2001 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

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2001 Southeastern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 4 Tennessee x		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 3 Florida  %		6	–	2					10	–	2
No. 13 South Carolina		5	–	3					9	–	3
No. 22 Georgia		5	–	3					8	–	4
Kentucky		1	–	7					2	–	9
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	9
Western Division
No. 7 LSU xy$		5	–	3					10	–	3
Auburn x		5	–	3					7	–	5
Ole Miss		4	–	4					7	–	4
Alabama		4	–	4					7	–	5
Arkansas		4	–	4					7	–	5
Mississippi State		2	–	6					3	–	8
Championship: LSU 31, Tennessee 20
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2001 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama during 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. They began their season trying to improve upon a 3–8 (3–5) record during the 2000 season. This was the team's 69th season in the SEC. This marked Dennis Franchiones first season as head coach of the Crimson Tide following the dismissal of Mike DuBose. The team finished with a victory in the 2001 Independence Bowl and an overall record of 7–5.

Recruiting class

See also: American football positions, Glossary of American football, and Recruiting (college athletics)

College recruiting information (2001)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Mark Anderson TE	Tulsa, OK	Booker T. Washington High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jan 23, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Bryan Bass WR	Fayette, AL	Westminster Academy	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Todd Bates LB	Heflin, AL	Cleburne County High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jan 25, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Quentin Bowens FB	Killen, AL	Brooks High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	265 lb (120 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Brandon Brooks WR	Irondale, AL	Shades Valley High School	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)	152 lb (69 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Donald Clark TE	Boca Raton, FL	Fort Scott Community College	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Jan 16, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
J.B. Closner OL	San Antonio, TX	Tom C. Clark High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	290 lb (130 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Brodie Croyle QB	Rainbow City, AL	Westbrook Christian School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Marquez Dupree RB	Philadelphia, MS	Philadelphia High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	215 lb (98 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Von Ewing OT	Troy, AL	Charles Henderson High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	297 lb (135 kg)	Jan 27, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Roman Harper DB	Prattville, AL	Prattville High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Atlas Herrion OL	Daphne, AL	Dodge City Community College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	299 lb (136 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Clint Johnston TE	Wetumpka, AL	Wetumpka High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Juke King DE	Theodore, AL	Theodore High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Anthony Madison DB	Thomasville, AL	Thomasville High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Mike McLaughlin PK	Gautier, MS	Gautier High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Spencer Pennington QB	Fayette, AL	Fayette County High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Charlie Peprah DB	Plano, TX	Plano East Senior High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	Jan 28, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Freddie Roach LB	Killen, AL	Brooks High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Mark Sanders OL	Ashville, AL	Ashville High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	Feb 7, 2001
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Mac Tyler DL	Bessemer, AL	Milford Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	335 lb (152 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Alabama Signee List 2001". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 21, 2011. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Alabama". Scout.com. Retrieved August 21, 2011. "2001 Player Signees- Alabama". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 21, 2011. "2001 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 21, 2011.

Schedule

September 16:45 pmNo. 17 UCLA*No. 25

• Bryant–Denny Stadium
• Tuscaloosa, AL

ESPNL 17–20 83,818 September 811:30 amat Vanderbilt

• Vanderbilt Stadium
• Nashville, TN

JPSW 12–9 37,318 September 222:30 pmArkansas

• Bryant–Denny Stadium
• Tuscaloosa, AL

CBSW 31–10 83,818 September 2911:30 amat No. 15 South Carolina

• Williams-Brice Stadium
• Columbia, SC

JPSL 36–37 84,100 October 62:00 pmUTEP*

• Legion Field
• Birmingham, AL

PPVW 56–7 77,146 October 1311:30 amat Ole Miss

• Vaught–Hemingway Stadium
• Oxford, MS (Rivalry)

JPSL 24–27 47,110 October 202:30 pmNo. 11 Tennessee

• Bryant–Denny Stadium
• Tuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October)

CBSL 24–35 83,818 November 32:30 pmLSU

• Bryant–Denny Stadium
• Tuscaloosa, AL (Rivalry)

CBSL 21–35 83,818 November 1011:30 amMississippi State

• Bryant–Denny Stadium
• Tuscaloosa, AL (Rivalry)

JPSW 24–17 83,818 November 172:30 pmat No. 17 Auburn

• Jordan–Hare Stadium
• Auburn, AL (Iron Bowl)

CBSW 31–7 86,063 November 296:05 pmSouthern Miss*

• Legion Field
• Birmingham, AL

ESPN2W 28–15 79,947 December 276:30 pmvs. Iowa State*

• Independence Stadium
• Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)

ESPNW 14–13 45,627

• Source: Rolltide.com All-time Football Results: 2001 Season

Game notes

UCLA

See also: 2001 UCLA Bruins football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	0	7	13	0	20
Crimson Tide	7	3	0	7	17

Dennis Franchione's first game as head coach of the Crimson Tide, pitted the Bruins of the Pacific-10 Conference. ESPN's College Gameday was in Tuscaloosa for the first time ever (they had previously visited Alabama home games at Legion Field in Birmingham). Although Alabama outgained UCLA in total offense 458–291, the Bruins were victorious by a final score of 20–17 before a sold-out home crowd. The Tide took an early 10–0 lead on a 78-yard Antonio Carter touchdown reception from Tyler Watts and 30-yard Neal Thomas field goal. UCLA responded with 20 consecutive points to take a lead that would not be relinquished. The final Alabama score came late in the fourth on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Zow to Freddie Milons.

Vanderbilt

See also: 2001 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson Tide	0	6	3	3	12
Commodores	3	3	0	3	9

Dennis Franchione notched his first win as head coach of the Crimson Tide, in a game of field goals, and defeated Vanderbilt 12–9.

Arkansas

See also: 2001 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Arkansas	3	7	0	0	10
Crimson Tide	7	7	10	7	31

As a result of the September 11 Attacks, the September 15, 2001, contest with Southern Miss was postponed, resulting in the Razorbacks being the Tide's third opponent on the season. Although outgained in total offense, a pair of defensive touchdowns put the Tide over the top before an emotional home crowd 31–10. Bama would score its first points on an 11-yard Ahmaad Galloway touchdown run to take a 7–3 lead in the first quarter. In the second, the teams would alternate touchdowns with Reggie Myles scoring on a 42-yard fumble recovery for the Tide and Brandon Holmes scoring on a 1-yard run to have Bama leading 14–10 at the half. The Tide would open their second half scoring with a 36-yard Neal Thomas field goal followed by a 39-yard Freddie Milons touchdown reception from Tyler Watts. The final points of the evening would come with only 00:20 remaining in the game when Thurman Ward returning an interception 60-yards for a touchdown.

South Carolina

See also: 2001 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson Tide	6	17	6	7	36
South Carolina	0	10	14	13	37

Although the Tide gained 516 yards of total offense, the Gamecocks prevailed by a final score of 37–36. The South Carolina victory marked their first victory over Alabama in school history.

UTEP

See also: UTEP Miners football

	1	2	3	4	Total
UTEP	0	0	0	7	7
Crimson Tide	21	21	7	7	56

The Tide gained 588 yards of total offense, and defeated the Miners by a final score of 56–7 in the first Legion Field game of the 2001 season. Bama scored 21 points in first on a pair of Donnie Lowe touchdown runs (2 and 1 yard respectively) and a 10-yard Triandos Luke touchdown reception from Tyler Watts. Another 21 points were scored in the second on a pair of Watts touchdown runs (16 and 9 yard respectively) and a 2-yard Luke touchdown reception to give Bama a 42–0 halftime lead. The scoring continued in the second half on a 12-yard Marvin Brown touchdown run and 2-yard Ray Hudson touchdown run.

Ole Miss

See also: 2001 Ole Miss Rebels football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson Tide	7	10	7	0	24
Ole Miss	0	14	0	13	27

Thirteen unanswered points in the fourth resulted in the Rebels defeating the Tide before the home crowd by a final score of 27–24. Bama scored first on a 6-yard Ahmaad Galloway touchdown run, only to have Ole Miss take the lead after touchdown runs on a 1-yard Toward Sanford run and 25-yard Joe Gunn run. The Tide responded with a 58-yard Sam Collins touchdown reception from Tyler Watts and 31 yard Neal Thomas field goal to take a 17–14 halftime lead.

Alabama extended their lead to 24–14 in the third on a 7-yard Triandos Luke touchdown reception. Ole Miss would respond with a 19-yard Charles Stackhouse touchdown run and Eli Manning hitting Gunn for a 3-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory with 00:46 remaining in the game. For the game, Ole Miss outgained the Tide 430–363 in total offense.

Tennessee

See also: 2001 Tennessee Volunteers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Volunteers	7	7	7	14	35
Crimson Tide	3	7	14	0	24

Although Alabama took a 24–21 lead into the fourth quarter, 14 unanswered points in the fourth resulted in Bama losing its seventh consecutive contest to the Vols in the annual Third Saturday in October game. After falling behind 14–3 on a 21-yard pass from Casey Clausen to Donte Stallworth and a 60-yard Travis Stephens run, the Tide responded with a pair of Sam Collins touchdown receptions to take a 17–14 lead.

The Vols responded and took a 21–17 lead following a 21-yard Jason Witten touchdown reception, only to again fall behind 24–21 after a four-yard Ahmaad Galloway touchdown run. Tennessee again came from behind and dominated the fourth quarter and seal the victory with a one-yard Clausen and one-yard Stephens touchdown runs in the fourth.

LSU

See also: 2001 LSU Tigers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	14	0	14	7	35
Crimson Tide	0	10	11	0	21

On Homecoming in Tuscaloosa, LSU dominated in gaining 611 yards of total offense (with a record 528 yards through the air) and defeated the Tide 35–21. LSU took a 14–0 lead in the first quarter on a 3-yard LaBrandon Toefield run and a 34-yard touchdown pass from Rohan Davey to Jerel Myers. Bama responded in the second with a 22-yard Neal Thomas field goal and 5-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Watts to Terry Jones, Jr. to make the score to 14–10 at the half.

Early in the third, Toefield again scored on a two-yard run to give the Tigers a 21–10 lead. Bama tied the game at 21 after another Thomas field goal and 22-yard Watts touchdown run. LSU responded and scored on a 25-yard Josh Reed touchdown reception late in the third and on a 6-yard Toefield touchdown run in the fourth. Reed's 293 yards receiving set a SEC record for receiving yardage in a game.

Mississippi State

See also: 2001 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	7	10	0	17
Crimson Tide	7	3	0	14	24

Bama put an end to a three-game losing streak and defeated the Bulldogs of Mississippi State 24–17 before the home crowd. The Tide took a 10–0 lead late into the second quarter on a 6-yard Santonio Beard touchdown run and 20-yard Neal Thomas field goal. The Bulldogs answered, and scored the next 17 points on a pair of Kevin Fant touchdown passes and a 43-yard John M. Marlin field goal to take a 17–10 lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Andrew Zow hit Donnie Lowe for a 10-yard touchdown strike to tie the game at 17, with Beard scoring his second touchdown on a game-winning, 14-yard run.

Auburn

See also: 2001 Auburn Tigers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson Tide	0	14	7	10	31
Tigers	0	7	0	0	7

On The Plains, Alabama outgained the Tigers in total offense 549–272 and secured the Tide's victory at Auburn 31–10 in the 2001 Iron Bowl. After a scoreless first, Bama scored first on an eight-yard Santonio Beard touchdown run. Auburn answered with their lone score on a 5-yard Ronnie Brown run. The Tide scored next with Andrew Zow connecting with Jason McAddley for a 45-yard touchdown strike to give the visitors a 14–7 lead at the half.

The second half again saw the Tide strike early on a 47-yard Beard run, with the final scores coming in the fourth on a 10-yard Terry Jones, Jr. touchdown reception and a 26-yard Neal Thomas field goal. Although slightly outgained in passing yardage 221–231, Bama outrushed the Tigers 328–41 to give Alabama the 31–7 victory.

Southern Miss

See also: Southern Miss Golden Eagles football

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	6	9	0	15
Crimson Tide	0	7	15	6	28

The contest against the Golden Eagles was originally to have been played on September 15, 2001; however, as a result of the September 11 attacks, the game was postponed and subsequently played on November 29, a Thursday night, at Legion Field. Although mired in rainy and windy conditions, both Ahmaad Galloway (on runs of 40 and 11 yards respectively) and Andrew Zow (on a 14-yard pass to Sam Collins, and a 26-yard pass to Freddie Milons) each notched a pair of touchdowns in the victory.

Iowa State

Main article: 2001 Independence Bowl

See also: Iowa State Cyclones football

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cyclones	3	7	3	0	13
Crimson Tide	0	7	0	7	14

In the 26th annual Independence Bowl, the Tide struggled against the Cyclones offensively and were outgained 456 yards of offense to 269, but a missed 47-yard field goal attempt with 46 seconds left in the game sealed the victory for Alabama.

Statistics

Team

Team Opp Scoring 304 219   Points per Game 27.6 19.9 First Downs 211 206   Rushing 119 73   Passing 80 114   Penalty 12 19 Total Offense 4503 3972   Avg per Play 6.2 5.4   Avg per Game 409.4 361.1 Fumbles-Lost 24–10 27–13 Penalties-Yards 93–737 67–565   Avg per Game 67.0 51.4

Team Opp Punts-Yards 52–2,016 54–2,151   Avg per Punt 38.8 39.8 Time of Possession/Game 30:16 29:44 3rd Down Conversions 66/156 60/154 4th Down Conversions 1–6 7–17 Touchdowns Scored 37 28 Field Goals-Attempts 15–21 8–16 PAT-Attempts 33–35 25–28 Attendance 576,183 254,591   Games/Avg per Game 82,312 63,648

Scores by quarter

1 2 3 4 Total Alabama 58 105 80 61 304 Opponents 27 68 67 57 219

Offense

Rushing

Name	GP	Att	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Ahmaad Galloway	11	174	881	5.1	6	40	80.1
Santonio Beard	8	77	633	8.2	4	69	79.1
Tyler Watts	9	111	564	5.1	5	32	62.7
Ray Hudson	11	37	205	5.5	1	35	18.6
Donnie Lowe	9	19	78	4.1	2	19	8.7
Andrew Zow	6	29	69	2.4	0	18	11.5
Marvin Brown	10	9	54	6.0	1	13	5.4
Freddie Milons	11	4	10	2.5	0	13	0.9
Jonathan Richey	11	3	6	2.0	0	6	0.5
Nick Signaigo	1	1	4	4.0	0	4	4.0
Brandon Miree	2	3	3	0.7	0	3	1.0
Neal Thomas	11	1	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM	4	3	−5	−1.7	0	0	−1.2
Dre Fulgham	8	1	−11	−11	0	0	−1.4
Total	11	472	2,490	5.3	19	69	226.4
Opponents	11	382	1,198	3.1	15	74	108.9

Passing

Name	GP	Effic	Att-Cmp-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	Avg/G
Tyler Watts	9	135.06	172–94–3	54.7	1,325	10	78	147.2
Andrew Zow	6	143.06	83–48–2	57.8	654	6	71	109.0
Antonio Carter	11	192.80	2–1–0	50.0	34	0	34	3.1
Jonathan Richey	11	0.00	2–0–0	50.0	0	0	0	0
TEAM	4	0.00	1–0–0	50.0	0	0	0	0
Total	11	136.50	260–143–5	55.0	2,013	16	78	183.0
Opponents	11	131.64	360–210–6	58.3	2,774	13	58	252.2

Receiving

Name	GP	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Freddie Milons	11	36	626	17.4	3	71	56.9
Antonio Carter	11	32	428	13.4	1	78	38.9
Jason McAddley	11	18	259	14.4	2	45	23.5
Sam Collins	11	18	252	14.0	4	58	22.9
Triandos Luke	11	15	152	10.1	3	29	13.8
Terry Jones, Jr.	11	12	156	13.0	2	39	14.2
Donnie Lowe	9	3	26	8.7	1	12	12.9
Ahmaad Galloway	11	3	20	6.7	0	7	1.8
Dre Fulgham	8	2	42	21.0	0	34	5.2
Ray Hudson	11	1	26	26.0	0	26	2.4
Theo Sanders	11	1	26	26.0	0	26	2.4
Santonio Beard	8	1	8	8.0	0	8	1.0
Marico Portis	11	1	−8	−8.0	0	0	−0.7
Total	11	143	2,013	14.1	16	78	183.0
Opponents	11	210	2,774	13.2	13	58	252.2

External links

• 2001 Schedule & Results from RollTide.com