2001 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2001 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Big Ten champion
Sugar Bowl, L 34–47 vs. LSU
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 12
Record	10–2 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ron Turner (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ron Turner (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Cassity (1st season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  2000 2002  →

2001 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 12 Illinois $		7	–	1					10	–	2
No. 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 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Ron Turner, the Illini compiled a 10–2 record (7–1 in conference games), won the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 356 to 238. They were invited to the 2002 Sugar Bowl, losing to LSU, 47–34. The Illini were ranked No. 7 at the end of the regular season, but dropped to No. 12 in the final poll issued after the bowl games. ^[1]

Senior quarterback Kurt Kittner led the Big Ten with 2,944 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He completed 207 of 374 passes for a 55.3% completion percentage. ^[2] The team's other statistical leaders included wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (60 receptions for 1,006 yards), running back Antoineo Harris (626 rushing yards), and kicker Peter Christofilakos (61 points, 12 of 13 field goals, 25 of 25 extra points). ^[2]

Ten Illinois players were recognized on the 2001 All-Big Ten Conference football team: guard Jay Kulaga (Coaches-1, Media-1); tackle Tony Pashos (Coaches-1, Media-1); Kittner at quarterback (Coaches-2, Media-2); Lloyd at receiver (Coaches-2, Media-2); center Luke Butkus (Coaches-2, Media-2); linebacker Jerry Schumacher (Media-2); defensive backs Bobby Jackson (Coaches-2), Christian Morton (Media-2), and Eugene Wilson; and kicker Christofilakos (Media-2). ^[3]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	2:30 pm	at California *		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	FSN	W 44–17	38,160	[4]
September 8	11:00 am	Northern Illinois *		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN Plus	W 17–12	45,674	[5]
September 22	11:00 am	No. 25 Louisville *		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN	W 34–10	43,232	[6]
September 29	2:30 pm	at No. 17 Michigan	No. 22	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	L 20–45	107,085	[7] [8]
October 6	11:00 am	Minnesota		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN Plus	W 32–14	53,225	[9]
October 13	12:00 pm	at Indiana		Memorial Stadium Bloomington, Indiana (rivalry)		W 35–14	31,116	[10]
October 20	11:00 am	Wisconsin		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN	W 42–35	70,904	[11]
November 3	11:00 am	at No. 20 Purdue	No. 21	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	ESPN	W 38–13	61,568	[12]
November 10	2:30 pm	Penn State	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ABC	W 33–28	70,904	[13]
November 17	11:00 am	at No. 25 Ohio State	No. 12	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (Illibuck)	ESPN	W 34–22	104,407	[14] [15]
November 22	11:00 am	Northwestern	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 34–28	45,755	[16]
January 1	7:30 pm	vs. No. 12 LSU *	No. 7	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	L 34–47	77,688	[17] [18]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

2001 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 71 Luke Butkus Sr FB 24 Carey Davis So G 64 David Diehl Jr QB 15 Kurt Kittner Sr WR 17 Greg Lewis Jr WR 6 Brandon Lloyd Sr WR 86 Aaron Moorehead Jr G 79 Tony Pashos Sr C 75 Duke Preston Fr QB/RB 18 Walter Young Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 96 Brandon Moore Sr LB 44 Matt Sinclair Fr DB 28 Eugene Wilson Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 22 Peter Christofilakos So P 37 Steve Weatherford Fr	Head coach Ron Turner Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

References

1. "2001 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
2. "2001 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
3. "Brewer, Johnson and Utecth Named To All-Big Ten Teams". University of Minnesota. December 4, 2001. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
4. "Illinois at California". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. September 1, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
5. "Northern Illinois at Illinois". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. September 8, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
6. "Louisville at Illinois". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. September 22, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
7. Angelique S. Chengelis (September 30, 2001). "Wolverines stomp Illinois: Defense smothers Kittner". The Detroit News. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Michigan 45, Illinois 20". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. September 29, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
9. "Minnesota at Illinois". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. October 6, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
10. "Illinois 35, Indiana 14". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. October 13, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
11. "Wisconsin at Illinois". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. October 20, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
12. "Illinois 38, Purdue 13". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. November 3, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
13. "Penn State at Illinois". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. November 10, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
14. Bruce Hooley (November 18, 2001). "OSU kept at arm's length: Buckeyes feel Bellisari's absence in loss to Illini". The Plain Dealer. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Illinois 34, Ohio State 22". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. November 17, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
16. "No. 10 Illinois 34, Northwestern 28". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. November 24, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
17. Gary Reinmuth (January 2, 2012). "Belly up on bayou". Chicago Tribune. p. 1 (section IV) – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Louisiana State 47, Illinois 34". University of Illinois Department of Athletics. January 1, 2002. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.