American college football season
The2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was anAmerican football team that represented theOhio State University as a member of theBig Ten Conference during the2001 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their first year under head coachJim Tressel , the Buckeyes compiled a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference games), finished in third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 284 to 213. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes lost to No. 14UCLA and No. 12Illinois and defeated No. 14Northwestern and No. 11Michigan . They concluded the season with a 31–28 loss to No. 14South Carolina in the2002 Outback Bowl .[ 1] AP and Coaches polls .
The Buckeyes gained an average of 190.3 rushing yards and 178.7 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 140.5 rushing yards and 194.3 passing yards per game.[ 2] Steve Bellisari (1,599 passing yards, 53.0% completion percentage), running backJonathan Wells (1,257 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry, 90 points scored), and wide receiverMichael Jenkins (41 receptions for 836 yards).[ 2] LeCharles Bentley was selected as a consensus first-team All-American.[ 3] 2001 All-Big Ten Conference football team : Bentley; offensive tackleTyson Walter ; and defensive backMike Doss .[ 4]
The team played its home games atOhio Stadium inColumbus, Ohio .
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 8 12:00 p.m. Akron * No. 24 W 28–14102,602 September 22 3:30 p.m. at No. 14UCLA * No. 21 ABC L 6–1373,723 September 29 12:00 p.m. atIndiana ESPN Plus W 27–1448,577 October 6 7:45 p.m. No. 14Northwestern ESPN W 38–20104,042 October 13 3:30 p.m. Wisconsin No. 21 ABC L 17–20103,520 October 20 12:00 p.m. San Diego State * ESPN Plus W 27–12102,432 October 27 12:00 p.m. atPenn State ESPN L 27–29108,327 November 3 7:45 p.m. atMinnesota ESPN W 31–2845,407 November 10 12:00 p.m. Purdue ESPN2 W 35–9104,189 November 17 12:00 p.m. No. 12Illinois No. 25 ESPN L 22–34104,407 [ 5] November 24 1:00 p.m. at No. 11Michigan ABC W 26–20111,571 January 1, 2002 11:00 a.m. vs. No. 14South Carolina * No. 22 ESPN L 28–3166,249 *Non-conference game Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inEastern time
[ 6]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking██ Decrease in ranking Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final AP 23 23 24 21 — — 21 — — — — 25 — 23 22 22 — Coaches 21 21 22 21 — — 25 — — — — — — 25 23 23 — BCS Not released — — — — — — — — Not released
The 2001Ohio State Buckeyes football season marked a transition from former head coachJohn Cooper to new head coachJim Tressel . Tressel was beginning his first season as head coach at the Division I-A level as the 22nd head coach of the Buckeyes. He came fromYoungstown State University where he led thePenguins to four national championships at the Division I-AA level. The Buckeyes finished the 2000 season with an 8–4 record andCoach Cooper was later fired on January 2, 2001.[ 7]
Prior to Cooper's firing, the Buckeyes were ranked 23rd in theAP Poll , losing in the2001 Outback Bowl to theSouth Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 24–7.[ 8]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total Akron 0 7 0 7 14 • Ohio St 14 7 7 0 28
Scoring summary 1 7:36 OHST Jonathan Wells 14 yard run (Josh Huston kick)Ohio St 7–0 1 3:30 OHST Jamar Martin 10 yard pass fromSteve Bellisari (Josh Huston kick)Ohio St 14–0 2 9:14 OHST Jonathan Wells 1 yard run (Josh Huston kick) Ohio St 21–0 2 2:09 AKRN Jake Schifino 15 yard pass fromCharlie Frye (Zac Derr kick) Ohio St 21–7 3 3:37 OHST Chris Vance 61 yard pass from Steve Bellisari (Josh Huston kick) Ohio St 28–7 4 7:48 AKRN Rickie Coble 87 yard interception return (Zac Derr kick) Ohio St 28–14
[ 9]
Ohio State Buckeyes at#11 Michigan Wolverines
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 7 16 0 3 26 Michigan 0 0 7 13 20
atMichigan Stadium ,Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date : November 24, 2001Game time : 12:00 p.m.EST Game weather : High 50s, Cloudy, wind 15 mph ESEGame attendance : 111,571Referee : S. Newman
Game information First quarter
OSU - Jonathan Wells 1-yd run (Mike Nugent kick) Second quarter
OSU - Jonathan Wells 46-yd run (Mike Nugent kick) OSU - Jonathan Wells 11-yd run (Mike Nugent kick) OSU - Team safety Third quarter
MICH - M. Walker 21-yd pass from John Navarre (Hayden Epstein kick) Fourth quarter
MICH - B.J. Askew 2-yd run (pass failed) OSU - Mike Nugent 33-yd field goal MICH - M. Walker 11-yd pass from John Navarre (Hayden Epstein kick) Top Passers Top Rushers Top Receivers MICH - M. Walker - 5 receptions, 160 yards, 2 TDs OSU - Darnell Sanders - 3 receptions, 38 yards Top Tacklers MICH - Victor Hobson - 10 (9 solo, 1 assisted) MICH - Eric Brackens - 10 (6 solo, 4 assisted) OSU - Joe Cooper - 8 (all solo) OSU -Tim Anderson - 8 (7 solo, 1 assisted) Interceptions
[ edit ] Jim Tressel - Head Coach (1st year)Jim Bollman - Offensive Line/OC (1st year)Ken Conaster - Special Teams (1st year) Bill Conley - Tight Ends / Recruiting Coordinator (15th year)Joe Daniels - Quarterbacks (1st year) Mark Dantonio - Defensive Coordinator (1st year)Jim Heacock - Defensive Line (6th year)Mark Snyder - Defensive Linebackers (1st year) Tim Spencer - Running Backs (8th year)Mel Tucker - Defensive Backs (1st year)Bob Tucker - Director of Football Operations (7th year)Dick Tressel - Associate Director of Football Operations (1st year)2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) IneligibleRoster
Defense
CB 24 Maurice Lee 11 Richard McNutt
Offense
WR 4 Chris Vance 9 Ricky Bryant
FB 39 Jamar Martin 5 Sam Maldonado
Source: Athletic Department official site, 2001 football archive 12-01 depth chart
[ 10]
^ "2001 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results" .SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. RetrievedAugust 5, 2025 .^a b "2001 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats" .SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. RetrievedAugust 5, 2025 .^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 15. RetrievedDecember 11, 2017 .^ "Brewer, Johnson and Utecth Named To All-Big Ten Teams" . University of Minnesota. December 4, 2001. Archived fromthe original on December 31, 2017. RetrievedMarch 3, 2015 .^ Bruce Hooley (November 18, 2001)."OSU kept at arm's length: Buckeyes feel Bellisari's absence in loss to Illini" .The Plain Dealer . pp. C1, C7 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ Park, Jack (2003).The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia . Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC.ISBN 1-58261-695-7 ^ Rovnak, Paul (January 3, 2001). "Cooper Fired, Geiger Cites "Deteriorating Climate"The Lantern ^ "Ohio State Historical Scores" . Archived fromthe original on August 22, 2008. RetrievedAugust 23, 2008 .^ USA Today ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing" .Pro-Football-Reference.com . RetrievedDecember 11, 2024 .
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