2019 Northern Illinois
5–7 (4–4 Mid-American Conference), coached by Thomas Hammock. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Akron 49–0Oct 26
By 49 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Ohio 39–36Oct 12
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Illinois State | W 24–10 | 75% |
| Sep 7 | at 13Utah | L 17–35 | 28% |
| Sep 14 | at Nebraska | L 8–44 | 43% |
| Sep 28 | at Vanderbilt | L 18–24 | 45% |
| Oct 5 | vs Ball State | L 20–27 | 72% |
| Oct 12 | at Ohio | W 39–36 | 28% |
| Oct 19 | at Miami (OH) | L 24–27 | 38% |
| Oct 26 | vs Akron | W 49–0 | 80% |
| Nov 2 | at Central Michigan | L 10–48 | 44% |
| Nov 13 | at Toledo | W 31–28 | 31% |
| Nov 19 | vs Eastern Michigan | L 17–45 | 57% |
| Nov 26 | vs Western Michigan | W 17–14 | 39% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Western Michigan 17–14; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 33rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 61 on file).
- Record
- 5–7
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 7th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 274–338
- Coach
- Thomas Hammock
- Elo
- 1406 −90 this season
- SP+ rating
- -13.9 No. 115 of 130; offense No. 106, defense No. 102, special teams No. 76
- SRS
- −12.0 No. 114 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 59% of last season’s EPA, No. 66 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 108 roster talent No. 105 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Eric Eidsness
- Defensive coordinator
- Derrick Jackson
- Captains
- Jordan Steckler, Mykelti Williams, Jack Heflin and Daniel Crawford
- Most valuable player
- Mykelti Williams
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.02 | 40% | 1.20 | 103rd of 130 |
| Defense | 0.15 | 44% | 1.21 | 88th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.02 off 0.15 def | 38% off 45% def | — | 113th off 96th def |
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. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.6 | own 26 | 27% allowed |
| Defense | 3.7 | own 32 | 19% caused |
CORE rating -12.1, 109th of 130 (offense -8.5, defense 3.6).
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. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Ross Bowers QB | 2,140 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Ross Bowers QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Tre Harbison RB | 1,011 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Tre Harbison RB | 8 TD |
| Receiving yards | Cole Tucker WR | 531 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Tyrice Richie WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Mykelti Williams S | 88 tkl |
| Sacks | Jack Heflin DL | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Antonio Jones-Davis LB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2019 class
| Fabian McCray WR | ★★★ | No. 949 |
| Justin Clark S | ★★★ | No. 1403 |
| Romel Goston CB | ★★★ | No. 1826 |
| Mariano Valenti DUAL | ★★★ | No. 1956 |
| Mohamed Toure WR | ★★★ | No. 1968 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2019 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.816 |
| Receivers | 3 | 2.7 | 0.820 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.3 | 0.793 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 2.3 | 0.795 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.813 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.784 |
| Whole class | 18 | 2.6 | 0.808 |
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.
Roster 105
The 2019 roster105 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2019 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
2019 Mid-American Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 6–2 | 8–6 | |
| Miami (OH) | 6–2 | 8–6 | |
 Buffalo | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Western Michigan | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
 Kent State | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Ohio | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Ball State | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
 Northern Illinois | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Toledo | 3–5 | 6–6 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
 Bowling Green | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Akron | 0–8 | 0–12 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.