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American college football season
The 2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their first year under head coach Jim 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. 14 UCLA and No. 12 Illinois and defeated No. 14 Northwestern and No. 11 Michigan . They concluded the season with a 31–28 loss to No. 14 South Carolina in the 2002 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 back Jonathan Wells (1,257 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry, 90 points scored), and wide receiver Michael 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 tackle Tyson Walter ; and defensive back Mike Doss .[ 4]
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, 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. 14 UCLA * No. 21 ABC L 6–1373,723 September 29 12:00 p.m. at Indiana ESPN Plus W 27–1448,577 October 6 7:45 p.m. No. 14 Northwestern 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. at Penn State ESPN L 27–29108,327 November 3 7:45 p.m. at Minnesota ESPN W 31–2845,407 November 10 12:00 p.m. Purdue ESPN2 W 35–9104,189 November 17 12:00 p.m. No. 12 Illinois No. 25 ESPN L 22–34104,407 [ 5] November 24 1:00 p.m. at No. 11 Michigan ABC W 26–20111,571 January 1, 2002 11:00 a.m. vs. No. 14 South Carolina * No. 22 ESPN L 28–3166,249 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern 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 2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football season marked a transition from former head coach John Cooper to new head coach Jim 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 from Youngstown State University where he led the Penguins to four national championships at the Division I-AA level. The Buckeyes finished the 2000 season with an 8–4 record and Coach Cooper was later fired on January 2, 2001.[ 7]
Prior to Cooper's firing, the Buckeyes were ranked 23rd in the AP Poll , losing in the 2001 Outback Bowl to the South 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 from Steve 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 from Charlie 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
at Michigan 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. Retrieved August 5, 2025 .^ a b "2001 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 5, 2025 .^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 15. Retrieved December 11, 2017 .^ "Brewer, Johnson and Utecth Named To All-Big Ten Teams" . University of Minnesota. December 4, 2001. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved March 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 – via Newspapers.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 from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008 .^ USA Today ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved December 11, 2024 .
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