CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2022 Northern Illinois

3–⁠9 (2–⁠6 Mid-American Conference), coached by Thomas Hammock.

Schedule and results

Northern Illinois in 2022, game by game: won vs. Eastern Illinois 34–27; lost at Tulsa 35–38; lost vs. Vanderbilt 28–38; lost at No. 8 Kentucky 23–31; lost at Ball State 38–44; lost vs. Toledo 32–52; won at Eastern Michigan 39–10; lost at Ohio 17–24; lost vs. Central Michigan 22–35; won at Western Michigan 24–21; lost vs. Miami (OH) 23–29; lost vs. Akron 12–44+29−32Won 34–27 vs. Eastern Illinois+7Eastern IllinoisLost 35–38 at Tulsa-3TulsaLost 28–38 vs. Vanderbilt-10VanderbiltLost 23–31 at No. 8 Kentucky-8No. 8 KentuckyLost 38–44 at Ball State-6Ball StateLost 32–52 vs. Toledo-20ToledoWon 39–10 at Eastern Michigan+29Eastern MichiganLost 17–24 at Ohio-7OhioLost 22–35 vs. Central Michigan-13Central MichiganWon 24–21 at Western Michigan+3Western MichiganLost 23–29 vs. Miami (OH)-6Miami (OH)Lost 12–44 vs. Akron-32Akron
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsEastern IllinoisW 34–⁠2789%
Sep 10atTulsaL 35–⁠3837%
Sep 17vsVanderbiltL 28–⁠3867%
Sep 24at8KentuckyL 23–⁠3118%
Oct 1atBall StateL 38–⁠4441%
Oct 8vsToledoL 32–⁠5241%
Oct 15atEastern MichiganW 39–⁠1029%
Oct 22atOhioL 17–⁠2439%
Nov 2vsCentral MichiganL 22–⁠3556%
Nov 9atWestern MichiganW 24–⁠2138%
Nov 16vsMiami (OH)L 23–⁠2953%
Nov 26vsAkronL 12–⁠4476%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Akron 44–⁠12; unranked in the final AP poll; 11th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 45th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 61 on file).

Record
3–⁠9
Conference
2–⁠6 11th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
327–⁠393
Coach
Thomas Hammock
Elo
1331 −142 this season
SP+ rating
-18.8 No. 123 of 131; offense No. 77, defense No. 128, special teams No. 98
SRS
−15.2 No. 124 of 131 in FBS
Returning
81% of last season’s EPA, No. 16 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 87 roster talent No. 109 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Eric Eidsness
Defensive coordinators
Derrick Jackson and Nick Benedetto
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense60th of 131
  • Defense108th of 131
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted76th of 131
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted128th of 131
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1041%1.2760th of 131
Defense0.1944%1.35108th of 131
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.21 def		41% off
46% def		—76th off
128th 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 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.6own 3016% allowed
Defense4.1own 3115% caused

CORE rating -10.3, 106th of 131 (offense 2.5, defense 12.8).

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 yardsEthan Hampton QB798 yds
Passing touchdownsEthan Hampton QB7 TD
Rushing yardsHarrison Waylee RB899 yds
Rushing touchdownsAntario Brown RB7 TD
Receiving yardsCole Tucker WR630 yds
Receiving touchdownsKacper Rutkiewicz WR6 TD
TacklesC.J. Brown DB71 tkl
SacksMichael Kennedy DE6 sacks
InterceptionsEric Rogers DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2022 class

Jaiden Credle RB★★★No. 1108
Jake Gassaway LB★★★No. 1402
Terron Kellman RB★★★No. 1433
Reggie Jean DL★★★No. 1667
Trey Porter ATH★★★No. 1685

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2022 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs23.00.851
Receivers52.40.775
Offensive line23.00.810
Defensive line43.00.815
Linebackers13.00.846
Defensive backs43.00.816
Athletes and specialists32.70.806
Whole class212.80.809

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 120

The 2022 roster

120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2022 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 3

The 2022 portal
Izayah Green-May LB★★★from Wisconsin
Justin Lynch QB★★★from Temple
Shemar Thornton ATH★★from Florida International

Transfers out 5

Jevyon Ducker RB★★★to Memphis
Erin Collins RB★★★no new school on file
Julius Bolden RB★★★no new school on file
Dillon Thomas CB★★no new school on file
Jack Wilty OLto Iowa Central C.C.

2022 Mid-American Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Ohio7–⁠110–⁠4
Eastern Michigan5–⁠39–⁠4
Toledo5–⁠39–⁠5
Buffalo5–⁠37–⁠6
Bowling Green5–⁠36–⁠7
Miami (OH)4–⁠46–⁠7
Kent State4–⁠45–⁠7
Western Michigan4–⁠45–⁠7
Ball State3–⁠55–⁠7
Central Michigan3–⁠54–⁠8
Northern Illinois2–⁠63–⁠9
Akron1–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.