2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Record5–6 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTed Cain (4th season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorBruce Fowler (4th season)
Base defense4–3
Captain
2
Home stadiumVanderbilt Stadium
Seasons
← 2004
2006 →
2005 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 10 Georgia x$   6 2     10 3  
South Carolina   5 3     7 5  
No. 12 Florida   5 3     9 3  
Vanderbilt   3 5     5 6  
Tennessee   3 5     5 6  
Kentucky   2 6     3 8  
Western Division
No. 5 LSU xy   7 1     11 2  
No. 14 Auburn x   7 1     9 3  
No. 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 won just one further game the rest of the year.

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 4-0 wins and looked to go 5-0 for the first time since the 1940s with a win over in state Middle Tennessee. The game was close and down to the last play of the game, but a failed Vanderbilt field goal attempt allowed Middle Tennessee to come away with the win. Vanderbilt then proceeded to drop its next five 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 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 in the 2006 NFL draft the following spring, becoming the first Vanderbilt player to be drafted in the first round since 1986.