2001 Florida Gators football team

2001 Florida Gators football
Orange Bowl champions
Orange Bowl, W 56–23 vs. Maryland
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 3
Record	10–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Steve Spurrier (12th season)
Offensive scheme	Fun and gun
Defensive coordinator	Jon Hoke (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	4 Andra Davis Marquand Manuel Robert Gillespie Rob Roberts
Home stadium	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Capacity: 83,000) [1]
Seasons ←  2000 2002  →

2001 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 4 Tennessee x		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 3 Florida  %		6	–	2					10	–	2
No. 13 South Carolina		5	–	3					9	–	3
No. 22 Georgia		5	–	3					8	–	4
Kentucky		1	–	7					2	–	9
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	9
Western Division
No. 7 LSU xy$		5	–	3					10	–	3
Auburn x		5	–	3					7	–	5
Ole Miss		4	–	4					7	–	4
Alabama		4	–	4					7	–	5
Arkansas		4	–	4					7	–	5
Mississippi State		2	–	6					3	–	8
Championship: LSU 31, Tennessee 20
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2001 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2001 college football season. The Gators competed in Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), playing their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

They were coached by Steve Spurrier, who posted an overall win–loss record of 10–2 (.833) for his twelfth and final season before departing to the National Football League (NFL). Spurrier led the Gators to a 56–23 Orange Bowl victory over the Maryland Terrapins in his final game.

Sophomore quarterback Rex Grossman threw for over 4,000 yards and was Heisman Trophy runner-up. Grossman, wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and defensive end Alex Brown were consensus All-Americans. Brown's 33 sacks is still a school record for a career. ^[2]

Before the season

The Gators were ranked preseason No. 1. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:15 p.m.	Marshall *	No. 1	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	ESPN2	W 49–14	85,445
September 8	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe *	No. 2	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	PPV	W 55–6	85,011
September 22	12:30 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 2	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	JPS	W 44–10	66,126
September 29	3:30 p.m.	No. 21 Mississippi State	No. 2	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	CBS	W 52–0	85,579
October 6	2:30 p.m.	at No. 18 LSU	No. 2	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	CBS	W 44–15	92,010
October 13	6:45 p.m.	at Auburn	No. 1	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 20–23	86,063
October 27	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 15 Georgia	No. 6	Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	W 24–10	84,401
November 3	12:30 p.m.	Vanderbilt	No. 4	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	JPS	W 71–13	85,052
November 10	7:45 p.m.	at No. 14 South Carolina	No. 4	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC ( College GameDay )	ESPN	W 54–17	84,900
November 17	8:00 p.m.	No. 20 Florida State *	No. 4	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	W 37–13	85,732
December 1	4:30 p.m.	No. 5 Tennessee	No. 2	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry / College GameDay )	CBS	L 32–34	85,771
January 2, 2002	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 6 Maryland *	No. 5	Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl)	ABC	W 56–23	73,640
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Sources: 2012 Florida Football Media Guide, ^[2] and GatorZone.com. ^[4]

September 11 impact The annual rivalry game with Tennessee scheduled for September 15, was rescheduled to the final week of the regular season as a result of the September 11 attacks.

Season summary

Alex Brown while on the Bears.

Marshall

Marshall at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total Marshall 0 0 6 8 14 •Florida 21 14 0 14 49 Date: September 1 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Game start: 7:15 p.m. EST Game attendance: 85,445 Television network: ESPN2

Scoring summary 1 7:02 FLA Earnest Graham 7-yard run (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 7-0 1 5:49 FLA Earnest Graham 6-yard run (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 14-0 2 1:33 FLA Reche Caldwell 28-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 21-0 2 4:18 FLA R. Gillespie 27-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 28-0 2 0:32 FLA Taylor Jacobs 64-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 78-0 3 6:30 MAR Darius Watts 62-yard pass from Byron Leftwich (Curtis Head kick failed) FLA 35-6 4 14:13 FLA Earnest Graham 1-yard run (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 42-6 4 5:53 MAR C. Rodgers 2-yard run (Darius Watts pass) FLA 42-14 4 2:42 FLA Carlos Perez 25-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 49-14

The season opened at night in the Swamp on September 1 with a 49–14 triumph over quarterback Byron Leftwich and the Marshall Thundering Herd. ^[5]

Rex Grossman had a career-high in passing yards by halftime, including a 64-yard touchdown reception by Taylor Jacobs. ^[6]

The defense also played well as Alex Brown and linebacker Andra Davis had two sacks each. ^[6]

Louisiana–Monroe

Louisiana–Monroe at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total La.-Monroe 6 0 0 0 6 •Florida 7 31 14 3 55 Date: September 8 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 85,011 Television network: PPV

Scoring summary 1 13:30 ULM Brown, Ivory 2-yard run (Francis, Daniel kick failed) ULM 6-0 1 2:53 FLA Earnest Graham 12-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 7-6 2 14:20 FLA Reche Caldwell 16-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 14-6 2 11:15 FLA Jabar Gaffney 10-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 21-6 2 9:18 FLA Jabar Gaffney 24-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 28-6 2 7:58 FLA R. Gillespie 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 35-6 2 0:00 FLA Jeff Chandler 29-yard field goal FLA 38-6 3 6:21 FLA Earnest Graham 3-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 45-6 3 0:11 FLA Rob Roberts 3-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 52-6 4 3:23 FLA Brendt Talcott 28-yard field goal FLA 55-6

In the second week of play, the Gators overwhelmed the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks 55–6. ^[7] Grossman passed for 331 yards and three touchdowns, including two thrown to Jabar Gaffney. ^[8]

Grossman fumbled the game's first exchange from center, and Louisiana-Monroe capitalized on the opportunity when it scored the game's first touchdown. ^[8] "It was just an awkward start." said Grossman. ^[8]

As usual, the Gators and Tennessee Volunteers were slated to meet on the 3rd Saturday of September. However, the SEC canceled all games on the weekend following the September 11 attacks, and all contests were rescheduled for December 1, 2001, requiring the SEC Championship Game to be pushed back a week as well.

Rex Grossman with the Redskins.

Kentucky

Florida at Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total •Florida 7 9 14 14 44 Kentucky 0 3 7 0 10 Date: September 22 Location: Commonwealth Stadium Game start: 12:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 66,126 Television network: JP

Scoring summary 1 9:47 FLA Jabar Gaffney 29-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 7-0 2 14:38 UK S. Scaldaferri 41-yard field goal FLA 7-3 2 9:48 FLA Taylor Jacobs 6-yard pass from Rex Grossman (UF Team rush failed) FLA 13-3 2 0:00 FLA Jeff Chandler 39-yard field goal FLA 16-3 3 3:27 FLA Jabar Gaffney 4-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 23-3 3 1:30 UK Chase Harp 2-yard pass from Shane Boyard (S. Scaldaferri kick) FLA 23-10 3 0:28 FLA Earnest Graham 50-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 30-10 4 8:47 FLA R. Gillespie 52-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 37-10 4 6:42 FLA Reche Caldwell 64-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 44-10

Florida traveled to Lexington and beat the Kentucky Wildcats 44–10. ^[9] Grossman passed for 302 yards and four touchdowns. ^[10]

The Gators struggled early and led just 16–3 at the half, but eventually thrashed the Wildcats with four touchdowns in the second half. ^[11]

After Kentucky made a touchdown, Earnest Graham sprung lose for a 50-yard touchdown run in the third period to go up 30–10. ^[11]

Mississippi State

Mississippi State at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total Miss St 0 0 0 0 0 •Florida 21 14 7 10 52 Date: September 29 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 85,579 Television network: CBS

Scoring summary 1 11:05 FLA Rex Grossman 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 7-0 1 5:09 FLA Reche Caldwell 20-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 14-0 1 1:54 FLA Aaron Walker 5-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 21-0 2 6:37 FLA Reche Caldwell 14-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 28-0 2 2:24 FLA Taylor Jacobs 60-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 35-0 3 5:04 UK Ben Troupe 16-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 42-0 4 12:02 FLA Jeff Chandler 46-yard field goal FLA 45-0 4 1:45 FLA Kelvin Kight 23-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 52-0

The following week, Florida avenged last year's loss to the 21st-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs by shutting them out 52–0. ^[12] Grossman had 317 yards passing in just the first half. ^[13] The Gators had 640 yards of total offense on the day, the most in school history for an SEC game. ^[13]

Grossman passed for 393 yards and five touchdowns in total, ^[14] becoming the first Florida quarterback to throw for 300 yards in four straight games. ^[15]

Andra Davis, who missed last year's game, excelled on the defensive side of the ball from his linebacker position with eight tackles and a fumble recovery. ^[15]

LSU

Florida at LSU

1 2 3 4 Total •Florida 21 6 3 14 44 LSU 3 6 0 6 15 Date: October 6 Location: Tiger Stadium Game start: 2:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 92,010 Television network: CBS

Scoring summary 1 11:59 FLA Taylor Jacobs 13-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 7-0 1 7:29 LSU John Corbello 44-yard field goal FLA 7-3 1 5:19 FLA Reche Caldwell 34-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 14-3 1 4:33 FLA Jabar Gaffney 63-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick)) FLA 21-3 2 12:58 LSU L. Toefield 2-yard run (John Corbello kick blocked) FLA 21-9 2 9:48 FLA Jabar Gaffney 7-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick failed) FLA 27-9 3 4:20 FLA Jeff Chandler 42-yard field goal FLA 30-9 4 14:54 FLA Aaron Walker 5-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 37-9 4 2:32 FLA Kelvin Kight 8-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 44-9 4 0:42 LSU Domanick Davis 1-yard run (John Corbello kick blocked) FLA 88-15

In Baton Rouge, the Gators defeated the eighteenth-ranked LSU Tigers 44–15. ^[16] Grossman threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns in just the first half, and by game's end had a school-record 464 yards. ^[17]

Florida finished with 632 yards of total offense. ^[17] LSU quarterback Rohan Davey left the game with a hyperextended knee. ^[17]

"I thought he was a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy before we played them", said LSU coach Nick Saban, "Now I'm convinced of it." ^[17] "I think he is a tremendous quarterback" echoed LSU safety Ryan Clark. ^[17]

Auburn

Florida at Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total Florida 3 3 7 7 20 •Auburn 3 7 0 13 23 Date: October 13 Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium Game start: 6:45 p.m. EST Game attendance: 86,063 Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 11:24 FLA Jeff Chandler 45-yard field goal FLA 3-0 1 9:39 AUB Damon Duval 45-yard field goal 3-3 2 11:03 AUB Daniel Cobb 1-yard run (Damon Duval kick) AUB 10-3 2 0:21 FLA Jeff Chandler 32-yard field goal AUB 10-6 3 7:48 FLA Reche Caldwell 20-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 13-10 4 14:55 AUB Chris Butler 2-yard run (Damon Duval kick) AUB 17-13 4 12:27 AUB Damon Duval 32-yard field goal AUB 20-13 4 12:09 FLA Jabar Gaffney 80-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) 20-20 4 0:10 AUB Damon Duval 44-yard field goal AUB 23-20

Coach Tommy Tuberville's unranked Auburn Tigers upset the top-ranked Gators 23–20. The Tigers were 21-point underdogs when they met the Gators at Jordan–Hare Stadium. ^[18]

Gators quarterback Rex Grossman completed twenty-five of forty-two passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions. ^[19] The Gators dominated statistically, but the Tigers' bend-but-don't-break defense held the Gators rushing game to negative yardage. ^[18]

Tigers back-up quarterback Daniel Cobb was not so flashy, but played mistake-free football, and the game was tied at 20 late in the fourth quarter. ^[18] With 10 seconds left, Tigers placekicker Damon Duval nailed a 44-yard field goal and the Tigers upset the Gators. ^{[18] [20]}

Georgia

Florida–Georgia

1 2 3 4 Total Georgia 3 7 0 0 10 •Florida 10 7 0 7 24 Date: October 27 Location: ALLTEL Stadium Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 84,401 Television network: CBS

Scoring summary 1 11:00 UGA Billy Bennett 42-yard field goal UGA 3-0 1 5:23 FLA Jeff Chandler 32-yard field goal 3-3 1 1:46 FLA Jabar Gaffney 21-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 10-3 2 7:32 UGA Jasper Sanks 3-yard run (Billy Bennett kick) 10-10 2 0:46 FLA Rex Grossman 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 17-10 4 9:12 FLA Reche Caldwell 30-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 24-10

Florida defeated Georgia 24–10 in the annual rivalry game, ^[21] overcoming four turnovers and twelve penalties. ^[22] Grossman passed for 407 yards. ^[22] Earnest Graham rushed for 131 yards. ^[22]

The Bulldogs missed a field goal and failed to convert three fourth downs in the second half. ^[22] The lone score of the second half was a 30-yard touchdown pass to Reche Caldwell. Florida moved into a first-place tie with Tennessee. ^[22]

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total Vanderbilt 0 0 0 13 13 •Florida 24 13 28 6 71 Date: November 3 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Game start: 12:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 85,052 Television network: JP

Scoring summary 1 13:44 FLA Earnest Graham 2-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 7-0 1 11:51 FLA Earnest Graham 5-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 14-0 1 6:16 FLA Jabar Gaffney 7-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 21-0 1 1:29 FLA Jeff Chandler 37-yard field goal FLA 24-0 2 12:35 FLA Taylor Jacobs 13-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick)) FLA 31-0 2 0:07 FLA Reche Caldwell 18-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick failed) FLA 37-0 3 14:02 FLA Andra Davis 25-yard interception return (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 44-0 3 10:06 FLA Taylor Jacobs 2-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 51-0 3 6:17 FLA Willie Green 5-yard run (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 58-0 3 0:00 FLA Carlos Perez 15-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Brendt Talcott kick) FLA 65-0 4 8:31 FLA Kirk Wells 6-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Matt Leach kick failed) FLA 71-0 4 5:05 VAN Benji Walker 27-yard run (Chuck Folino kick) FLA 71-7 4 0:00 VAN Benji Walker 2-yard run (Chuck Folino kick blocked) FLA 71-13

At homecoming, Florida crushed the Vanderbilt Commodores 71–13. ^[23] The Gators never punted, and forced five turnovers. ^[24] They were up 71–0 in the fourth quarter and still tossing passes, amassing 571 total yards in all. ^[25] Eleven Gators got receptions, and Taylor Jacobs had a breakout game. ^[24]

Playing just in the first half, Grossman threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns. ^[24] Backup quarterback Brock Berlin threw three more in the second. ^[25]

South Carolina

Florida at South Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total •Florida 10 17 13 14 54 S. Carolina 10 0 0 7 17 Date: November 10 Location: Williams-Brice Stadium Game start: 7:45 p.m. EST Game attendance: 84,900 Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 12:11 SCAR Derek Watson 7-yard run (Daniel Weaver kick) SCAR 7-0 1 9:07 FLA Jeff Chandler 42-yard field goal SCAR 7-3 1 5:12 SCAR Daniel Weaver 32-yard field goal SCAR 10-3 1 1:44 FLA Jabar Gaffney 11-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) 10-10 2 12:15 FLA Rex Grossman 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 17-10 2 1:44 FLA Jeff Chandler 36-yard field goal FLA 20-10 2 0:26 FLA Reche Caldwell 11-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 27-10 3 10:27 FLA Jeff Chandler 46-yard field goal FLA 30-10 3 3:52 FLA Jeff Chandler 44-yard field goal FLA 33-10 3 2:53 FLA Travis Carroll 24-yard interception return (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 40-10 4 11:19 FLA Jabar Gaffney 59-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 47-10 4 4:28 SCAR Ryan Brewer 3-yard pass from D. Pinkins (Daniel Weaver kick) SCAR 47-17 4 2:28 FLA Kirk Wells 10-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 54-17

In Columbia, the Gators routed the fourteenth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks 54–17. ^[26] The game started shaky for the Gators as Lito Sheppard fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to an easy Gamecock score. ^[27] A touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney late in the first quarter started the scoring barrage. ^[28]

Grossman had his ninth-consecutive 300-yard passing game, ^[29] and exceeded 5,000 yards passing for his career. ^[27]

Florida State

Florida State at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total FSU 0 3 3 7 13 •Florida 7 13 7 10 37 Date: November 17 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 85,732 Television network: CBS

Scoring summary 1 6:33 FLA Earnest Graham 2-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 7-0 2 14:46 FLA Taylor Jacobs 6-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 14-0 2 7:42 FLA Jeff Chandler 36-yard field goal FLA 17-0 2 1:04 FLA Jeff Chandler 38-yard field goal FLA 20-0 2 0:00 FSU Xavier Beitia 39-yard field goal FLA 20-3 3 6:23 FSU Xavier Beitia 23-yard field goal FLA 20-6 3 0:55 FLA Rex Grossman 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 27-6 4 12:59 FSU P.K. Sam 5-yard pass from Chris Rix (Xavier Beitia kick) FLA 27-13 4 8:15 FLA Jabar Gaffney 28-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick) FLA 34-13 4 2:32 FLA Jeff Chandler 18-yard field goal FLA 37-13

Florida easily defeated the rival Florida State Seminoles 37–13. ^[30] However, the Gators' starting running back Earnest Graham had been controversially injured in Florida's win and was unable the next week to play against Tennessee. ^[31]

Graham and coach Spurrier accused Darnell Dockett of deliberately twisting Graham's knee, as well as stomping on Grossman's hand. ^{[32] [33]} Graham even considered a lawsuit. ^[34] Dockett denied these charges. ^{[35] [36]}

Tennessee

Tennessee at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total •Tennessee 14 0 7 13 34 Florida 0 20 3 9 32 Date: December 1 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Game start: 4:30 p.m. EST Television network: CBS

As the season progressed, the postponed game with Tennessee took on greater and greater importance. Each squad suffered only one close loss and entered the contest with Tennessee ranked No. 6 and Florida ranked No. 2. The winner was to represent the SEC East and face LSU in the SEC Championship. With a win in that game, the Gators or Vols were likely to receive an invitation to the Rose Bowl to face the undefeated Miami Hurricanes with a national title on the line. ^[37] Despite the teams' identical records and much to the chagrin of the Vols, the Gators were 17-and-a-half point favorites at kickoff. ^[38]

External videos
Tennessee game, YouTube video.

The Volunteers went on to dash the Gators' national title hopes with a 34–32 upset, ending a 30-year winless drought against Florida in Gainesville. ^{[39] [40]} The star of the game was Volunteer running back Travis Stephens, who rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries to lead the Vols' attack. Without Graham, Florida managed only 36 total yards on the ground. Gator quarterback Rex Grossman threw 51 times for 362 yards and two touchdowns, but his pass on a potentially game-tying two-point conversion attempt with just over a minute left in the 4th quarter fell incomplete. ^{[n 1]}

Orange Bowl (vs. Maryland)

Main article: 2002 Orange Bowl

See also: 2001 Maryland Terrapins football team

Orange Bowl: #5 Florida Gators (9–2) vs. #6 Maryland Terrapins (10–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	14	14	21	7	56
Maryland	7	3	0	13	23

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: January 2, 2002
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Clear, 71 °F (22 °C)
• Game attendance: 73,640
• Referee: James Sprenger
• TV announcers (ABC): Brad Nessler and Bob Griese
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter FLA – Earnest Graham 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 9:51. Florida 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 3:59. FLA – Taylor Jacobs 46-yard pass from Brock Berlin (Jeff Chandler kick), 0:12. Florida 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:47. MD – Jafar Williams 64-yard pass from Shaun Hill (Nick Novak kick), 0:00. Florida 14–7. Drive: 1 play, 69 yards, 0:12. Second quarter MD – Nick Novak 20-yard field goal, 12:20. Florida 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:45. FLA – Taylor Jacobs 15-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick), 2:18. Florida 21–10. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 3:45. FLA – Jabar Gaffney 4-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick), 0:03. Florida 28–10. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 1:21. Third quarter FLA – Earnest Graham 6-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 11:02. Florida 35–10. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 3:38. FLA – Robert Gillespie 11-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 7:26. Florida 42–10. Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 1:29. FLA – Jabar Gaffney 33-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick), 2:52. Florida 49–10. Drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:19. Fourth quarter MD – Marc Riley 1-yard run (Nick Novak kick), 11:56. Florida 49–17. Drive: 15 plays, 71 yards, 5:56. FLA – Carlos Perez 10-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Jeff Chandler kick), 10:16. Florida 56–17. Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:40. MD – Marc Riley 10-yard run (pass failed), 5:10. Florida 56–23. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 5:06. Top passers FLA – Rex Grossman – 20/28, 248 yards, 3 TD MD – Shaun Hill – 23/39, 257 yards, INT Top rushers FLA – Earnest Graham – 16 rushes, 149 yards, 2 TD MD – Shaun Hill – 11 rushes, 31 yards Top receivers FLA – Taylor Jacobs – 10 receptions, 170 yards, 2 TD MD – Matt Murphy – 5 receptions, 42 yards

Florida was invited to the Orange Bowl, where they beat Maryland 56–23. ^{[42] [43]}

Taylor Jacobs - MVP

Awards and honors

Grossman was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, ^[44] in one of the trophy's closest ballots. ^{[45] [46]} Many feel Grossman should have won. ^[47]

Both Crouch and Grossman made AP All-American. ^[48]

Spurrier's resignation

In early January, Steve Spurrier said that he was resigning as Florida's head coach after 12 seasons. ^[49]

Personnel

2001 Florida Gators football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 7 Brock Berlin So WR 17 Reche Caldwell Jr RB 33 Ran Carthon So OL 78 Jonathon Colon QB 18 Jeff Creveling Fr WR 10 Jabar Gaffney Jr RB 20 Robert Gillespie Sr RB 5 Earnest Graham Jr RB 32 Willie Green QB 8 Rex Grossman Jr WR 15 Brian Haugabrook Sr WR 19 Matt Jackson So WR 6 Taylor Jacobs Jr OL 54 David Jorgensen WR 2 Kelvin Kight So OL 72 Thomas Moody OT 71 Mike Pearson Jr WR 23 Carlos Perez So RB 44 Rob Roberts RB 39 Matt Sitter Sr WR 11 O.J. Small So RB 41 Ray Snell Fr OL 75 Shannon Snell OL 77 Max Starks WR 89 Brian Stone Fr TE 84 Ben Troupe So TE 82 Aaron Walker Jr TE 83 Kirk Wells Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 30 Bennie Alexander DE 13 Alex Brown Sr LB 55 Travis Carroll Sr LB 45 Andra Davis Sr DB 34 Daryl Dixon Jr DL 35 Kennard Ellis LB 43 Matt Farrior So LB 42 Byron Hardman S 26 Todd Johnson Jr DL 98 Tron LaFavor DL 86 Darrell Lee S 4 Marquand Manuel Sr DL 57 Bobby McCray LB 59 Mike Nattiel Jr DB 21 Lester Norwood DB 1 Keiwan Ratliff So DL 60 Bryan Savelio DB 9 Guss Scott DL 99 Ian Scott CB 3 Lito Sheppard Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 49 Jeff Chandler Sr P 14 Matt Leach Fr K 93 Brent Talcott	Head coach Steve Spurrier Coordinators/assistant coaches Jim Collins (ST/LB/Recruit Coord.) Dwayne Dixon (WR) Jon Hoke (AHC/DC/DB) Lawson Holland (RB) Ricky Hunley (DL) Rob Glass (Str + Cond) John Hunt (OL) Jerry Odom (LB) Jimmy Ray Stephens (OL/Run Game) Buddy Teevens (Asst OC/TE) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Statistics

• QB Rex Grossman: 279/423 (66.0%) for 4,144 yards (9.80 YPA) with 38 TD vs. 12 INT (2.84%)
• QB Brock Berlin: 47/79 (59.5%) for 679 yards (8.59 YPA) with 10 TD vs. 3 INT (3.80%)
• RB Earnest Graham: 141 carries for 799 yards (5.67 YPC) with 11 TD. 12 catches for 129 yards (10.75 YPC) with 0 TD.
• RB Robert Gillespie: 98 carries for 458 yards (4.67 YPC) with 2 TD. 45 catches for 474 yards (10.53 YPC) with 2 TD.
• WR Jabar Gaffney: 74 catches for 1,309 yards (17.69 YPC) with 15 TD.
• WR Reche Caldwell: 69 catches for 1,106 yards (16.03 YPC) with 10 TD.
• WR Taylor Jacobs: 48 catches for 882 yards (18.38 YPC) with 9 TD.
• K Jeff Chandler: 19 FGM and 54 XPM.

Notes

1. Ultimately, neither team would win any championships that season. UT was upset by LSU in the SEC Championship Game the following Saturday and missed their opportunity to play for a second national title in four years. The Vols ended up beating Michigan 45–17 in the Citrus Bowl. ^[41]

References

1. University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 2001 Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
2. 2012 Florida Football Media Guide Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 113 & 116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.
3. "Floria Gators to smell the roses in January" (PDF). sportswriters.net. July 25, 2001.
4. GatorZone.com, Football, History, Florida Football 2001 Archived 2011-09-14 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved November 25, 2011.
5. Gatorzone.com. Retrieved 2015-Oct-18.
6. PELLS, EDDIE. "Grossman, Gators reject Marshall plan – StAugustine.com". Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
7. Gatorzone.com. Retrieved 2015-Oct-18.
8. "La-Monroe Falls To Florida, 55-6". Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
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Bibliography

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• 2012 Florida Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 107–116 (2012).
• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN   0-7948-2298-3.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN   0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN   1-58261-514-4.