The 2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

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 Robert Alan Johnson (born February 8, 1951) is a retired American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at Vanderbilt University, a position he held from the 2002 season until his retirement in 2010. In ...

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 Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...

's senior year. The leading receiver was

Earl Bennett Earl Bryan Bennett (born March 23, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who is currently the director of player development at Vanderbilt. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played co ...

. Also on the team:

Jonathan Goff Jonathan Goff (born December 12, 1985) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt. H ...

, 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 Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...

. 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 The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

since 1982- and their first win at Tennessee's

Neyland Stadium Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Foot ...

since 1975- by defeating the Volunteers 28-24 on November 19. 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 The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in the 2006 NFL Draft the following Spring.

Schedule

Team players drafted into the NFL

References

Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Commodores football seasons

Vanderbilt Commodores football The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Divis ...

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