Nebraska proved to be no competition for Miami, which opened up a 34–0 halftime lead en route to a 37–14 final score. Miami won its fifth national championship in the last 18 years, and put the finishing touches on a perfect 12–0 season. Dorsey passed for 362 yards and 3 touchdowns, while wide receiver Andre Johnson caught 7 passes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the stifling Miami defense shut down Heisman-winner Eric Crouch and the Huskers vaunted option offense, holding Nebraska 200 yards below its season average. Dorsey and Johnson were named Rose Bowl co-Most Valuable Players.
Legacy
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The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered by some experts and historians to be one of the greatest teams in college football history. The Hurricanes scored 512 (42.6 points per game) points while yielding only 117 (9.75 points allowed per game). Miami beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (124–7), though they struggled to defeat #14 Virginia Tech, and an unranked Boston College. The offense set the school scoring record, while the defense led the nation in scoring defense (fewest points allowed), pass defense, and turnover margin. Additionally, the Hurricane defense scored eight touchdowns of its own. Six players earned All-American status and six players were finalists for national awards, including Maxwell Award winner, Ken Dorsey, and Outland Trophy winner, Bryant McKinnie. Dorsey was also a Heisman finalist, finishing third.
Among the numerous stars on the 2001 Miami squad were: quarterback Ken Dorsey; running backs Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport, and Frank Gore; tight end Jeremy Shockey; wide receiver Andre Johnson; offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie; defensive linemen Jerome McDougle, William Joseph, and Vince Wilfork; linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams; and defensive backs Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon. Additional contributors included future stars Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vernon Carey, and Rocky McIntosh. In all, an extraordinary 17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchanon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; 1 in 2005: Rolle; and 1 in 2006: Kelly Jennings).
Overall, 38 members of the team would be selected in the NFL Draft. As of 2013, they had earned a combined total of 43 trips to the Pro Bowl: Ed Reed (9), Andre Johnson (7), Frank Gore (5), Vince Wilfork (5), Jeremy Shockey (4), Jonathan Vilma (3), Willis McGahee (2), Chris Myers (2), Clinton Portis (2), Antrel Rolle (2), Sean Taylor (2), Bryant McKinnie (1), and Kellen Winslow II (1). In addition, Vilma, Shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, McKinnie, and Reed have won the Super Bowl. It has been estimated that the 2001 Hurricanes would cost nearly $120 million as an NFL team as early as 2009.
Prior to the 2006 Rose Bowl, ESPN's SportsCenter ran a special in which the 2005 USC Trojans, led by stars Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White, were compared with the greatest college teams of the past 50 years, as picked by sports fans voting on ESPN.com, to determine their place in history. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes were the only team picked by fans to defeat the '05 Trojan squad, reflecting the esteem with which the 2001 Hurricanes are held by fans. However ESPN analyst Mark May placed the 2005 Trojans only behind 1995 Nebraska. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated later observed that, although the 05 team "may have had the greatest set of skill players in history," "ESPN spent the better part of Christmas season comparing that Trojans squad to some of the most acclaimed teams of all time only to find out that they weren’t even the best team that season
The team's first-, second- and third-string running backs all later became running backs with a start in the NFL, a feat only done five other times. It has only been achieved by the 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football teams. They remain the only team to have its first-, second-, third- and fourth-string running backs all later become running backs to start in the NFL.
Roster※
2001 Miami Hurricanes football team roster
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Players
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Coaches
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Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Roster
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Players※
Starting lineup※
Offense※
Defense※
Special teams※
Depth chart※
Offense
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QB
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Ken Dorsey
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Hunter Lefler
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Tony Prasek
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Jeff Malley
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Buck Ortega
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Statistics※
(From 1937 to 2001, bowl games did not count towards season statistics)
Awards and honors※
All-Conference Selections (First Team)※
- Martin Bibla, LG
- Phillip Buchanon, CB
- Freddie Capshaw, P
- Ken Dorsey, QB
- Joaquin Gonzalez, RT
- Jerome McDougle, DE
- Bryant McKinnie, LT
- Clinton Portis, RB
- Ed Reed, SS
- Brett Romberg, C
- Jeremy Shockey, TE
- Todd Sievers, K
- Jonathan Vilma, MLB
Awards Finalists※
Bold indicates winners
- Larry Coker, Coach - Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
- Phillip Buchanon, PR - Mosi Tatupu Award
- Freddie Capshaw, P - Ray Guy Award
- Ken Dorsey, QB - Maxwell Award, Heisman Trophy (3rd), Big East Offensive Player of the Year
- Joaquin Gonzalez, RT - Academic Heisman
- Bryant McKinnie, LT - Outland Trophy, Heisman Trophy (8th)
- Ed Reed, SS - Jim Thorpe Award
- Brett Romberg, C - Rimington Trophy
- Jeremy Shockey, TE - John Mackey Award
- Todd Sievers, K - Lou Groza Award (4th)
Jack Harding University of Miami MVP Award※
NFL Draft selections※
References※
- ^ "CFB 150: Top 10 teams in college football history - Sporting News".
- ^ "The 150 greatest teams in college football's 150-year history - ESPN". September 10, 2019.
- ^ "The 2001 Miami Hurricanes Would Beat Any Team, Any Time - FanBuzz". August 19, 2021.
- ^ "Hurricanes Roll Past Penn State, 33-7 :: Ken Dorsey throws three touchdown passes to lead Miami". Archived from the original on March 4, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ^ "No. 1 Miami Rolls Over Rutgers, 61-0". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. September 8, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "No. 1 Miami Crushes Pittsburgh, 43-21". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. September 27, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "Hurricanes Flatten Troy State, 38-7". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. October 6, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "No. 1 Miami Trounces 'Noles, 49-27". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. October 13, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "No. 1 Hurricanes Stomp West Virginia, 45-3". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. October 25, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "No. 1 Miami Blanks Temple, 38-0". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. November 3, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "Hurricanes Survive Eagles' Last Gasp". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. November 10, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "No. 1 Miami Flattens No. 14 Syracuse, 59-0". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. November 17, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "No. 1 Hurricanes Roll Over Washington, 65-7". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. November 24, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "Hurricanes Are Runnin' For The Roses". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. December 1, 2001. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "Perfect!". University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department. January 3, 2002. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Murphy, Austin (January 7, 2002). "Cane Whuppin': Unbeaten Miami Flogged Nebraska Early and Often to Win an Undisputed National Title". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "2001 football national championship". University of Miami. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Top Sports Searches - ESPN".
- ^ "Historical Depth Charts – 2001 Miami".
- ^ "A Handy List of College Football's Heisman Trophy Winners". Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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National championships in bold |