2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football
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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 (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator	Ken O'Keefe (3rd year)
Defensive coordinator	Norm Parker (3rd year)
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. 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. 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, and even received playing time from junior college transfer Brad Banks during the season. Ladell Betts and Kahlil Hill came back for their senior seasons at the running back and wide receiver positions respectively. Hill would go on win the Mosi Tatupu Award following the completion of the season.

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.

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.

Season

Schedule

Iowa's schedule did not include Big Ten teams Ohio State and Illinois in 2001.

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 (Rivalry)	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.

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

Kent State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Flashes 0 0 0 0 0 • Hawkeyes 10 13 14 14 51 Date: September 1 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Game attendance: 56,091 TV announcers (ESPN+): Mike Gleason Sources: Scoring Summary

Scoring summary 1 9:35 Iowa Jeremy Allen 14-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick) Iowa 7–0 1 2:11 Iowa Nate Kaeding 37-yard field goal Iowa 10–0 2 6:04 Iowa Nate Kaeding 31-yard field goal Iowa 13–0 2 5:23 Iowa Aaron Greving 15-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick) Iowa 20–0 2 0:03 Iowa Nate Kaeding 30-yard field goal Iowa 23–0 3 9:30 Iowa Aaron Greving 2-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick) Iowa 30–0 3 5:12 Iowa Aaron Greving 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick) Iowa 37–0 4 7:18 Iowa Siaka Massaquoi 4-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick) Iowa 44–0 4 3:04 Iowa Fred Russell 13-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick) Iowa 51–0

See also: Kent State Golden Flashes football

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. The win was Iowa's first in a season opener under Ferentz, and it improved the Hawkeyes' record in season openers to 80–31–2.

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. Jeremy Allen and Fred Russell also contributed, with 73 and 46 rushing yards respectively. Allen also scored the first touchdown of his career during the game, on a 14-yard run during the first quarter. 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. The loss was Kent State's sixth straight, dating back to the previous season.

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. The next week, Kent State ended their six-game losing streak with a 38–17 victory over Bucknell.

Miami University

Miami (Ohio) at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total RedHawks 0 0 13 6 19 • Hawkeyes 17 7 20 0 44 Date: September 8 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Game attendance: 58,291 Television network: ESPN+ Sources: Box Score and Game Recap

Scoring summary 1 10:06 Iowa Jeremy Allen 15-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 7–0 1 6:07 Iowa Kahlil Hill 52-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 14–0 1 1:53 Iowa Nate Kaeding 36-yard field goal Iowa 17–0 2 0:05 Iowa Brad Banks 5-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 24–0 3 12:52 Iowa De'Von Clark 18-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 31–0 3 9:45 Iowa De'Von Clark 32-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 37–0 3 7:50 Iowa Chris Smith 32-yard interception return (Kaeding kick) Iowa 44–0 3 6:58 M (OH) Ben Roethlisberger 80-yard run (PAT failed) Iowa 44–6 3 3:56 M (OH) Michael Larkin 56-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Parseghian kick) Iowa 44–13 4 0:25 M (OH) Matt Brandt 40-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (PAT failed) Iowa 44–19

See also: 2001 Miami RedHawks football team

Penn State

Penn State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Nittany Lions 0 5 6 7 18 • Hawkeyes 7 14 0 3 24 Date: September 29 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:00 AM CST Game attendance: 69,422 TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy and Todd Christensen

Scoring summary 1 3:06 IOWA Ladell Betts 1-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 7–0 2 13:48 PSU Robbie Gould 37-yard field goal Iowa 7–3 2 6:48 IOWA Ladell Betts 2-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 14–3 2 2:22 PSU Safety Iowa 14–5 2 0:25 IOWA Kahlil Hill 13-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 21–5 3 5:28 PSU Bryant Johnson 10-yard pass from Zack Mills (two-point conversion failed) Iowa 21–11 4 12:48 IOWA Nate Kaeding 47-yard field goal Iowa 24–11 4 3:14 PSU Larry Johnson 15-yard blocked punt return (Gould kick) Iowa 24–18

See also: 2001 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Purdue

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

See also: 2001 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Michigan State

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

See also: 2001 Michigan State Spartans football team

Indiana

Indiana at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Hoosiers 7 14 0 7 28 • Hawkeyes 21 7 7 7 42 Date: October 20 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:00 AM CST Game attendance: 68,295 TV announcers (ESPN+): Wayne Larrivee, Randy Wright, and Jim Barber

Scoring summary 1 13:15 IOWA Kahlil Hill 75-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 7–0 1 6:54 Indiana Levron Williams 2-yard run (Braucher kick) Tied 7–7 1 2:27 IOWA Aaron Greving 9-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 14–7 1 0:29 IOWA C.J. Jones 59-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 21–7 2 8:33 Indiana Antwaan Randle El 1-yard run (Braucher kick) Iowa 21–14 2 6:11 IOWA Aaron Greving 9-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 28–14 2 1:45 Indiana Levron Williams 5-yard run (Braucher kick) Iowa 28–21 3 6:30 IOWA Ladell Betts 5-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 35–21 4 11:35 Indiana Antwaan Randle El 6-yard run (Braucher kick) Iowa 35–28 4 7:31 IOWA Kahlil Hill 13-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 42–28

See also: 2001 Indiana Hoosiers football team

Ladell Betts ran for 172 yards and a touchdown, and Kahlil Hill had 93 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the Hawkeye victory over Indiana.

Michigan

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

See also: 2001 Michigan Wolverines football team

Wisconsin

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

See also: 2001 Wisconsin Badgers football team and Iowa–Wisconsin_football_rivalry

Northwestern

Iowa at Northwestern

1 2 3 4 Total • Hawkeyes 21 10 28 0 59 Wildcats 7 0 2 7 16 Date: November 10 Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL Game start: 11:00 AM CST Game attendance: 36,458 Source: Box Score and Game Recap

Scoring summary 1 7:44 Iowa Jeremy Allen 4-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 7–0 1 3:08 Iowa Ladell Betts 4-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 14-0 1 1:12 Iowa Jeremy Allen 4-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 21-0 1 0:08 NW Sam Simmons 29-yard pass from Zak Kustok (Wasielewski kick) Iowa 21-7 2 6:58 Iowa Aaron Greving 1-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 28-7 2 0:02 Iowa Nate Kaeding 18-yard field goal Iowa 31-7 3 13:51 Iowa Ladell Betts 9-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 38-7 3 11:32 Iowa Jeremy Allen 45-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 45-7 3 8:58 Iowa Erik Jensen 4-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 52-7 3 3:12 NW Safety Iowa 52-9 3 0:09 Iowa Siaka Massaquoi 1-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 59-9 4 2:45 NW Trai Essex 2-yard pass from Tony Stauss (Wasielewski kick) Iowa 59-16

See also: 2001 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Minnesota

Minnesota at Iowa
Battle for Floyd of Rosedale

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 0 3 7 14 24 • Hawkeyes 21 7 14 0 42 Date: November 17 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA Game attendance: 65,491

Scoring summary 1 10:25 IOWA Kyle McCann 5-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 7–0 1 5:27 IOWA Jeremy Allen 1-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 14–0 1 0:14 IOWA Jeremy Allen 1-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 21–0 2 9:05 Minn Dan Nystrom 31-yard field goal Iowa 21–3 2 4:13 IOWA Ladell Betts 5-yard run (Kaeding kick) Iowa 28–3 3 11:24 Minn Ben Utecht 22-yard pass from Asad Abdul-Khaliq (Nystrom kick) Iowa 28–10 3 7:23 IOWA Dallas Clark 15-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 35–10 3 2:54 IOWA Khalil Hill 4-yard pass from Kyle McCann (Kaeding kick) Iowa 42–10 4 14:12 Minn Ron Johnson 10-yard pass from Asad Abdul-Khaliq (two-point conversion failed) Iowa 42–16 4 6:20 Minn Ron Johnson 10-yard pass from Asad Abdul-Khaliq (Demetrus Johnson reception for two-point conversion) Iowa 42–24

See also: 2001 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and Iowa–Minnesota_football_rivalry

The Hawkeyes closed out their home schedule at 5-1 by blasting Minnesota. Iowa led 21-0 after the first quarter, 28-3 at half, and 42-10 after three quarters before cruising to the 18 point win. Kyle McCann threw 3 TD passes and ran for a TD.

After losing three straight in the series, this was the first of five consecutive wins for the Hawks over the Gophers.

Iowa State

Iowa at Iowa State
Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total Hawkeyes 0 0 14 0 14 • Cyclones 7 7 0 3 17 Date: November 24 Location: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA Game attendance: 51,042 Television network: FSN

See also: 2001 Iowa State Cyclones football team and Iowa–Iowa_State_football_rivalry

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

Iowa vs. Texas Tech
Alamo Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • Hawkeyes 3 7 3 6 19 Red Raiders 0 3 7 6 16 Date: December 29 Location: Alamo Dome, San Antonio, TX Game attendance: 65,232 TV announcers (ESPN): Ron Franklin, Mike Gottfried, and Adrian Karsten Sources: Box score and Game recap

Scoring summary Q1 IOWA Nate Kaeding 36-yard field goal IOWA 3–0 Q2 3:19 IOWA Aaron Greving 1-yard run (Kaeding kick) IOWA 10–0 Q2 0:00 TTU Greathouse 50-yard field goal IOWA 10–3 Q3 TTU Wes Welker 20-yard pass from Kliff Kingsbury (Treece kick) Tied 10–10 Q3 IOWA Kaeding 31-yard field goal IOWA 13–10 Q4 14:56 IOWA Kaeding 46-yard field goal IOWA 16–10 Q4 8:29 TTU Treece 23-yard field goal IOWA 16–13 Q4 2:05 TTU Treece 37-yard field goal Tied 16–16 Q4 0:44 IOWA Kaeding 47-yard field goal IOWA 19–16

See also: 2001 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team and 2001 Alamo Bowl

Backup RB Aaron Greving ran for 115 yards and a touchdown and Nate Kaeding kicked four field goals, including the game-winner from 47 yards with 44 seconds remaining. The Hawkeyes earned their first bowl win under Kirk Ferentz and first since shutting out Texas Tech in the 1996 Alamo Bowl. The victory served as a springboard for the memorable 2002 season.

Team players in the 2002 NFL Draft

Main article: 2002 NFL Draft

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