# 2001 Sun Belt Conference football season

The 2001 Sun Belt Conference football season was the inaugural college football season for the Sun Belt Conference. During the 2001 season, seven schools competed in Sun Belt football: Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State and North Texas.
The conference title was won by Middle Tennessee and North Texas.

## Coaches

Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | Sun Belt record |
| Arkansas State | Joe Hollis | 4 | 15–39–1 | 11–34 | 0–0 |
| Idaho | Tom Cable | 1 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 0–0 |
| Louisiana–Lafayette | Jerry Baldwin | 2 | 3–19 | 3–19 | 0–0 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Bobby Keasler | 2 | 84–50–2 | 6–16 | 0–0 |
| Middle Tennessee | Andy McCollum | 2 | 9–13 | 9–13 | 0–0 |
| New Mexico State | Tony Samuel | 4 | 14–30 | 14–30 | 0–0 |
| North Texas | Darrell Dickey | 3 | 8–25 | 8–25 | 0–0 |

## Sun Belt vs. BCS AQ Conference matchups

| Date | Visitor | Home | Conference | Score | Notes |
| August 30 | Idaho | Washington State | Pac-10 | L 7–36 | |
| August 30 | Middle Tennessee | Vanderbilt | SEC | W 37–28 | |
| September 1 | Arkansas State | Georgia | SEC | L 17–45 | |
| September 1 | New Mexico State | Texas | Big 12 | L 7–41 | |
| September 8 | Arkansas State | Baylor | Big 12 | L 3–24 | |
| September 8 | Idaho | Arizona | Pac-10 | L 29–36 | |
| September 8 | Louisiana-Monroe | Florida | SEC | L 6–55 | |
| September 8 | Oregon State | New Mexico State | Pac-10 | L 22–27 | |
| September 8 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Minnesota | Big Ten | L 14–44 | |
| September 8 | North Texas | Oklahoma | Big 12 | L 10–37 | |
| September 22 | Idaho | Washington | Pac-10 | L 3–53 | |
| September 22 | New Mexico State | Kansas State | Big 12 | L 0–64 | |
| September 22 | Texas Tech | North Texas | Big 12 | L 14–42 | Neutral Site Game at Texas Stadium |
| October 20 | Ole Miss | Arkansas State | SEC | L 17–35 | |
| October 6 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Arizona State | Pac-10 | L 27–63 | |
| October 20 | Middle Tennessee | Ole Miss | SEC | L 17–45 | |
| November 10 | Middle Tennessee | LSU | SEC | L 14–30 | |

## Regular season

* Index to colors and formatting
* Sun Belt member won
* Sun Belt member lost
* Sun Belt teams in bold
Start times for non-conference games are local for the Sun Belt team; for conference games, starting times are local for the home team. The following list are the teams in their respective time zones: Arkansas State, Louisiana–Monroe, Louisiana–Lafayette, Middle Tennessee, North Texas are located in the Central Time Zone; New Mexico State is in the Mountain Time Zone and Idaho is in the Pacific Time Zone.
Rankings reflect that of the USA Today Coaches poll for that week until week eight when the BCS poll will be used.

### Week 1

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| August 23 | New Mexico State | Louisville | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky | L 24–45 | 38,129 |
* Open Week: Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas

### Week 2

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | Idaho | Washington State | Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington | L 7–36 | 31,097 |
| August 30 | Middle Tennessee | Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee | W 37–28 | 39,885 |
| September 1 | Arkansas State | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia | L 17–45 | 86,520 |
| September 1 | Nicholls State | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana | W 20–0 | |
| September 1 | Sam Houston State | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana | L 9–20 | |
| September 1 | New Mexico State | #5 Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, Texas | L 7–41 | 82,856 |
| September 1 | TCU | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, Texas | L 5–19 | 22,837 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Dwone Hicks | Middle Tennessee | Jykine Bradley | Middle Tennessee | Jonathan Knott | Louisiana-Lafayette |

### Week 3

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | Arkansas State | Baylor | Floyd Casey Stadium • Waco, Texas | L 3–24 | 28,953 |
| September 8 | Idaho | Arizona | Arizona Stadium • Tucson, Arizona | L 29–36 | 44,250 |
| September 8 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Minnesota | H. H. H. Metrodome • Minneapolis | W 14–44 | 35,089 |
| September 8 | Louisiana-Monroe | #2 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida | L 6–55 | 85,011 |
| September 8 | Troy | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | W 54–17 | |
| September 8 | #22 Oregon State | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, New Mexico | L 22–27 | 27,238 |
| September 8 | North Texas | #3 Oklahoma | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma | L 10–37 | 74,930 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| John Welsh | Idaho | Siddeeq Shabazz | New Mexico State | James Hickenbotham | Arkansas State |

### Week 4

All games scheduled for Week 4 were postponed or canceled as a result of the September 11 attacks.

### Week 5

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 22 | Jacksonville State | Arkansas State | Indian Stadium • Jonesboro, Arkansas | L 28–31 | |
| September 22 | Idaho | #13 Washington | Huskie Stadium • Seattle, WA | L 3–53 | 70,145 |
| September 22 | Southern Miss | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana | L 10–35 | 14,132 |
| September 22 | Middle Tennessee | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana | MTSU 38–20 | |
| September 22 | New Mexico State | #12 Kansas State | KSU Stadium • Manhattan, Kansas | L 0–64 | 49,229 |
| September 22 | Texas Tech | North Texas | Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas | L 14–42 | 20,852 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Wes Counts | Middle Tennessee | Scotty Brown | Middle Tennessee | Robert Billings | Middle Tennessee |

### Week 6

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 29 | Idaho | Boise State | Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington | L 13–45 | 20,359 |
| September 22 | Middle Tennessee | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana | MSTU 26–9 | |
| September 22 | New Mexico State | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana | NMSU 31–0 | |
| September 22 | North Texas | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida | L 10–28 | 25,156 |
* Open Week: Arkansas State
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Reshard Lee | Middle Tennessee | Scotty Brown (2) | Middle Tennessee | Robert Billings (2) | Middle Tennessee |

### Week 7

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 6 | Arkansas State | Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi | L 17–35 | |
| October 6 | Idaho | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | MTSU 70–58 | |
| October 6 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Arizona State | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Arizona | L 27–63 | 38,118 |
| October 6 | North Texas | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana | ULM 19–17 | |
| October 6 | New Mexico State | Tulsa | Skelly Stadium • Tulsa, Oklahoma | W 24–7 | 17,211 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Wes Counts (2) | Middle Tennessee | Tony Lukins | New Mexico State | Tony Lukins | New Mexico State |

### Week 8

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result |
| October 13 | Arkansas State | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana | ASU 26–20 |
| October 13 | Idaho | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, New Mexico | NMSU 46–39 |
| October 13 | Middle Tennessee | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, Texas | UNT 24–21 |
* Open Week: Louisiana-Monroe
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Kevin Galbreath | North Texas | Chris Jones | Arkansas State | Josh Hill | North Texas |

### Week 9

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 20 | Arkansas State | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, Texas | UNT 45–0 | |
| October 20 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Idaho | Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington | ULL 54–37 | |
| October 20 | Louisiana-Monroe | UCF | Florida Citrus Bowl • Orlando, Florida | L 6–38 | 23,001 |
| October 20 | Middle Tennessee | Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi | L 17–45 | |
* Open Week: New Mexico State
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Jon Van Cleave | Louisiana-Lafayette | Brad Kassell | North Texas | Josh Hill (2) | North Texas |

### Week 10

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result |
| October 27 | Idaho | Arkansas State | Indian Stadium • Jonesboro, Arkansas | ASU 34–31 |
| October 27 | Louisiana-Monroe | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana | ULL 17–12 |
| October 27 | New Mexico State | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | MTSU 39–35 |
* Open Week: North Texas
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Kendall Newson | Middle Tennessee | Les Echols | Arkansas State | Jason Hickenbotham | Arkansas State |

### Week 11

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result |
| November 3 | Louisiana-Monroe | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, Idaho | UI 42–38 |
| November 3 | Arkansas State | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | MTSU 54–6 |
| November 3 | North Texas | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, New Mexico | UNT 22–20 |
* Open Week: Louisiana-Lafayette
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| John Welsh (2) | Idaho | Brad Kassell (2) | North Texas | Jason Ball (3) | North Texas |

### Week 12

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 10 | Arkansas State | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, New Mexico | NMSU 28–17 | |
| November 10 | Troy State | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana | L 44–12 | |
| November 10 | Louisiana-Lafayette | North Texas | Fouts Field • Denton, Texas | UNT 42–17 | |
| November 10 | Middle Tennessee | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana | L 30–14 | 88,249 |
* Open Week: Idaho
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Scott Hall | North Texas | Tony Lukins (2) | New Mexico State | Ty Jackson | North Texas |

### Week 13

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 17 | Louisiana-Monroe | Arkansas State | Indian Stadium • Jonesboro, Arkansas | ULM 16–7 | |
| November 17 | North Texas | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, Idaho | UNT 50–27 | |
| November 17 | New Mexico State | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana | NMSU 49–46 | |
| November 17 | Connecticut | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee | W 38–14 | 13,017 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Patrick Cobbs | North Texas | Scotty Brown (3) | Middle Tennessee | Dario Aguiniga | New Mexico State |

### Week 14

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 22 | Nicholls State | Arkansas State | Indian Stadium • Jonesboro, Arkansas | L 28–22 | |
| November 24 | Idaho | Montana | Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, Montana | L 33–27 2OT | 18,056 |
| November 24 | Louisiana-Lafayette | UCF | Citrus Bowl • Orlando, Florida | L 31–0 | 12,264 |
| November 24 | New Mexico State | New Mexico | University Stadium • Albuquerque, New Mexico | L 53–0 | |

### Week 15

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| December 1 | Louisiana-Monroe | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati | L 42–10 | 15,047 |
| December 1 | North Texas | Troy State | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, Alabama | L 18–16 | |
* Open Week: Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Anthony Tenner | Idaho | Cody Spencer | North Texas | No candidates | |

## Bowl games

In 2001, the Sun Belt Conference placed one team in bowl games through their tie-ins: 5-6 North Texas, who became the first team to play in a bowl game with a losing record. Middle Tennessee was also bowl-eligible but did not receive a bowl invitation.
Note: All times are local
| Bowl | Date | SBC team (Record) | Opponent (Record) | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| New Orleans Bowl | December 18 | North Texas (5–6) | Colorado State (6–5) | Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans | ESPN2 | L 45–20 | 27,004 |

## Players of the Year

2001 Sun Belt Player of the Year awards
| Award | Player | School |
| Player of the Year | Wes Counts | Middle Tennessee |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Dwone Hicks | Middle Tennessee |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Brad Kassell | North Texas |
| Freshman of the Year | Ja'Mel Branch | North Texas |
| Newcomer of the Year | Kevin Galbreath | North Texas |
| Coach of the Year | Darrell Dickey | North Texas |

## All-Conference Teams

Coaches All-Conference Selections
| Position | Player | Team |
| First-team Offense |||
| QB | Wes Counts | Middle Tennessee |
| RB | Kevin Galbreath* | North Texas |
| RB | Dwone Hicks | Middle Tennessee |
| WR | Chris Lacy | Idaho |
| WR | Kendall Newson | Middle Tennessee |
| TE | Jeff Muenchow | North Texas |
| OL | Garry Johnson | Arkansas State |
| OL | J. R. Randle | North Texas |
| OL | Brandon Westbrook | Middle Tennessee |
| OL | Tony Wragge | New Mexico State |
| OL | Nick Zuniga | North Texas |
| First-team Defense |||
| DL | Brandon Kennedy* | North Texas |
| DL | Donald Malveaux | UL Monroe |
| DL | Joe Olivo | New Mexico State |
| DL | Tanaka Scott | Middle Tennessee |
| LB | Brad Kassell* | North Texas |
| LB | Scotty Brown | Middle Tennessee |
| LB | D'Wayne Taylor | New Mexico State |
| DB | Jykine Bradley | Middle Tennessee |
| DB | Jonas Buckles | North Texas |
| DB | Siddeeq Shabazz | New Mexico State |
| DB | Charles Tillman | UL Lafayette |
| First-team Special Teams |||
| K | Jason Ball | North Texas |
| P | Jason Ball | North Texas |
| RS | James Hickenbotham | Arkansas State |
| All-purpose | James Hickenbotham | Arkansas State |
| Position | Player | Team |
| Second-team Offense |||
| QB | K. C. Enzminger | New Mexico State |
| QB | John Welsh | Idaho |
| RB | Jonathan Adams | Arkansas State |
| RB | Kenton Keith | New Mexico State |
| WR | Nick Dugas | UL Lafayette |
| WR | George Marshall | North Texas |
| TE | Jerry Pegues | Arkansas State |
| OL | Glen Elarbee | Middle Tennessee |
| OL | Shalimar Jackson | New Mexico State |
| OL | Jonathon Raush | UL Lafayette |
| OL | Jake Scott | Idaho |
| OL | Matt Turney | North Texas |
| Second-team Defense |||
| DL | Jon Bradley | Arkansas State |
| DL | Brandon Kania | Idaho |
| DL | Alex Pahulu | North Texas |
| DL | Ron Paris | North Texas |
| LB | Ross Brupbacher | UL Lafayette |
| LB | Maurice Sonnier | UL Monroe |
| LB | Cody Spencer | North Texas |
| DB | Dedrick Buckels | UL Monroe |
| DB | Kyries Hebert | UL Lafayette |
| DB | Craig Jones | North Texas |
| DB | Michael Woods | Middle Tennessee |
| Second-team Special Teams |||
| K | Dario Aguiniga | New Mexico State |
| P | Robert Billings | Middle Tennessee |
| RS | Tony Lukins | New Mexico State |
| All-purpose | ReShard Lee | Middle Tennessee |