The 2008 Army Black Knights football team represented the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

(USMA or "West Point") as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

during the

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 28, 2008 and ended on D ...

. The team was led by second-year head coach

Stan Brock Stanley James Brock (born June 8, 1958) is a former American football player and coach. He played as a Tackle (American football), tackle at the University of Colorado at Boulder and in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints an ...

, who, amidst pressure from critics, had changed from a

pro-style offense A pro-style offense in American football is any offensive scheme that resembles those predominantly used at the professional level of play in the National Football League (NFL), in contrast to those typically used at the collegiate or high scho ...

to a

triple option The triple option is an American football play used to offer several ways to move the football forward on the field of play. The triple option is based on the option run, but uses three players who might run with the ball instead of the two used i ...

-like offensive scheme after the previous season. Some pundits dubbed it the "Brock Bone" or "quadruple" option, due to an added passing element. The team finished the season with a disappointing 3–9 record, which culminated in a 34–0 rout by archrival

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. Brock was subsequently fired and replaced by former Cal Poly head coach,

Rich Ellerson Richard Emmet Ellerson (born January 1, 1953) is a former American football coach. He was the head football coach at Southern Utah University in 1996, at California Polytechnic State University from 2001 to 2008, and the United States Military Ac ...

. The 2008 Army–Navy Game was the first shut-out of Army by Navy since 1978. One consolation was that in the game's final play, Army fullback Collin Mooney, in the last play of his college football career, broke the school record for single-season rushing by a single yard.Victory at sea
ESPN, December 6, 2008.

Schedule

Roster

* LB Josh McNary, So. * Alejandro Villanueva * Patrick Mealy * Andre Shinda * LB Stephen Anderson #50 *Chip Bowden *Carson Williams *Wesley McMahand *Justin Turner *Collin Mooney *Bryson Carl *Tony Dace *Ian Smith *Patrick Mealy *Carlo Sandiego *George Fletcher *Geoffrey Hewitt *Robert McClary *Kingsley Ehie *Mike Wright *Jameson Carter *Damion Hunter *Jamison Maehler *Joe Leforte *Mike Evans *Brandon Cox *Jason Johnson *Mike Lemming *Trey Mirrane *Derek Eling *Jeremy Jonas *Tyson Quink *Matthew Campbell *Adam Demarco *Fritz Bentler *Ted Bentler *Victor Ugenyi *Nicholas Emmons *Michael Gann *Marcus Hilton *Joe Paolini *John Plumstead *Frank Scappaticci *Peter Anderson *Matt Eason *Steve Erzinger *Josh Jones *Bradley Marren *Rod Murray *Lowell Garthwaite *Mario Hill *Donovan Travis *Jordan Trimble *Antuan Aaron *David Black *Lawrence Brown *Donnie Dixon *Eric Jones *Richard King *Desmond Lamb *Markenson Pierre *Joseph Puttmann *T.J. Walker *Andrew Rinehart

References

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Army Black Knights football seasons

Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play home ...

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