2006 Northwestern
4–8 (2–6 Big Ten), coached by Pat Fitzgerald. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Miami (OH) 21–3Aug 31
By 18 points, its widest win.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | at Miami (OH) | W 21–3 | 38% |
| Sep 9 | vs New Hampshire | L 17–34 | 73% |
| Sep 16 | vs Eastern Michigan | W 14–6 | 75% |
| Sep 22 | at Nevada | L 21–31 | 45% |
| Sep 30 | at Penn State | L 7–33 | 28% |
| Oct 7 | at Wisconsin | L 9–41 | 22% |
| Oct 14 | vs Purdue | L 10–31 | 48% |
| Oct 21 | vs Michigan State | L 38–41 | 50% |
| Oct 28 | at 2Michigan | L 3–17 | 10% |
| Nov 4 | at Iowa | W 21–7 | 19% |
| Nov 11 | vs 1Ohio State | L 10–54 | 16% |
| Nov 18 | vs Illinois | W 27–16 | 76% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Illinois 27–16; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 8th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 63rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 133 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 8th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 198–314
- Coach
- Pat Fitzgerald
- Elo
- 1473 −48 this season
- SP+ rating
- -4.9 No. 75 of 119; offense No. 77, defense No. 69, special teams No. 96
- SRS
- −6.9 No. 88 of 119 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 71
- Offensive coordinator
- Garrick McGee
- Defensive coordinator
- Greg Colby
- Captains
- Erryn Cobb, Bryan Heinz, Shaun Herbert and Nick Roach
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.03 | 39% | 0.98 | 58th of 119 |
| Defense | 0.06 | 45% | 0.80 | 75th 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 | -0.1 | own 28 | 3% allowed |
| Defense | -0.1 | own 34 | 2% 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 2006 class
| Stephen Simmons APB | ★★★ | No. 927 |
| Corbin Bryant TE | ★★★ | No. 1045 |
| Stefan Demos K | ★★★ | No. 1045 |
| Nate Williams ILB | ★★★ | No. 1199 |
| Sidney Stewart WR | ★★★ | No. 1203 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2006 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.831 |
| Receivers | 3 | 2.7 | 0.784 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.767 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.799 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 2.0 | 0.722 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.803 |
| Whole class | 10 | 2.5 | 0.787 |
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.
2006 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 8–0 | 12–1 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 7–1 | 12–1 | 7 |
| Michigan | 7–1 | 11–2 | 8 |
| Penn State | 5–3 | 9–4 | 24 |
| Purdue | 5–3 | 8–6 | |
 Minnesota | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
 Indiana | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Iowa | 2–6 | 6–7 | |
 Northwestern | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Michigan State | 1–7 | 4–8 | |
| Illinois | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.