# 2005 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2005 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Ryan Field and participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by seventh-year head coach Randy Walker. The Wildcats finished tied for 3rd place in the Big Ten with a conference record of 5–3.
This would be Walker's last season as the Wildcats' coach, as he would die suddenly from a heart attack on June 29, 2006 at the age of 52. Linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator and Northwestern alum Pat Fitzgerald would be promoted to head coach on July 7, 2006.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 11:00 am | Ohio* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPNU | W 38–14 | 20,115 |
| September 10 | 3:00 pm | Northern Illinois* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPNC | W 38–37 | 35,114 |
| September 17 | 9:00 pm | at No. 18 Arizona State* | | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | | L 21–52 | 55,029 |
| September 24 | 11:00 am | Penn State | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN2 | L 29–34 | 24,395 |
| October 8 | 11:00 am | No. 14 Wisconsin | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN | W 51–48 | 33,859 |
| October 15 | 11:00 am | at Purdue | | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | ESPN2 | W 34–29 | 62,866 |
| October 22 | 11:00 am | at No. 22 Michigan State | | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | ESPN2 | W 49–14 | 74,636 |
| October 29 | 6:00 pm | No. 25 Michigan | No. 21 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | ESPN | L 17–33 | 47,130 |
| November 5 | 11:00 am | Iowa | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN | W 28–27 | 34,550 |
| November 12 | 11:00 am | at No. 10 Ohio State | No. 25 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ABC | L 7–48 | 105,181 |
| November 19 | 11:00 am | at Illinois | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Sweet Sioux Tomahawk) | ESPN+ | W 38–21 | 31,465 |
| December 30 | 1:00 pm | vs. No. 17 UCLA* | | Sun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TX (Sun Bowl) | CBS | L 38–50 | 50,426 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
| Statistics | OHIO | NU |
| First downs | 13 | 28 |
| Total yards | 239 | 550 |
| Rushing yards | 62 | 194 |
| Passing yards | 177 | 356 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 20:58 | 39:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ohio | Passing | Austin Everson | 10/26, 157 yards, INT |
| Ohio | Rushing | Kalvin McRae | 10 rushes, 34 yards |
| Ohio | Receiving | Scott Mayle | 4 receptions, 100 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 27/37, 353 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 17 rushes, 104 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Kim Thompson | 5 receptions, 99 yards |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 7 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 37 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Statistics | NIU | NU |
| First downs | 28 | 33 |
| Total yards | 539 | 502 |
| Rushing yards | 256 | 282 |
| Passing yards | 283 | 220 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:08 | 27:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Phil Horvath | 24/36, 283 yards, TD, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Garrett Wolfe | 34 rushes, 245 yards, 3 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Sam Hurd | 7 receptions, 90 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 21/32, 220 yards |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 30 rushes, 214 yards, 4 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Shaun Herbert | 6 receptions, 73 yards |

### At No. 18 Arizona State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 18 Sun Devils | 7 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 52 |
| Statistics | NU | ASU |
| First downs | 24 | 30 |
| Total yards | 416 | 773 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 290 |
| Passing yards | 236 | 483 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:13 | 35:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 24/37, 224 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 15 rushes, 98 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Ross Lane | 4 receptions, 73 yards |
| Arizona State | Passing | Sam Keller | 20/31, 409 yards, 4 TD |
| Arizona State | Rushing | Keegan Herring | 23 rushes, 197 yards, 2 TD |
| Arizona State | Receiving | Matt Miller | 3 receptions, 103 yards, TD |

### Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Nittany Lions | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 34 |
| Wildcats | 10 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 29 |
| Statistics | PSU | NU |
| First downs | 21 | 24 |
| Total yards | 480 | 427 |
| Rushing yards | 209 | 198 |
| Passing yards | 271 | 229 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 20:01 | 39:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Michael Robinson | 17/36, 271 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Tony Hunt | 13 rushes, 99 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jordan Norwood | 5 receptions, 83 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 20/38, 229 yards, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 32 rushes, 112 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Jonathan Fields | 4 receptions, 70 yards |

### No. 14 Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Badgers | 7 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 48 |
| • Wildcats | 0 | 10 | 27 | 14 | 51 |
| Statistics | WIS | NU |
| First downs | 27 | 28 |
| Total yards | 515 | 674 |
| Rushing yards | 189 | 313 |
| Passing yards | 326 | 361 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:36 | 29:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | John Stocco | 24/31, 326 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Brian Calhoun | 23 rushes, 122 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Brian Calhoun | 11 receptions, 128 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 26/36, 361 yards, 3 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 29 rushes, 244 yards, 3 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Mark Philmore | 6 receptions, 97 yards, TD |

### At Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 14 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
| Boilermakers | 3 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 29 |
| Statistics | NU | PUR |
| First downs | 32 | 30 |
| Total yards | 603 | 505 |
| Rushing yards | 128 | 127 |
| Passing yards | 475 | 378 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 27:50 | 32:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 37/55, 463 yards, 3 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 13 rushes, 89 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Shaun Herbert | 11 receptions, 96 yards |
| Purdue | Passing | Brandon Kirsch | 37/58, 360 yards, 2 INT |
| Purdue | Rushing | Jerod Void | 7 rushes, 37 yards, TD |
| Purdue | Receiving | Dorien Bryant | 16 receptions, 153 yards |

### At No. 22 Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
| No. 22 Spartans | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Statistics | NU | MSU |
| First downs | 31 | 28 |
| Total yards | 533 | 480 |
| Rushing yards | 202 | 189 |
| Passing yards | 331 | 291 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 27:25 | 32:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 24/30, 331 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 21 rushes, 109 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Shaun Herbert | 10 receptions, 138 yards |
| Michigan State | Passing | Drew Stanton | 20/38, 234 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Michigan State | Rushing | Javon Ringer | 18 rushes, 104 yards |
| Michigan State | Receiving | Kyle Brown | 1 reception, 53 yards |

### No. 25 Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Wolverines | 14 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 33 |
| No. 21 Wildcats | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Statistics | MICH | NU |
| First downs | 22 | 18 |
| Total yards | 427 | 415 |
| Rushing yards | 253 | 89 |
| Passing yards | 174 | 326 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 38:01 | 21:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan | Passing | Chad Henne | 17/30, 174 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Michigan | Rushing | Jerome Jackson | 24 rushes, 105 yards |
| Michigan | Receiving | Jason Avant | 5 receptions, 67 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 26/49, 326 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 10 rushes, 50 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Mark Philmore | 9 receptions, 139 yards, 2 TD |

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawkeyes | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Statistics | IOWA | NU |
| First downs | 27 | 25 |
| Total yards | 492 | 453 |
| Rushing yards | 216 | 115 |
| Passing yards | 276 | 338 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:42 | 29:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Drew Tate | 21/35, 273 yards |
| Iowa | Rushing | Albert Young | 38 rushes, 202 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Herb Grigsby | 7 receptions, 84 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 31/51, 338 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 17 rushes, 65 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Mark Philmore | 10 receptions, 123 yards |

### At No. 10 Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 10 Buckeyes | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
| Statistics | NU | OSU |
| First downs | 16 | 23 |
| Total yards | 251 | 422 |
| Rushing yards | 98 | 317 |
| Passing yards | 153 | 105 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:38 | 34:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 15/31, 121 yards, TD, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 14 rushes, 93 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Jonathan Fields | 4 receptions, 45 yards |
| Ohio State | Passing | Troy Smith | 7/12, 77 yards, INT |
| Ohio State | Rushing | Antonio Pittman | 18 rushes, 132 yards, TD |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Santonio Holmes | 3 receptions, 49 yards |

### At Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Statistics | NU | ILL |
| First downs | 36 | 24 |
| Total yards | 596 | 440 |
| Rushing yards | 356 | 199 |
| Passing yards | 240 | 241 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:24 | 27:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 25/31, 240 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 34 rushes, 212 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Mark Philmore | 5 receptions, 62 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Passing | Tim Brasic | 20/35, 241 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Pierre Thomas | 18 rushes, 97 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Kendrick Jones | 3 receptions, 95 yards |

### Vs. No. 17 UCLA (Sun Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 22 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 38 |
| No. 17 Bruins | 7 | 22 | 7 | 14 | 50 |
| Statistics | NU | UCLA |
| First downs | 33 | 24 |
| Total yards | 584 | 453 |
| Rushing yards | 168 | 310 |
| Passing yards | 416 | 143 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 30:50 | 29:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brett Basanez | 38/70, 416 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Tyrell Sutton | 18 rushes, 84 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Ross Lane | 7 receptions, 136 yards |
| UCLA | Passing | Drew Olson | 10/24, 143 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT |
| UCLA | Rushing | Chris Markey | 24 rushes, 161 yards |
| UCLA | Receiving | Ryan Moya | 1 reception, 58 yards, TD |
The Wildcats were invited to play in the 2005 Sun Bowl. They lost 38–50 to the UCLA Bruins, who staged a 22-point comeback, a record for the Bruins at the time.