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2003 Western Michigan

5–⁠7 (4–⁠4 Mid-American Conference), coached by Gary Darnell.

Schedule and results

Western Michigan in 2003, game by game: lost at Michigan State 21–26; won vs. William & Mary 56–24; lost vs. Virginia 16–59; won at Ohio 39–32; won at Eastern Michigan 31–3; lost vs. Bowling Green 21–32; lost at No. 12 Northern Illinois 10–37; lost vs. Marshall 21–41; lost at UConn 27–41; won vs. Ball State 28–20; won vs. Central Michigan 44–21; lost at Toledo 17–34+32−43Lost 21–26 at Michigan State-5Michigan StateWon 56–24 vs. William & Mary+32William & MaryLost 16–59 vs. Virginia-43VirginiaWon 39–32 at Ohio+7OhioWon 31–3 at Eastern Michigan+28Eastern MichiganLost 21–32 vs. Bowling Green-11Bowling GreenLost 10–37 at No. 12 Northern Illinois-27No. 12 Northern Illino…Lost 21–41 vs. Marshall-20MarshallLost 27–41 at UConn-14UConnWon 28–20 vs. Ball State+8Ball StateWon 44–21 vs. Central Michigan+23Central MichiganLost 17–34 at Toledo-17Toledo
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30atMichigan StateL 21–⁠2641%
Sep 6vsWilliam & MaryW 56–⁠2477%
Sep 13vsVirginiaL 16–⁠5944%
Sep 27atOhioW 39–⁠3247%
Oct 4atEastern MichiganW 31–⁠369%
Oct 11vsBowling GreenL 21–⁠3243%
Oct 18at12Northern IllinoisL 10–⁠3721%
Oct 25vsMarshallL 21–⁠4137%
Nov 1atUConnL 27–⁠4130%
Nov 8vsBall StateW 28–⁠2049%
Nov 15vsCentral MichiganW 44–⁠2172%
Nov 22atToledoL 17–⁠3425%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Toledo 34–⁠17; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 51st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 7th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
331–⁠370
Coach
Gary Darnell
Elo
1419 −34 this season
SP+ rating
-10.2 No. 91 of 117; offense No. 75, defense No. 90
SRS
−7.4 No. 84 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 104
Offensive coordinator
Brian Rock
Most valuable player
Jason Feldpausch

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 27— allowed
Defense-0.5own 34— 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 2003 class

Shawntey Lopez S★★★No. 682
Chris Bartula OT★★No. 1050
Robbie Krutilla OG★★No. 1050
James Ellison S★★No. 1050
Oseloka Keys PRO★★No. 1050

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

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.767
Running backs12.00.767
Receivers42.00.767
Offensive line42.00.767
Defensive line12.00.767
Defensive backs62.20.772
Whole class172.10.769

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.

Drafted in 2004

The 2004 draft
Rd 1Jason Babin LBHouston Texans

2003 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Miami (OH)8–⁠013–⁠110
Bowling Green7–⁠111–⁠323
Northern Illinois6–⁠210–⁠2
Marshall6–⁠28–⁠4
Toledo6–⁠28–⁠4
Akron5–⁠37–⁠5
Western Michigan4–⁠45–⁠7
Kent State4–⁠45–⁠7
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Eastern Michigan2–⁠63–⁠9
UCF2–⁠63–⁠9
Central Michigan1–⁠73–⁠9
Ohio1–⁠72–⁠10
Buffalo1–⁠71–⁠11

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