2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record7–5 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJim Bollman (1st season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorMark Dantonio (1st season)
Base defense4–3
MVPJonathon Wells
Captains
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
(Capacity: 101,568)
2001 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 12 Illinois $   7 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 20 Michigan   6 – 2     8 – 4  
  5 – 3     7 – 5  
Iowa   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Purdue   4 – 4     6 – 6  
Penn State   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Indiana   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Michigan State   3 – 5     7 – 5  
Wisconsin   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Minnesota   2 – 6     4 – 7  
Northwestern   2 – 6     4 – 7  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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] For the second consecutive season, the Buckeyes were unranked in the final 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] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback 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] Center LeCharles Bentley was selected as a consensus first-team All-American.[3] Three Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 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.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 812:00 p.m.Akron*No. 24
W 28–14102,602
September 223:30 p.m.at No. 14 UCLA*No. 21
ABCL 6–1373,723
September 2912:00 p.m.at Indiana
ESPN PlusW 27–1448,577
October 67:45 p.m.No. 14 Northwestern
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ESPNW 38–20104,042
October 133:30 p.m.WisconsinNo. 21
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ABCL 17–20103,520
October 2012:00 p.m.San Diego State*
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ESPN PlusW 27–12102,432
October 2712:00 p.m.at Penn State
ESPNL 27–29108,327
November 37:45 p.m.at Minnesota
ESPNW 31–2845,407
November 1012:00 p.m.Purdue
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ESPN2W 35–9104,189
November 1712:00 p.m.No. 12 IllinoisNo. 25
ESPNL 22–34104,407[5]
November 241:00 p.m.at No. 11 Michigan
ABCW 26–20111,571
January 1, 200211:00 a.m.vs. No. 14 South Carolina*No. 22
ESPNL 28–3166,249
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[6]

Rankings

See also: 2001 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP23232421——21————25—232222—
Coaches21212221——25——————252323—
BCSNot released————————Not released

Preseason

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]

Game summaries

Akron

See also: 2001 Akron Zips football team
Team 1 234Total
Akron 0 707 14
• Ohio St 14 770 28
Scoring summary
17:36OHSTJonathan Wells 14 yard run (Josh Huston kick)Ohio St 7–0
13:30OHSTJamar Martin 10 yard pass from Steve Bellisari (Josh Huston kick)Ohio St 14–0
29:14OHSTJonathan Wells 1 yard run (Josh Huston kick)Ohio St 21–0
22:09AKRNJake Schifino 15 yard pass from Charlie Frye (Zac Derr kick)Ohio St 21–7
33:37OHSTChris Vance 61 yard pass from Steve Bellisari (Josh Huston kick)Ohio St 28–7
47:48AKRNRickie Coble 87 yard interception return (Zac Derr kick)Ohio St 28–14

[9]

UCLA

See also: 2001 UCLA Bruins football team

Indiana

See also: 2001 Indiana Hoosiers football team

Northwestern

See also: 2001 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Wisconsin

See also: 2001 Wisconsin Badgers football team

San Diego State

See also: 2001 San Diego State Aztecs football team

Penn State

See also: 2001 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Minnesota

See also: 2001 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Purdue

See also: 2001 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Illinois

See also: 2001 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Michigan

See also: 2001 Michigan Wolverines football team and Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry
Ohio State Buckeyes at #11 Michigan Wolverines
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ohio State 7 16 0326
Michigan 0 0 71320

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

  • Date: November 24, 2001
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: High 50s, Cloudy, wind 15 mph ESE
  • Game attendance: 111,571
  • Referee: S. Newman
Game information

South Carolina—Outback Bowl

See also: 2001 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

Personnel

Coaching staff

  • 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)

Roster

2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
FL 3 Bam Childress  Fr
QB 8 Steve Bellisari Sr
WR 9 Ricky Bryant So
SE 12 Michael Jenkins So
QB 15 Scott McMullen So
QB 16 Craig Krenzel So
QB 17 Rick McFadden So
RB 28 Jonathan Wells Sr
C 68 LeCharles Bentley Sr
G 76 Alex Stepanovich So
OT 77 Tyson Walter Sr
TE 88 Ben Hartsock  So
TE 89 Darnell Sanders Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
S 2 Mike Doss Jr
DB 4 Rob Harley Fr
LB 6 Cie Grant Jr
DB 7 Derek Ross Jr
S 25 Donnie Nickey  Jr
LB 35 Matt Wilhelm Jr
LB 36 Pat O'Neill  So
LB 46 Fred Pagac Jr.  So
LB 58 Courtland Bullard Sr
DE 93 Will Smith So
DE 97 Kenny Peterson Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
PK 23 Josh Huston Fr
PK 85 Mike Nugent Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2001-12-16

Depth chart

Source: Athletic Department official site, 2001 football archive 12-01 depth chart

2002 NFL draftees

Player Round Pick Position NFL club
LeCharles Bentley 2 44 Guard New Orleans Saints
Derek Ross 3 75 Defensive back Dallas Cowboys
Jonathan Wells 4 99 Running back Houston Texans
Darnell Sanders 4 122 Tight End Cleveland Browns
Jamar Martin 4 129 Fullback Dallas Cowboys
Courtland Bullard 5 167 Linebacker St. Louis Rams
Tyson Walter 6 179 Center Dallas Cowboys
Steve Bellisari 6 205 Quarterback St. Louis Rams

[10]

References

  1. ^ "2001 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "2001 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  3. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 15. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Park, Jack (2003). The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-695-7.
  7. ^ Rovnak, Paul (January 3, 2001). "Cooper Fired, Geiger Cites "Deteriorating Climate"". The Lantern. Ohio State.
  8. ^ "Ohio State Historical Scores". Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  9. ^ USA Today
  10. ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
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