule
Season summary
Following a 4–0 start to the season, the Vanderbilt Commodores were ranked for the first time on the
AP Poll since 1984. Following the victory over Auburn, the Commodores were 5–0 for the first time since 1943.
After the good start, the Commodores would lose their next four games before a 31-24 victory over Kentucky that declared them bowl eligible for the first time since 1982. Vandy would then lose their final two games of the regular season. They ended the season by going to the Music City Bowl where they defeated Boston College by a score of 16-14, ending a 53-year bowl victory drought.
Game summaries
Miami (OH)
South Carolina
Rice
Ole Miss
Auburn
ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from Vanderbilt's campus prior to the Auburn game.
Mississippi State
Georgia
Duke
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
Wake Forest
Boston College
Coaching staff
*
Bobby Johnson – Head coach
*
Ted Cain – Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach
*
Bruce Fowler
Bruce Lambourne Fowler (born July 10, 1947) is an American trombonist and composer. He played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart and in the Fowler Brothers Band. He composes and arranges music for movies, a ...
– Defensive coordinator
*
Robbie Caldwell – Assistant head coach/offensive line coach
*Rick Logo – Defensive line coach
*Warren Belin – Linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator
*
Jamie Bryant – Defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator
*Charlie Fisher – Co-passing game coordinator & wide receivers
*Jacob DeLucia – Co-passing game coordinator & quarterbacks
*
Desmond Kitchings – Running backs coach
*Michael Hazel – Assistant director of football operations
*Joey Orck – Offensive quality control
*Andy Frank – Defensive quality control
*Norval McKenzie – Offensive graduate assistant
*Mark Moehring – Defensive graduate assistant
*Tom Bossung – Head athletic trainer
*Brian Reese – Associate director of student athletics
*John Sisk – Director of speed, strength and conditioning
*Luke Wyatt – Head equipment manager
*Gary Veach – Assistant equipment manager
References
{{Vanderbilt Commodores football navbox
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores football seasons
Music City Bowl champion seasons
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) within the Southe ...
2008 in Nashville, Tennessee