2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football
Conference	Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
2005 record	5–6 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Bobby Johnson (4th year)
Offensive coordinator	Ted Cain (4th year)
Defensive coordinator	Bruce Fowler (4th year)
Captain	2 Jay Cutler Moses Osemwegie
Home stadium	Vanderbilt Stadium (Capacity: 39,773)

2005 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
#10 Georgia x$		6	–	2					10	–	3
South Carolina		5	–	3					7	–	5
#12 Florida		5	–	3					9	–	3
Vanderbilt		3	–	5					5	–	6
Tennessee		3	–	5					5	–	6
Kentucky		2	–	6					3	–	8
Western Division
#5 LSU xy		7	–	1					11	–	2
#14 Auburn x		7	–	1					9	–	3
#8 Alabama		6	–	2					10	–	2
Arkansas		2	–	6					4	–	7
Mississippi State		1	–	7					3	–	8
Ole Miss		1	–	7					3	–	8
Championship: Georgia 34, LSU 14
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Alabama had all victories vacated by the NCAA in 2010. As such, the official record for Alabama is 0–2 (0–2). Rankings from AP Poll

The 2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Commodores offense scored 299 points while the defense allowed 321 points. Led by head coach Bobby Johnson in his 4th year, the Commodores won their first four games of the season but finished the season with only five wins.

This was Jay Cutler's senior year. The leading receiver was Earl Bennett. Also on the team: Jonathan Goff, Thomas Welch and Chris Williams.

Vanderbilt started out with 4 wins and looked to make it 5 for the first time since the 1940s with a win over in state MTSU. The game was close and down to the last play of the game, but a failed Vanderbilt field goal attempt allowed MTSU to come away with the win. Vanderbilt then proceeded to drop its next 5 games and fall out of Bowl eligibility.

Positively, the season ended on a high-note as Vanderbilt recorded its first win over the rival Tennessee Volunteers since 1982- and their first win at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium since 1975- by defeating the Volunteers 28-24 on November 19th. Vanderbilt's historic victory eliminated Tennessee from Bowl eligibility. Jay Cutler was later named SEC Offensive Player of the Year and drafted 11th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 NFL Draft the following Spring.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest*		Groves Stadium • Winston-Salem, NC	ESPNU	W 24–20	25,384
September 10	6:00 p.m.	at Arkansas		Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR		W 28–24	68,215
September 17	11:30 a.m.	Ole Miss		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry)	JPS	W 31–23	34,837
September 24	6:00 p.m.	Richmond*		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN		W 37–13	38,446
October 1	6:00 p.m.	Middle Tennessee State*		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPNGP	L 15–17	37,257
October 8	6:00 p.m.	#11 LSU		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPN2	L 6–34	37,309
October 15	6:15 p.m.	#4 Georgia		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry)	ESPN2	L 17–34	38,822
October 22	2:30 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	ESPNGP	L 28–35	76,427
November 5	6:15 p.m.	at #15 Florida		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL	ESPN2	L 42–49 OT	90,140
November 12	1:00 p.m.	Kentucky		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry)		L 43–48	29,506
November 19	11:30 a.m.	at Tennessee		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Rivalry)	JPS	W 28–24	107,487
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches Poll. All times are in Central Time.

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Jay Cutler	Quarterback	1	11	Denver Broncos