2001 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

Last updated

2001 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
WKU Hilltoppers wordmark.png
Conference Gateway Football Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 12
Record8–4 (5–2 Gateway)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinator Willie Taggart (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorKeven Lightner (1st season)
Offensive scheme Multiple
Defensive coordinator David Elson (1st season)
Base defense 3–4
Home stadium L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons
  2000
2002  
2001 Gateway Football Conference standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 4 Northern Iowa $^  6 1   11 3  
No. 12 Western Kentucky ^  5 2   8 4  
No. 15 Youngstown State  5 2   8 3  
Western Illinois  4 3   5 5  
Southwest Missouri State  3 4   6 5  
Indiana State  2 5   3 8  
Illinois State  2 5   2 9  
Southern Illinois  1 6   1 10  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2001 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were coached by Jack Harbaugh. This was the school's first season as a member of the Gateway Football Conference, having won the Ohio Valley Conference championship the previous year. The Hilltoppers were the preseason favorites to win the conference but finished tied for 2nd. [1] They qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs where they were defeated by eventual runner-up, Furman. [2] The team was originally scheduled to play Wisconsin on September 14, however, due to the September 11 attacks, all college football games were suspended the following weekend, and the game was played on the 29th. [3]

This team included future NFL players Joseph Jefferson, Mel Mitchell, Sherrod Coates, and Brian Claybourn. Mitchell, Eric Dandy, and Chris Price were named to the AP All American team and Jefferson was selected to play in the Blue-Gray Football Classic. The All-Conference team included Coates, Dandy, Jefferson, Mitchell, Price, Patrick Reynolds, Buster Ashley, Claybourn, Peter Martinez, Kyle Moffatt, and Daniel Withrow. [4]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 30at No. 13 Western Illinois No. 3L 13–1711,832 [5]
September 8 Kentucky State *No. 10W 48–011,000
September 22 Southwest Missouri No. 8
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 23–79,500
September 29at Wisconsin *No. 7L 6–2475,662
October 6 Elon *No. 11
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 24–77,700
October 13at Indiana State No. 11W 22–93,545
October 20No. 11 McNeese State *Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 10
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 21–014,000 [6]
October 27at No. 5 Youngstown State No. 10W 24–1416,591
November 3at Illinois State No. 7W 58–146,493 [7]
November 10No. 15 Northern Iowa No. 6
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
L 23–2410,300
November 17 Southern Illinois No. 12
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 36–65,800 [8]
December 1at No. 4 Furman *No. 11L 20–246,143 [9]

References

  1. WKU tops Gateway, By the Daily News Online, Jul 26, 2001, retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
  3. Western hoping to make up game, By Deborah Highland and Mitchell Plumlee, The Daily News, Sept 14, 2001, retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. 2019 MVC Football Records, retrieved 30 April 2020
  5. "Toppers lose opener at Western Illinois". Messenger-Inquirer . August 31, 2001. p. 1B. Retrieved January 30, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Western silences, taunts McNeese". The Courier-Journal. October 21, 2001. Retrieved March 8, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  7. Herbst, Rob (November 4, 2001). "WKU explodes against ISU". Park City Daily News . p. 1B. Retrieved December 8, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Pickens, Jim (November 18, 2001). "Toppers throttle Salukis". Messenger-Inquirer . p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Hilltoppers' season ends at Furman, 24–20". The Courier-Journal. December 2, 2001. Retrieved September 24, 2022 via Newspapers.com.