2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Alamo Bowl Champions
Alamo Bowl, W 19–16 vs. Texas Tech
Conference	Big Ten Conference
2001 record	7–5 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz
Offensive coordinator	Ken O'Keefe
Defensive coordinator	Norm Parker
MVP	Ladell Betts
MVP	Bob Sanders
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium (Capacity: 70,397)

2001 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#12 Illinois †		7	–	1					10	–	2
#20 Michigan		6	–	2					8	–	4
Ohio State		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 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes football program during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Coached by Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Leading up to the season

Previous season

Iowa opened the 2000 season with five straight losses, adding to a losing streak that totaled 13 games when the Hawkeyes lost to Indiana on September 30, 2000. However, the streak came to an end a week later, when the Hawks defeated Michigan State, 21–16, giving Ferentz his first ever Big Ten win as head coach at Iowa.^[1] Following a three-game losing streak, the Hawkeyes traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, for a game against Penn State. The Hawks won the game, 26–23, and followed it up the next week with another win, this time over Northwestern. The 27–17 victory gave Iowa a two-game winning streak, something that had not occurred for the Hawkeyes since the 1997 season.^[2] Iowa finished the season with a 27–24 loss on November 18, 2000, against Minnesota.

Season outlook

2001 was marked as a potential turning point for the Hawkeyes, a year in which a bowl berth was entirely possible. The Hawks returned two potential starters at quarterback in Kyle McCann and Jon Beutjer,^[3] and even received playing time from junior college transfer Brad Banks during the season.^[4] Ladell Betts and Kahlil Hill came back for their senior seasons at the running back and wide receiver positions respectively.^[3] Hill would go on win the Mosi Tatupu Award following the completion of the season.^[5]

On defense, the Hawkeyes looked to improve on their rushing defense numbers from the previous season. In 2000, Iowa gave up 194.3 yards rushing, ninth in the Big Ten. Aaron Kampman returned for his senior season on the defensive line, while fellow senior Mike Dolezal looked to replace LeVar Woods and Derrick Davison at linebacker. Iowa's passing defense in 2000 allowed 247 yards passing a game, tenth in the Big Ten. It was thought that added experience in that area would help improve that aspect of Iowa's defense.^[3]

The special teams returned Hill and sophomore Nate Kaeding, who hit 14-of-22 field goals and 20-of-20 extra points during his freshman season. In 2000, Hill finished second in the Big Ten with a 27.2-yard kickoff return average. Hill was also named to the first-team all-Big Ten team by the Sporting News for his 2000 performances.^[3]

Season

Schedule

Iowa's schedule did not include Big Ten teams Ohio State and Illinois in 2001.^[6][7]

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	11:00 AM	Kent State*		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN+	W 51–0	56,091
September 8	11:00 AM	Miami University*		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN+	W 44–19	58,291
September 29	11:00 AM	Penn State		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN	W 24–18	69,422
October 6	11:00 AM	at #18 Purdue		Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	ESPN	L 14–23	58,888
October 13	11:00 AM	at Michigan State		Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	ESPN2	L 28–31	73,680
October 20	11:00 AM	Indiana		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN+	W 42–28	68,295
October 27	2:30 PM	#8 Michigan		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ABC	L 26–32	70,397
November 3	11:00 AM	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN+	L 28–34	79,421
November 10	11:00 AM	at Northwestern		Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	ESPN+	W 59–16	36,458
November 17	12:00 PM	Minnesota		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Battle for the Floyd of Rosedale)		W 42–24	65,491
November 24	11:30 AM	at Iowa State*		Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA (Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy)	FSN	L 14–17	51,042
December 29	2:30 PM	vs. Texas Tech*		Alamodome • San Antonio, TX (Alamo Bowl)	ESPN	W 19–16	65,232
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

Roster

The following is the roster from Iowa's 2001 season.^[8]

Quarterback 4 Kyle McCann – Senior 5 David Raih – Sophomore 7 Brad Banks – Junior 14 Dan Katt – Freshman 16 Matt Bohnet – Freshman  Running back 2 Fred Russell – Sophomore 15 Robbie Crockett – Senior 23 Marcus Schnoor – Freshman 25 Kevin Sherlock – Freshman 29 Jermelle Lewis – Freshman 32 Siaka Massaquoi – Junior 34 Aaron Greving – Sophomore 36 Scott Rathke – Senior 40 Edgar Cervantes – Sophomore 43 Aaron Mickens – Freshman 45 Jonathan Babineaux – Sophomore 46 Ladell Betts – Senior 47 Jeremy Allen – Senior  Wide receiver 1 Tim Dodge – Senior 3 Kahlil Hill – Senior 6 Chris Oliver – Senior 8 C.J. Jones – Junior 11 Joseph Walker – Freshman 13 Ramon Ochoa – Sophomore 17 Ryan Donahue – Freshman 20 Mike Swim – Freshman 22 Dan Williams – Junior 27 Jordan Lickteig – Freshman 83 Kahari Stewart – Freshman 84 Matt Melloy – Freshman 85 Darius Butler – Freshman 86 Warren Holloway – Freshman  Tight End 22 Christopher Burhans – Freshman 35 Erik Jensen – Sophomore 44 Dallas Clark – Junior 56 Eric Steinbach – Junior 80 John Morscheise – Junior 81 Tony Jackson – Freshman 82 Ben Gates – Freshman 87 C.J. Barkema – Freshman 89 Andy Thorn – Freshman		Offensive line 53 Will Lack – Junior 55 Adam Densmore – Sophomore 57 Brian Meidlinger – Sophomore 58 Blake Larsen – Freshman 59 Ben Cronin – Freshman 61 Brian Ferentz – Freshman 64 Pete Traynor – Junior 65 Ben Sobieski – Senior 66 Kody Asmus – Freshman 66 Erik Chinander – Junior 68 Jacob Bowers – Freshman 69 Peter McMahon – Freshman 70 Andy Lightfoot – Junior 71 Eric Rothwell – Sophomore 72 Bruce Nelson – Junior 73 David Porter – Senior 74 Alonzo Cunningham – Senior 75 Kory Borchers – Sophomore 76 Jason Hoveland – Junior 77 Sam Aiello – Sophomore 78 Robert Gallery – Sophomore Defensive line 28 Cody O'Hare – Senior 48 Howard Hodges – Sophomore 54 Aaron Kampman – Senior 58 Scott Webb – Junior 59 John Mickelson – Freshman 60 Tyler Luebke – Sophomore 67 Joseph Uselman – Senior 69 Marshall Freeman – Freshman 74 Carl Freeman – Freshman 78 Orinpheo Payne – Sophomore 79 Kelvin Bell – Freshman 90 Jared Clauss – Sophomore 91 Jerry Montgomery – Senior 92 Derrick Pickens – Senior 93 Jory Helms – Sophomore 94 Colin Cole – Junior 96 John Traynor – Sophomore 97 Fabian Dodd – Freshman 98 Derreck Robinson – Freshman 99 Lee Gray – Freshman		Linebacker 30 Roger Meyer – Senior 31 Matt Roth – Freshman 38 Matt Neubauer – Freshman 39 Mike Dolezal – Senior 42 Grant Steen – Sophomore 50 George Lewis – Sophomore 51 Fred Barr – Junior 52 Jacob Gancarczyk – Freshman  52 Abdul Hodge – Freshman 53 Kevin Worthy – Sophomore 57 Tom Revak – Freshman Defensive back 4 Scott Boleyn – Junior 5 D.J. Johnson – Junior 10 Shane Hall – Senior 11 Ed Hinkle – Freshman 12 Marqueas McLaurin – Junior 14 Adolphus Shelton – Freshman 17 Aramis Haralson – Freshman 18 Chad Greenway – Freshman 19 Benny Sapp – Sophomore 20 Chris Smith – Sophomore 21 Matt Stockdale – Senior 25 Derek Pagel – Junior 26 Antwan Allen – Freshman 27 Jamire Roberts – Junior 33 Bob Sanders – Sophomore 36 Chigozie Ejiasi – Freshman 37 Sean Considine – Freshman 49 Mike Follett – Freshman Place Kicker 8 Nate Campbell – Junior 95 Nate Kaeding – Sophomore Punter 16 Clint Hinderaker – Junior 28 David Bradley – Freshman 91 John Gallery – Freshman
Sources: SI.com 2001 football roster

Game notes

Kent State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Flashes	0	0	0	0	0
Hawkeyes	10	13	14	14	51

Opening the season on September 1, 2001, the Hawkeyes defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes, 51–0, in front of 56,091 fans at Kinnick Stadium.^[9][10] The win was Iowa's first in a season opener under Ferentz,^[11] and it improved the Hawkeyes' record in season openers to 80–31–2.^[9]

On offense, Betts ran for 99 yards, while fellow running back Aaron Greving scored three touchdowns. In total, Iowa ran for 331 yards, which compared favorably to the 113 yards for Kent State.^[9] Jeremy Allen and Fred Russell also contributed, with 73 and 46 rushing yards respectively.^[10] Allen also scored the first touchdown of his career during the game, on a 14-yard run during the first quarter.^[11] Defensively, the Hawkeyes held Kent State to 13 first downs and 203 total offensive yards. Iowa held the Golden Flashes to 90 yards passing; Kent State quarterback Jeff Valentino completed 3 of his 13 passes for 35 yards before being taken out of the game. McCann and Banks threw for 165 and 71 yards respectively, while Dallas Clark led the Hawks in receiving, with five catches for 84 yards.^[9][10] The loss was Kent State's sixth straight, dating back to the previous season.^[9]

For Iowa, the win capped a week in which Beutjer, a possible starter at quarterback, left the team. Beutjer cited feeling "betrayed" by Iowa coaches, and Iowa player Bruce Nelson said that it would not "disrupt what we’ve got going." Following the game, Ferentz noted that practice on the Thursday before the game was the best in his tenure at Iowa, while Kent State head coach Dean Pees expressed disappointment in his team's performance.^[11] The next week, Kent State ended their six-game losing streak with a 38–17 victory over Bucknell.

Miami University

	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	0	0	13	6	19
Hawkeyes	17	7	20	0	44

Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Nittany Lions	0	5	6	7	18
Hawkeyes	7	14	0	3	24

Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	7	0	7	0	14
Boilermakers	7	6	0	10	23

Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	21	0	7	28
Spartans	14	14	0	3	31

Indiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hoosiers	7	14	0	7	28
Hawkeyes	21	7	7	7	42

Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolverines	0	7	14	11	32
Hawkeyes	0	10	10	6	26

Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	14	14	0	28
Badgers	10	17	7	0	34

Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	21	10	28	0	59
Wildcats	7	0	2	7	16

Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	0	3	7	14	24
Hawkeyes	21	7	14	0	42

Iowa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	0	14	0	14
Cyclones	7	7	0	3	17

The annual battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy was scheduled originally for September 15, but due to the September 11 attacks, it was postponed or canceled like all sporting events planned for that weekend. The game was rescheduled for November 24, which turned out to be a natural fit since many other major rivalries were played that weekend.

The Cyclones scored a touchdown in each of the first two quarters to head into halftime with a 14–0 lead. Iowa responded finally in the third quarter with two touchdowns of their own.

The final scoring play of the game came early in the fourth quarter, with Tony Yelk kicking a 32-yard field goal to put the Cyclones up 17–14. An interception by Adam Runk with 1:37 remaining sealed the game for the Cyclones.

Texas Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	3	7	3	6	19
Red Raiders	0	3	7	3	13

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Ladell Betts	Running Back	2	56	Washington Redskins
Aaron Kampman	Defensive End	5	156	Green Bay Packers
Kahlil Hill	Wide Receiver	6	184	Atlanta Falcons

^[12]

References

General

References

Iowa Hawkeyes football Venues Iowa Field (1890–1928) Kinnick Stadium (1929–present) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Iowa State (Cy-Hawk Trophy) Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale) Nebraska: The Heroes Game (Heroes Trophy) Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy) Culture & lore All-time series results History Herky the Hawk "Iowa Fight Song" Hawkeye Marching Band People Head coaches Honorees NFL draftees Seasons 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 National championship seasons in bold