# 2001 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2001 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach John Bunting, the Tar Heels played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina finished the season 8–5 overall and 5–3 in ACC play to place third. They beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 25 | 7:45 p.m. | at No. 3 Oklahoma* | | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK (Hispanic College Fund Football Classic) | ESPN | L 27–41 | 75,423 |
| September 1 | 12:00 p.m. | at Maryland | | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD | ABC | L 7–23 | 44,080 |
| September 8 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Texas* | | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX | ABC | L 14–44 | 83,106 |
| September 22 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 6 Florida State | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ABC | W 41–9 | 53,000 |
| September 29 | 12:00 p.m. | at NC State | | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC (rivalry) | JPS | W 17–9 | 51,500 |
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | East Carolina* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPN+ | W 24–21 | 58,500 |
| October 13 | 1:30 p.m. | Virginia | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry) | | W 30–24 | 53,500 |
| October 20 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 13 Clemson | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | ESPN2 | W 38–3 | 84,800 |
| November 1 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 23 Georgia Tech | No. 22 | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN | L 21–28 | 41,893 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Wake Forest | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (rivalry) | JPS | L 31–32 | 53,000 |
| November 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Duke | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell) | | W 52–17 | 52,000 |
| December 1 | 1:30 p.m. | SMU* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | | W 19–10 | 45,500 |
| December 31 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Auburn* | | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (Peach Bowl) | ESPN | W 16–10 | 71,827 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons in Position |
| John Bunting | Head coach | 1st |
| Gunter Brewer | Wide Receivers | 2nd |
| Rod Broadway | Defensive tackles | 1st |
| Ken Browning | Tight Ends / recruiting coordinator | 8th |
| Jeff Connors | Strength and conditioning coordinator | 1st |
| John Tenuta | Defensive Backs / defensive coordinator | 1st |
| Robbie Caldwell | Offensive Line | 2nd |
| Dave Huxtable | Linebackers | 1st |
| Andre' Powell | Running backs | 1st |
| Gary Tranquill | Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks | 1st |
| James Webster, Jr. | Defensive ends | 1st |

## Game summaries
### at No. 3 Oklahoma

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| • No. 3 Sooners | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 41 |

### at Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Terrapins | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 23 |

## Team players drafted in the NFL

The following players were selected in the 2002 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Julius Peppers | Defensive end | 1 | 2 | Carolina Panthers |
| Ryan Sims | Defensive tackle | 1 | 6 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| David Thornton | Linebacker | 4 | 106 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Joey Evans | Defensive end | 7 | 219 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Ronald Curry | Wide receiver | 7 | 235 | Oakland Raiders |
| Quincy Monk | Linebacker | 7 | 245 | New York Giants |