2001 Colorado Buffaloes football team

American college football season

2001 Colorado Buffaloes football
Big 12 champion Big 12 North co-champion
Big 12 Championship Game, W 39–37 vs. Texas
Fiesta Bowl, L 16–38 vs. Oregon
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Division	North Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 9
AP	No. 9
Record	10–3 (7–1 Big 12)
Head coach	Gary Barnett (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Shawn Watson (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Co-defensive coordinator	Tom McMahon
Co-defensive coordinator	Vince Okruch
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
MVP	Daniel Graham
Captains	Justin Bannan Andre Gurode Michael Lewis John Minardi
Home stadium	Folsom Field
Seasons← 2000 2002 →

2001 Big 12 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
North Division
No. 9 Colorado xy$	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 8 Nebraska x%	7	–	1	11	–	2
Iowa State	4	–	4	7	–	5
Kansas State	3	–	5	6	–	6
Missouri	3	–	5	4	–	7
Kansas	1	–	7	3	–	8
South Division
No. 5 Texas xy	7	–	1	11	–	2
No. 6 Oklahoma	6	–	2	11	–	2
Texas Tech	4	–	4	7	–	5
Texas A&M	4	–	4	8	–	4
Oklahoma State	2	–	6	4	–	7
Baylor	0	–	8	3	–	8
Championship: Colorado 39, Texas 37
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2001 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team played their home games at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. They participated in the Big 12 Conference in the North Division. They were coached by head coach Gary Barnett. Colorado won the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time and secured its first BCS bowl berth. Colorado has not won the Big 12 since.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 26	6:00 pm	Fresno State*		Folsom Field Boulder, CO (Jim Thorpe Classic)	ESPN2	L 22–24	47,762
September 1	1:30 pm	vs. No. 24 Colorado State*		Invesco Field at Mile High Denver, CO (Rocky Mountain Showdown)	ABC	W 41–14	75,022
September 8	1:30 pm	San Jose State*		Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 51–15	40,338
September 22	1:30 pm	Kansas		Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 27–16	47,495
October 6	10:30 am	at No. 12 Kansas State		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	FSN	W 16–6	51,101
October 13	1:30 pm	No. 25 Texas A&M	No. 20	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	PPV	W 31–21	49,521
October 20	1:30 pm	at No. 9 Texas	No. 14	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	ABC	L 7–41	83,156
October 27	6:00 pm	at Oklahoma State	No. 25	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	FSN	W 22–19	41,070
November 3	1:00 pm	Missouri	No. 25	Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 38–24	45,942
November 10	6:00 pm	at Iowa State	No. 21	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA	FSN	W 40–27	39,204
November 23	1:30 pm	No. 2 Nebraska	No. 14	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	ABC	W 62–36	53,790
December 1	7:00 pm	vs. No. 3 Texas	No. 9	Texas Stadium Irving, TX (Big 12 Championship Game)	ABC	W 39–37	65,675
January 1	2:30 pm	vs. No. 2 Oregon*	No. 3	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	ABC	L 16–38	74,118
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

Note: Colorado was scheduled to play at Washington State on September 15 but the game was canceled due to the September 11 attacks.

Roster

2001 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`22`	Chris Brown	So
WR	`81`	Jason Burianek	Jr
WR	`14`	Cedric Cormier	Sr
FB	`33`	Brandon Drumm	Jr
TE	`89`	Daniel Graham	Sr
G	`65`	Andre Gurode (C)	Sr
WR	`5`	Roman Hollowell	Sr
RB	`21`	Marcus Houston	So
RB	`27`	Cortlen Johnson	Sr
C	`78`	Wayne Lucier	Jr
WR	`2`	John Minardi (C)	Sr
QB	`1`	Craig Ochs	So
QB	`4`	Bobby Pesavento	Sr
RB	`42`	Bobby Purify	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DT	`97`	Justin Bannan (C)	Sr
DE	`99`	Tyler Brayton	Jr
DE	`96`	James Weingardt	Jr
DT	`94`	DeAndre Fluellen	So
DE	`30`	Marques Harris	So
LB	`43`	Joey Johnson	Jr
SS	`31`	Michael Lewis (C)	Sr
DE	`60`	Matt McChesney	So
FS	`9`	Robbie Robinson	Sr
CB	`26`	Roderick Sneed	Jr
CB	`4`	Donald Strickland	Jr
LB	`54`	Sean Tufts	So
LB	`16`	Drew Wahlroos	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`25`	Pat Brougham	Jr
K	`3`	Jeremy Flores	Sr
P	`8`	Mark Mariscal	Jr

Head coach

Gary Barnett

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Shawn Watson – Offensive coordinator
Tom McMahon – Co-Defensive coordinator
Vince Okruch – Co-Defensive coordinator
Vance Joseph Graduate Assistant
Eric Bieniemy – Running backs
Jon Embree – Wide receivers/ kicking

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

Game summaries

Fresno State

Fresno State at Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bulldogs	14	7	0	3	24
Buffaloes	0	13	3	6	22

Date: August 26
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game start: 6:06 pm MDT
Elapsed time: 3:30
Game attendance: 47,762
Referee: Chuck McFerrin
Television network: ESPN2

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

1	6:23	FS	David Carr 1-yard run (Asen Asparuhov kick)	FSU 7–0
1	3:34	FS	Paris Gaines 1-yard run (Asen Asparuhov kick)	FSU 14–0

2	6:03	COL	Roma Hollowell 77-yard punt return (Pat Brougham kick)	FSU 14–7
	1:58	FS	Marque Davis 21-yard pass from David Carr (Asen Asparuhov kick)	FSU 21–7
	0:56	CU	John Minardi 8-yard pass from Craig Ochs (kick blocked)	FSU 21–13

4	12:29	FS	Asen Asparuhov 43-yard field goal	FSU 24–16
4	7:51	CU	John Minardi 16-yard pass from Craig Ochs (pass failed)	FSU 24–22

vs. No. 24 Colorado State

No. 24 Colorado State vs. Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Rams	7	0	0	7	14
• Buffaloes	14	3	14	10	41

Date: September 1
Location: Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Game attendance: 75,022
Television network: ABC

San Jose State

San Jose State at Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	9	0	6	15
• Buffaloes	21	14	9	7	51

Date: September 8
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game attendance: 40,338

Source: Box score

Kansas

Kansas at Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jayhawks	3	10	0	3	16
• Buffaloes	10	0	3	14	27

Date: September 22
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game start: 1:32 pm MDT
Elapsed time: 3:15
Game attendance: 47,495

Source: Box score

at No. 12 Kansas State

Colorado at No. 12 Kansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Buffaloes	7	0	6	3	16
No. 12 Wildcats	0	0	0	6	6

Date: October 6
Location: KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
Game attendance: 51,101
Television network: FSN

Source: Box score

No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies

No. 25 Texas A&M at No. 20 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 25 Aggies	0	14	0	7	21
• No. 20 Buffaloes	3	11	3	14	31

Date: October 13
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game attendance: 49,521

Playing as a ranked team and clinging to a 3-point lead in the final minute of play, the Buffs forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to close out a win over a second straight ranked opponent.

at No. 9 Texas

Colorado at No. 9 Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	0	7	0	0	7
• No. 9 Longhorns	7	17	10	7	41

Date: October 20
Location: Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Game attendance: 83,156
Television network: ABC

Source: Box score

at Oklahoma State

No. 25 Colorado at Oklahoma State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 25 Buffaloes	7	0	7	8	22
Cowboys	0	16	3	0	19

Date: October 27
Location: Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Game attendance: 41,070
Television network: FSN

Source: Box score

Missouri

Missouri at No. 25 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	14	7	3	24
• No. 25 Buffaloes	0	17	14	7	38

Date: November 4
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game attendance: 45,942

at Iowa State

No. 21 Colorado at Iowa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 21 Buffaloes	10	13	7	10	40
Cyclones	14	0	0	13	27

Date: November 10
Location: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa
Game attendance: 39,024

Source: Box score

No. 2 Nebraska

No. 2 Nebraska at No. 14 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Cornhuskers	3	20	7	6	36
• No. 14 Buffaloes	28	14	0	20	62

Date: November 23
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game attendance: 53,790
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger (Play–by–play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Jack Arute (Sideline)

Scoring summary

1	13:00	COL	Bobby Purify 39-yard run (Brougham kick)	COL 7–0
	12:03	COL	Daniel Graham 21-yard pass from Bobby Pesavento (Brougham kick)	COL 14–0
	5:45	COL	Bobby Pesavento 1-yard run (Flores kick)	COL 21–0
	3:31	Neb	Josh Brown 28-yard field goal	COL 21–3
	1:50	COL	Chris Brown 11-yard run (Flores kick)	COL 28–3

2	12:21	COL	Chris Brown 1-yard run (Flores kick)	COL 35–3
	9:37	Neb	Steve Kriewald 25-yard run (Brown kick)	COL 35–10
	6:03	Neb	Dahrran Diedrick 32-yard run (two-point conversion failed)	COL 35–16
	3:19	COL	Chris Brown 36-yard run (Flores kick)	COL 42–16
	2:53	Neb	Dahrran Diedrick 1-yard run (Brown kick)	COL 42–23

3	4:17	Neb	Eric Crouch 6-yard run (Brown kick)	COL 42–30

4	12:50	COL	Chris Brown 1-yard run (Flores kick)	COL 49–30
	11:38	COL	Chris Brown 13-yard run (kick failed)	COL 55–30
	9:41	COL	Chris Brown 8-yard run (Flores kick)	COL 62–30
	7:30	Neb	Eric Crouch 6-yard run (two-point conversion failed)	COL 62–36

vs. No. 3 Texas (Big 12 Championship Game)

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 9 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Longhorns	7	10	3	17	37
• No. 9 Buffaloes	7	22	7	3	39

Date: December 1
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 7:07 pm
Elapsed time: 3:31
Game attendance: 65,675
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Partly cloudy, Wind S 8 mph (13 km/h)
Referee: John Laurie
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson, Jack Arute

Source: Big 12 game summary

Scoring summary

1	9:56	TEX	Cedric Benson 5-yard run (Dusty Mangum kick)	TEX 7–0
1	2:21	COL	Chris Brown 10-yard run (Jeremy Flores kick)	Tied 7–7

2	14:24	COL	Jeremy Flores 39-yard field goal	COL 10–7
	11:36	COL	Chris Brown 1-yard run (Jeremy Flores kick failed)	COL 16–7
	5:49	TEX	Dusty Mangum 50-yard field goal	COL 16–10
	3:48	COL	Daniel Graham 22-yard pass from Bobb Pesavento (Bobb Pesavento pass failed)	COL 22–10
	2:32	COL	Medford Moorer 64-yard interception return (Jeremy Flores kick)	COL 29–10
	1:47	TEX	B. J. Johnson 79-yard pass from Major Applewhite (Dusty Mangum kick)	COL 29–17

3	11:32	COL	Chris Brown 11-yard run (Jeremy Flores kick)	COL 36–17
3	7:32	TEX	Dusty Mangum 26-yard field goal	COL 36–20

4	13:42	TEX	Dusty Mangum 38-yard field goal	COL 36–23
	9:10	TEX	Roderick Babers 54-yard interception return (Dusty Mangum kick)	COL 36–30
	1:58	COL	Jeremy Flores 43-yard field goal	COL 39–30
	0:31	TEX	B. J. Johnson 1-yard pass from Major Applewhite (Dusty Mangum kick)	COL 39–37

vs. No. 2 Oregon (Fiesta Bowl)

No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 2 Oregon

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Buffaloes	7	0	0	9	16
• No. 2 Ducks	7	14	7	10	38

Date: January 1
Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Game start: 5:00 p.m. PST
Game attendance: 74,118
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson, Jack Arute

Scoring summary

1	6:26	COL	Brandon Drumm 1-yard run (Brougham kick)	COL 7–0

1	3:48	ORE	Keenan Howry 28-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Siegel kick)	Tied 7–7

2	3:13	ORE	Samie Parker 79-yard pass from Harrington (Siegel kick)	ORE 14–7

2	2:29	ORE	Onterrio Smith 6-yard pass from Harrington (Siegel kick)	ORE 21–7

3	12:33	ORE	Maurice Morris 49-yard run (Siegel kick)	ORE 28–7

4	12:03	ORE	Jared Siegel 47-yard field goal	ORE 31–7

4	9:38	ORE	Justin Peelle 4-yard pass from Harrington (Siegel kick)	ORE 38–7

4	5:47	COL	Flores 39-yard field goal	ORE 38–10

4	0:18	COL	Daniel Graham 4-yard pass from Ochs (kick failed)	ORE 38–16

Main article: 2002 Fiesta Bowl See also: 2001 Oregon Ducks football team

Rankings

Further information: 2001 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	20	14	25	25	21	15	14	9	4	3	9
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	17	—	25	20	16	14	10	5	3	9
BCS	Not released								—	—	—	14	15	7	4	3	Not released

Awards and honors

Daniel Graham, TE – John Mackey Award, Consensus First-team All-American
Andre Gurode, G – Consensus First-team All-American
Gary Barnett – Big 12 Coach of the Year

References

"Kansas State Is Stunned by Colorado". The Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2001. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
"Colorado 31, Texas A&M 21". United Press International. October 14, 2001. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
"Colorado 62, Nebraska 36: Huskers trampled in Boulder". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. November 23, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
Murphy, Austin (December 3, 2001). "RUN TO GLORY ONRUSHING COLORADO SCRAMBLED THE NATIONAL TITLE PICTURE BY STEPPING ALL OVER NO. 2 NEBRASKA". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
"2001 Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Set: Colorado Faces Texas". Big 12 Conference. November 24, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
"2001 Sixth Annual Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. December 1, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
"Ducks snuff Buffs". Missoulian. January 2, 2002. Retrieved June 23, 2019.

v t e Colorado Buffaloes football
Venues	Campus fields (1890–1901) Gamble Field (1901–1924) Folsom Field (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Colorado State: Rocky Mountain Showdown Kansas State Nebraska Utah: Rumble in the Rockies
Culture & lore	Ralphie the Buffalo "CU Fight Song" "Golden Buffalo" Marching band Fifth Down Game Miracle at Michigan Coach Prime
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Big 12 Conference football champions
Texas (1996) Nebraska (1997) Texas A&M (1998) Nebraska (1999) Oklahoma (2000) Colorado (2001) Oklahoma (2002) Kansas State (2003) Oklahoma (2004) Texas (2005) Oklahoma (2006) Oklahoma (2007) Oklahoma (2008) Texas (2009) Oklahoma (2010) Oklahoma State (2011) Kansas State & Oklahoma (2012) Baylor (2013) Baylor & TCU (2014) Oklahoma (2015) Oklahoma (2016) Oklahoma (2017) Oklahoma (2018) Oklahoma (2019) Oklahoma (2020) Baylor (2021) Kansas State (2022) Texas (2023) Arizona State (2024)
National championships in bold

Big 12 Conference football champions

Texas (1996)
Nebraska (1997)
Texas A&M (1998)
Nebraska (1999)
Oklahoma (2000)
Colorado (2001)
Oklahoma (2002)
Kansas State (2003)
Oklahoma (2004)
Texas (2005)
Oklahoma (2006)
Oklahoma (2007)
Oklahoma (2008)
Texas (2009)
Oklahoma (2010)
Oklahoma State (2011)
Kansas State & Oklahoma (2012)
Baylor (2013)
Baylor & TCU (2014)
Oklahoma (2015)
Oklahoma (2016)
Oklahoma (2017)
Oklahoma (2018)
Oklahoma (2019)
Oklahoma (2020)
Baylor (2021)
Kansas State (2022)
Texas (2023)
Arizona State (2024)

National championships in bold

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