2020 Northern Illinois
0–6 (0–6 Mid-American Conference), coached by Thomas Hammock. Share
Schedule and results
- Most excitingLost to Western Michigan 27–30Nov 28
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | vs Buffalo | L 30–49 | 41% |
| Nov 11 | vs Central Michigan | L 10–40 | 48% |
| Nov 18 | at Ball State | L 25–31 | 33% |
| Nov 28 | at Western Michigan | L 27–30 | 20% |
| Dec 5 | vs Toledo | L 24–41 | 42% |
| Dec 12 | at Eastern Michigan | L 33–41 | 32% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Eastern Michigan 41–33; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 11th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 47th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 61 on file).
- Record
- 0–6
- Conference
- 0–6 tied for 11th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 149–232
- Coach
- Thomas Hammock
- Elo
- 1326 −111 this season
- SP+ rating
- -18.4 No. 122 of 130; offense No. 126, defense No. 107
- Returning
- 60% of last season’s EPA, No. 75 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 91 roster talent No. 116 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Eric Eidsness
- Defensive coordinator
- Derrick Jackson
- Captains
- Daniel Crawford, James Ester and Matt Ference
- Most valuable player
- Tyrice Richie
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.02 | 42% | 1.20 | 101st of 127 |
| Defense | 0.21 | 47% | 1.28 | 102nd of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.07 off 0.14 def | 42% off 44% def | — | 96th off 84th 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 | 3.7 | own 28 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 3.5 | own 33 | 17% caused |
CORE rating -12.1, 107th of 127 (offense -7.6, defense 4.5).
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 | 1,365 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Ross Bowers QB | 10 TD |
| Rushing yards | Harrison Waylee RB | 456 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Erin Collins RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Tyrice Richie WR | 584 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Tyrice Richie WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Jordan Gandy CB | 41 tkl |
| Sacks | Devonte O’Malley DT | 2 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jordan Hansen S | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Dustin Fletcher DUAL | ★★★ | No. 982 |
| Jay Ducker APB | ★★★ | No. 1063 |
| Eddie Jackson S | ★★★ | No. 1487 |
| Cody Kopp ILB | ★★★ | No. 1654 |
| Trayvon Rudolph ATH | ★★★ | No. 1735 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.858 |
| Running backs | 3 | 2.7 | 0.816 |
| Receivers | 5 | 2.4 | 0.774 |
| Offensive line | 6 | 2.8 | 0.802 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.816 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Defensive backs | 10 | 2.8 | 0.809 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Whole class | 32 | 2.8 | 0.807 |
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 117
The 2020 roster117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 46 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Mid-American Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 5–0 | 6–1 | 25 |
| Ball State | 5–1 | 7–1 | 23 |
 Kent State | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
| Toledo | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
 Ohio | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
 Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Central Michigan | 3–3 | 3–3 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Akron | 1–5 | 1–5 | |
 Northern Illinois | 0–6 | 0–6 | |
 Bowling Green | 0–5 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.