# 2001 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

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 Franchione's 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

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

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:45 p.m. | No. 17 UCLA* | No. 25 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (College GameDay) | ESPN | L 17–20 | 83,818 |
| September 8 | 11:30 a.m. | at Vanderbilt | | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | JPS | W 12–9 | 37,318 |
| September 22 | 2:30 p.m. | Arkansas | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL | CBS | W 31–10 | 83,818 |
| September 29 | 11:30 a.m. | at No. 15 South Carolina | | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | JPS | L 36–37 | 84,100 |
| October 6 | 2:00 p.m. | UTEP* | | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | PPV | W 56–7 | 77,146 |
| October 13 | 11:30 a.m. | at Ole Miss | | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS (rivalry) | JPS | L 24–27 | 47,110 |
| October 20 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 11 Tennessee | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October) | CBS | L 24–35 | 83,818 |
| November 3 | 2:30 p.m. | LSU | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | CBS | L 21–35 | 83,818 |
| November 10 | 11:30 a.m. | Mississippi State | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | JPS | W 24–17 | 83,818 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Auburn | | Jordan-Hare StadiumAuburn, AL (Iron Bowl) | CBS | W 31–7 | 86,063 |
| November 29 | 6:05 p.m. | Southern Miss* | | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | ESPN2 | W 28–15 | 79,947 |
| December 27 | 6:30 p.m. | vs. Iowa State* | | Independence StadiumShreveport, LA (Independence Bowl) | ESPN | W 14–13 | 45,627 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## 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 | 25 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches Poll | 25 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Roster
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive seasons at Alabama |
| Dennis Franchione | Head coach | 1st |
| Les Koenning | Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach | 1st |
| Kenith Pope | Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach | 1st |
| Jim Bob Helduser | Offensive line coach | 1st |
| Mark Tommerdahl | Special teams coordinator/tight end coach | 1st |
| Lee Fobbs | Running backs coach | 1st |
| Carl Torbush | Defensive coordinator/ Linebackers coach | 1st |
| Chris Thurmond | Cornerbacks coach | 1st |
| Ron Case | Safeties coach | 1st |
| Stan Eggen | Defensive line coach | 1st |
| Reference: |||

## Game summaries
### UCLA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Crimson Tide | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Dennis Franchione's first game as Alabama's head coach pitted the Crimson Tide against 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. The 2001 meeting marked the third all-time meeting between the two schools.
| Statistics | UCLA | Alabama |
| First downs | 13 | 17 |
| Total yards | 291 | 458 |
| Rushing yards | 168 | 159 |
| Passing yards | 123 | 299 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:29 | 33:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UCLA | Passing | Cory Paus | 8–22, 123 yards, 1 TD |
| UCLA | Rushing | DeShaun Foster | 22 carries, 110 yards |
| UCLA | Receiving | Tab Perry | 5 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 12–22, 204 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 21 carries, 76 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 4 receptions, 124 yards, 1TD |

### Vanderbilt

| | 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.
| Statistics | Alabama | Vanderbilt |
| First downs | 17 | 20 |
| Total yards | 357 | 396 |
| Rushing yards | 229 | 143 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 253 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:19 | 29:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 10–17, 128 yards |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 24 carries, 144 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Antonio Carter | 3 receptions, 30 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Passing | Greg Zolman | 17–34, 253 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Rushing | Lew Thomas | 10 carries, 89 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Receiving | Dan Stricker | 3 receptions, 75 yards |

### Arkansas

| | 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.
| Statistics | Arkansas | Alabama |
| First downs | 21 | 11 |
| Total yards | 315 | 249 |
| Rushing yards | 106 | 116 |
| Passing yards | 209 | 133 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:28 | 24:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas | Passing | Ryan Sorahan | 14–19, 133 yards |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Brandon Holmes | 17 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| Arkansas | Receiving | George Wilson | 7 receptions, 73 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 9–16, 133 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 20 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 2 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD |

### South Carolina

| | 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.
| Statistics | Alabama | South Carolina |
| First downs | 30 | 17 |
| Total yards | 516 | 359 |
| Rushing yards | 285 | 68 |
| Passing yards | 231 | 291 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 38:55 | 21:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 20–25, 231 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Tyler Watts | 22 carries, 162 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 8 receptions, 72 yards |
| South Carolina | Passing | Phil Petty | 19–33, 291 yards, 3 TD's |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Derek Watson | 9 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Matthew Thomas | 4 receptions, 83 yards |

### UTEP

| | 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. This was the most points Alabama had scored in a game since 1993 vs. Louisiana Tech (56-3).
| Statistics | UTEP | Alabama |
| First downs | 7 | 27 |
| Total yards | 232 | 588 |
| Rushing yards | 133 | 360 |
| Passing yards | 99 | 228 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:31 | 35:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Wesley Phillips | 5–14, 60 yards, 1 INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Jon Schaper | 5 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD |
| UTEP | Receiving | Terrance Minor | 2 receptions, 33 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 12–18, 147 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Rushing | Tyler Watts | 9 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 4 receptions, 74 yards |

### Ole Miss

| | 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.
| Statistics | Alabama | Ole Miss |
| First downs | 15 | 22 |
| Total yards | 363 | 430 |
| Rushing yards | 227 | 105 |
| Passing yards | 136 | 325 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:33 | 33:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 7–24, 136 yards 2 TD's, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Tyler Watts | 13 carries, 110 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Sam Collins | 1 reception, 58 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Eli Manning | 22–41, 325 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Joe Gunn | 14 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Chris Collins | 8 receptions, 110 yards |

### Tennessee

| | 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 Donté 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.
| Statistics | Tennessee | Alabama |
| First downs | 23 | 13 |
| Total yards | 480 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 187 | 163 |
| Passing yards | 293 | 165 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 36:19 | 23:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee | Passing | Casey Clausen | 21–28, 293 yards, 2 TD's |
| Tennessee | Rushing | Travis Stephens | 33 carries, 162 yards, 2 TD's |
| Tennessee | Receiving | Kelley Washington | 4 receptions, 93 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 10–23, 165 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 10 carries, 141 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 2 receptions, 46 yards |

### LSU

| | 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.
| Statistics | LSU | Alabama |
| First downs | 30 | 18 |
| Total yards | 611 | 383 |
| Rushing yards | 83 | 174 |
| Passing yards | 528 | 209 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:02 | 28:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| LSU | Passing | Rohan Davey | 35–44, 528 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT |
| LSU | Rushing | LaBrandon Toefield | 23 carries, 73 yards, 3 TD's |
| LSU | Receiving | Josh Reed | 19 receptions, 293 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 13–22, 165 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Tyler Watts | 21 carries, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 5 receptions, 91 yards |

### Mississippi State

| | 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.
| Statistics | Mississippi State | Alabama |
| First downs | 16 | 22 |
| Total yards | 300 | 401 |
| Rushing yards | 117 | 228 |
| Passing yards | 183 | 173 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:38 | 30:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Kevin Fant | 17–29, 175 yards, 2 TD's |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Dontae Walker | 15 carries, 101 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Dicenzo Miller | 2 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Passing | Andrew Zow | 12–22, 157 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 15 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Receiving | Antonio Carter | 4 receptions, 58 yards |

### Auburn

| | 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 upset victory at Auburn 31–7 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.
| Statistics | Alabama | Auburn |
| First downs | 25 | 15 |
| Total yards | 549 | 272 |
| Rushing yards | 328 | 41 |
| Passing yards | 221 | 231 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:01 | 25:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Andrew Zow | 22–29, 221 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 20 carries, 199 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 6 receptions, 79 yards |
| Auburn | Passing | Daniel Cobb | 9–17, 139 yards |
| Auburn | Rushing | Ronnie Brown | 15 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD |
| Auburn | Receiving | Robert Johnson | 2 receptions, 47 yards |

### Southern Miss

| | 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.
| Statistics | Southern Miss | Alabama |
| First downs | 22 | 16 |
| Total yards | 286 | 311 |
| Rushing yards | 47 | 221 |
| Passing yards | 239 | 90 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 33:26 | 26:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Jeff Kelly | 23–36, 239 yards 2 TD's, 1 INT |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | James Walley | 22 carries, 65 yards |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Leroy Handy | 7 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Passing | Andrew Zow | 7–19, 90 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 24 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD's |
| Alabama | Receiving | Freddie Milons | 2 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD |

### Iowa State

| | 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 | Iowa State | Alabama |
| First downs | 23 | 15 |
| Total yards | 456 | 269 |
| Rushing yards | 172 | 150 |
| Passing yards | 284 | 119 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:38 | 29:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa State | Passing | Seneca Wallace | 25–42, 284 yards |
| Iowa State | Rushing | Ennis Haywood | 20 carries, 125 yards |
| Iowa State | Receiving | Craig Campbell | 7 receptions, 109 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Andrew Zow | 11–19, 119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 16 carries, 90 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Terry Jones Jr. | 2 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD |

## 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 |