# 2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The 2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. It marked their first season under new head coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–5 record, capped by a 26–20 victory over their rival the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor in the regular season finale. The Buckeyes went on to play in the 2002 Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, where they lost, 31–28, to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

## 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.
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.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | 12:00 p.m. | Akron* | No. 24 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 28–14 | 102,602 |
| September 22 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 14 UCLA* | No. 21 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | ABC | L 6–13 | 73,723 |
| September 29 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indiana | | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | ESPN+ | W 27–14 | 48,577 |
| October 6 | 7:45 p.m. | No. 14 Northwestern | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ESPN | W 38–20 | 104,042 |
| October 13 | 3:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 21 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ABC | L 17–20 | 103,520 |
| October 20 | 12:00 p.m. | San Diego State* | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ESPN+ | W 27–12 | 102,432 |
| October 27 | 12:00 p.m. | at Penn State | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | ESPN | L 27–29 | 108,327 |
| November 3 | 7:45 p.m. | at Minnesota | | Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN | ESPN | W 31–28 | 45,407 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ESPN2 | W 35–9 | 104,189 |
| November 17 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 12 Illinois | No. 25 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH (Illibuck) | ESPN | L 22–34 | 104,407 |
| November 24 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Michigan | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (The Game) | ABC | W 26–20 | 111,571 |
| January 1, 2002 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 14 South Carolina* | No. 22 | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL (Outback Bowl) | ESPN | L 28–31 | 66,249 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to game.All times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## 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)

## Depth chart

Defense :
* FS
* 25 Donnie Nickey
* 26 Will Allen
| WLB | Middle LB | SLB |
| 58 Courtland Bullard | 35 Matt Wilhelm | 10 Joe Cooper |
| 6 Cie Grant | 46 Fred Pagac Jr | 44 Robert Reynolds |
* SS
* 2 Mike Doss
* 41 Thomas Matthews
* CB
* 24 Maurice Lee
* 11 Richard McNutt
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| 56 Darrion Scott | 54 Tim Anderson | 98 Mike Collins | 93 Will Smith |
| 49 Tim Cheatwood | 95 David Thompson | 97 Kenny Peterson | 75 Simon Fraser |
* CB
* 7 Derek Ross
* 37 Dustin Fox
Offense :
* WR
* 12 Michael Jenkins
* 83 Chris Gamble
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 77 Tyson Walter | 63 Adrien Clarke | 68 LeCharles Bentley | 78 Bryce Bishop | 71 Shane Olivea |
| 53 Ivan Douglas | 70 Scott Kuhnhein | 66 Mike Jacobs | 76 Alex Stepanovic | 50 Michael Stafford |
* TE
* 89 Darnell Sanders
* 88 Ben Hartsock
* WR
* 4 Chris Vance
* 9 Ricky Bryant
* QB
* 8 Steve Bellisari
* 16 Craig Krenzel
* Key reserves
* FB
* 39 Jamar Martin
* 5 Sam Maldonado
* Special teams
* PK 85 Mike Nugent
* PK 23 Josh Huston
* P 18 Andy Groom
* P 21 B. J. Sander
* KR 20 Maurice Hall
* PR 4 Chris Vance
* RB
* 28 Jonathan Wells
* 30 Lydell Ross
Source: Athletic Department official site, 2001 football archive 12-01 depth chart

## Game summaries
### Akron

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Akron | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Ohio St | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |

### Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio State | 7 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 26 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
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
* Box Score
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
OSU - Craig Krenzel - 11/18, 118 yards, 1 INT
MICH - John Navarre - 21/47, 206 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
Top Rushers
OSU - Jonathan Wells - 25 rushes, 129 yards, 3 TDs
MICH - Chris Perry - 6 rushes, 53 yards
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
OSU - 4 - Mike Doss (2), Dustin Fox (1), Tim Anderson (1)
MICH - 1 - Todd Howard :

### 2002 Outback Bowl
## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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 Poll | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 23 | 23 | — |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## 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 |
Source: