The 2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

as a member of the Eastern Division of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) during the

2005 NCAA Division I-A football season The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 1, 2005 and ended on De ...

. Led fourth-year 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 ...

, Commodores compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the SEC's Eastern Division. The team played home games at

Vanderbilt Stadium FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football, it is the home of the Vander ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. Vanderbilt won the first four games of the season, and looked to improve to 5–0 for the first time since the 1940s with a win over

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...

on October 1. The game came down to the last play of the game, but a failed Vanderbilt field goal attempt allowed Middle Tennessee to come away with the win. The Commodores proceeded to drop its next five games and fall out of

bowl eligibility Bowl eligibility in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level is the standard through which teams become available for selection to participate in postseason bowl games. When a team achieves this state, it is described as "bowl-eligible". ...

. 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 intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

since 1982 and the program's 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 Footba ...

since 1975 by defeating the Volunteers, 28–24, on November 19. Vanderbilt's historic victory eliminated Tennessee from bowl eligibility. The Commodores offense scored 299 points while the defense allowed 321 points on the season. This was

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

's senior year. The leading receiver for the Commodores was Earl Bennett. Other members of the team included

Jonathan Goff Jonathan Goff (born December 12, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected by the New York Gian ...

Thomas Welch Thomas Welch or Walsh (November 5, 1742 – July 2, 1816) was a surveying, surveyor and judge in Upper Canada. He was born in the Province of Maryland in 1742, the son of Ireland, Irish immigrants with roots in Wales. He studied in Philadelp ...

, and Chris Williams. Cutler was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He was selected 11th overall by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

the following spring, becoming the first Vanderbilt player to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since

Will Wolford William Charles Wolford (born May 18, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played coll ...

in 1986.

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) within the Southe ...

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