2005 Northern Illinois
7–5 (6–2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Joe Novak. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Tennessee Tech 42–3Sep 17
By 39 points, its widest win.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | at 4Michigan | L 17–33 | 34% |
| Sep 10 | at Northwestern | L 37–38 | 48% |
| Sep 17 | vs Tennessee Tech | W 42–3 | 87% |
| Sep 24 | at Akron | L 42–48 | 52% |
| Oct 5 | vs Miami (OH) | W 38–27 | 51% |
| Oct 15 | vs Eastern Michigan | W 24–8 | 78% |
| Oct 22 | at Kent State | W 34–3 | 68% |
| Oct 29 | vs Ball State | L 17–31 | 87% |
| Nov 5 | at Central Michigan | W 31–28 | 57% |
| Nov 16 | at Toledo | W 35–17 | 36% |
| Nov 23 | vs Western Michigan | W 42–7 | 70% |
| Dec 1 | vsAkronMid-American Championship Game | L 30–31 | 70% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Akron 31–30 in the Mid-American Championship Game; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for first in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 9th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 61 on file).
MAC West champions6–2 in the conference, shared with Toledo
- Record
- 7–5
- Conference
- 6–2 shared first in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 389–274
- Coach
- Joe Novak
- Elo
- 1599 +26 this season
- SP+ rating
- 5.9 No. 48 of 118; offense No. 25, defense No. 71
- SRS
- 3.7 No. 48 of 119 in Division I-A
- Recruiting class
- No. 77
- Offensive coordinator
- John Bond
- Defensive coordinator
- Denny Doornbos
- Captains
- A.J. Harris, Ray Smith and Brian Van Acker
- Most valuable player
- Garrett Wolfe
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.11 | 44% | 1.00 | 25th of 119 |
| Defense | 0.07 | 45% | 0.86 | 59th of 119 |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.0 | own 31 | 2% allowed |
| Defense | -0.1 | own 31 | 3% caused |
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.
Top recruits in the 2005 class
| Tony Holmes OT | ★★★ | No. 829 |
| Tim Mayerbock OT | ★★ | No. 966 |
| Eddie Adamski OG | ★★ | No. 1132 |
| Ethan Gill OG | ★★ | No. 1132 |
| Spencer Williamson OLB | ★★ | No. 1132 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2005 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 3 | 2.0 | 0.722 |
| Offensive line | 6 | 2.2 | 0.770 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.0 | 0.744 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 2.0 | 0.756 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 2.0 | 0.739 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.0 | 0.744 |
| Whole class | 20 | 2.1 | 0.749 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
2005 Mid-American Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 6–2 | 9–3 | |
 Northern Illinois | 6–2 | 7–5 | |
| Miami (OH) | 5–3 | 7–4 | |
| Western Michigan | 5–3 | 7–4 | |
| Central Michigan | 5–3 | 6–5 | |
 Bowling Green | 5–3 | 6–5 | |
| Akron | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Ball State | 4–4 | 4–7 | |
 Ohio | 3–5 | 4–7 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 3–5 | 4–7 | |
 Buffalo | 1–7 | 1–10 | |
| Kent State | 0–8 | 1–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.