As a coach and players, you don't want to talk about it too much, but it's hard not to. Nevertheless, Miami was left with a bitter sense of disappointment, believing they had been deprived of a shot at a potential national championship. Shockey was diving for balls, Ed Reed was coming up full-speed, full-tackle. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Larry Coker and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. When I caught it, I wasn't thinking about running it back for a touchdown. / I knew we'd have a good team, but there were a lot of questions because of the coaching changes. As a true freshman coming in, I'm all smiles. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered the greatest college football team in college football history. I said, "Coach, they're slow as hell.". [1] The Hurricanes scored 512 (42.6 points per game) points while yielding only 117 (9.75 points allowed per game). They beat us 47-0, and I remember walking off the field and everyone was celebrating and he said, "As long as I have something to do with it, I will never be embarrassed by Florida State again." 14 Syracuse, 59-0", "No. That game solidified our quest to dominate. They just accumulated so many good players that everybody was looking at them as like, 'How have they done this? If you didn't put in the work, there was somebody behind you ready to take over. Jump inside of it. It has been achieved by the 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football teams and the 2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team. We were bad that day. Behind Portis were Gore, McGahee and Payton with Davenport blocking for. We'd been through so much pain. Nobody really wanted to work out at 1 p.m. in the scorching heat and high humidity in South Florida. Coker / Rumph Gore was a true freshman that got Hurricanes fans excited for the future as he averaged 9.1 yards per carry with 5 touchdowns in his first year on-campus. The 2001 roster was loaded from top to bottom all over the field with names like Bryant McKinnie, Andre Johnson, and Jeremy Shockey as just the tip of the ice berg. We liked what we had already, and we really wanted to just keep what we had. They knew he was the straw that stirred the drink. As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. As I went to the NFL, we'd always find those Miami guys on the other team and you knew they were going to be the most competitive guys. Sure enough, they run a slant, I go in to pick it off, and I spread my fingertips, and had my hands below my knee. [17] Additionally, the Hurricane defense scored eight touchdowns of its own. In 2002, Miami again played for a national title, losing in overtime to Ohio State. We win, and we're in that locker room, and when you work for something for so long, and you achieve it, there's a certain sadness. LB Jonathan Vilma Larry coming in, two new coordinators, there were a lot of questions. We didn't want to have to change and have to learn a new offense, defense, or anything. Davenport was also an effective weapon as a receiver catching 35 balls for 3 touchdowns in orange and green. There will be unsung heroes picking up blitzes. / OL Joel Rodriguez Soon, that entire mentality took hold across the entire team. OT Bryant McKinnie 2001 Miami Hurricanes footballconsensus national champions, 2001 Big East Conference football standings, 2001 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, 2001 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, 2001 Florida State Seminoles football team, 2001 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, would cost nearly $120 million as an NFL team, "CFB 150: Top 10 teams in college football history - Sporting News", "The 150 greatest teams in college football's 150-year history - ESPN", "The 2001 Miami Hurricanes Would Beat Any Team, Any Time - FanBuzz", "Hurricanes Roll Past Penn State, 33-7:: Ken Dorsey throws three touchdown passes to lead Miami", University of Miami (FL) Athletic Department, "No. A stacked defensive backs room, with Sean Taylor and Antrel Rolle as backups. Portis ran for 9.923 career yards and 75 touchdowns for Washington and the Denver Broncos while making two Pro Bowl rosters. It never seemed like Davenport recovered all of his speed after the knee injury, but he did run for 5.3 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns in his Miami career. I remember the doctor saying he couldn't really throw the ball. "They were the hardest workouts we ever did," cornerback Mike Rumph said. As I remember, the fans are standing right over the bench and they were yelling at our coaches, and they were throwing Skittles at us. Single Game Season Group. Portis is now a member of the Miami Hurricanes Hall of Fame. It was the Hurricanes' 76th season of football and 11th as a member of the Big East Conference. That's how comical it became. Dorsey That 2001 season, it was like the season was already written. If you weren't doing all the right things, if you weren't going to class, making your grades, if you weren't showing up to work out or something like that, you could easily be cast out. He basically announced to everybody, "This is our guy.". Chudzinski That's how much we've been around each other. He was right. Two weeks later, the game everybody in the locker room had circled on the calendar had finally arrived: Washington. ", Reed They were so dialed in on winning a national championship, so focused on leadership, accountability and -- as ridiculous as it sounds now -- proving themselves that it became impossible in the moment to assign this team a place in college football lore. That was the first time, for a portion of the game at least, we let our gaze get to the horizon and not on the task at hand. Coker The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered to be the greatest collection of players in college football history, at least as measured by the NFL Draft. Miami clinched a spot in the national title game against Nebraska at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and felt confident this game would be its crowning achievement. Back at Miami, where he was named to the university's Hall of Fame back in 2011, Wayne helped The U to the 2001 national championship as a four-year starter, registering 173 catches for 2,510 . Shannon I just remember on that play that the offensive lineman tried to cut my knees, and I remember finally getting it right. February 26, 2023 11:32 AM. I think they added extra bleachers so now they had the biggest stadium in college football. They remain the only team to have its first-, second-, third- and fourth-string running backs all later become running backs with a start in the NFL. Rankings from AP poll. That was it for Miami. We let them drive right before the half and Ed Reed wasn't in that drive because he had dinged up his shoulder. It was always tough. It didn't really hit me until afterward. We look at each other, like how the hell did we do this? People were literally afraid to let the person next to them down. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). Everybody's fired up. They dominated nearly everyone on their schedule, culminating in a resounding 37-14 win over Nebraska in the BCS National Championship Game in the Rose Bowl. The debate over the greatest team in college football history will never end, and that is one of things we love so much about sports. On Sept. 27, Miami returned to play at Pitt with a determination to press forward, resulting in a 43-21 win. The leaders on that team were their best representatives -- doing all interviews asked of them. (From 1937 to 2001, bowl games did not count towards season statistics). Vilma got into a debate several years ago with former USC running back Reggie Bush when the two played for the New Orleans Saints. / Vince Wilfork, Frank Gore, Kellen Winslow, Sean Taylor -- they were all NFL first-rounders and they were all back-ups on that team. The guys suffer their worst loss of the season, but can still win the ACC. They always had a good running back and good offensive line, and that is a hostile environment. Privacy Policy Renew Now Close Topbar. We were all each other's biggest fans, but we all knew that if you went into the week, and you slacked or you wanted to hang out late on a Tuesday night, and didn't bust your ass in practice, you ain't going to be getting the reps. CB Antrel Rolle We present them here for purely educational purposes. A lot of us came back just for this game. [6] [7] The Hurricanes have had at least one former player make the Pro Bowl every season since 1985, 31 years in a row. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. A stacked defensive line room, with Vince Wilfork as a backup, too. Incognito told me at halftime, their coach basically said, "Guys let's just try to keep this thing close," and he said that right in front of the athletic director. Most people think that UM must have been losing, but no. Then in 2002, with Frank Gore out, exploded on the scene with 1,753 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns on 6.2 yard per carry. I didn't know at the time that this would be talked about as one of the best teams in college football. The 2001 Hurricanes, who are . I started running at an angle toward the sideline. Like it was a fairy tale.". Its hard to say in the case of Willis McGahee. Kenny didn't have the strongest arm in football, but he was just a tremendous leader and just a playmaker. We didn't know it was going to come down to a 2-point conversion, but the football Gods were with us on that day, and that kid dropped that ball. As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. The 26-point margin tied for Penn State's worst home loss under Joe Paterno. We [were] truly a team. or thought they had just unlocked legendary status. Mission Statement But the number of great players, first-round draft choices and players who got drafted, it's amazing really. The Canes became arguably the greatest team in CFB history 20 years ago, finishing 12-0, winning the national title and producing 38 NFL draft picks. Rumph Dorsey There was a rumor that we were going to get that coach from Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez, and we were like, "We don't want him. "They were really good, but I told Reggie, 'Yeah, you guys were fast and athletic, and we were equally fast and athletic," Vilma recalled recently. They should have gone back to high school where they do the running clock. I remember thinking that it was going to be such a difficult game, and we over prepared ourselves so much that the game came easy. But I wasn't leaving these guys. McKinnie It was the perfect storm for us. Media Requests * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). But with a chance to tie the game with another two-point conversion, Virginia Tech sophomore Ernest Wilford dropped a pass in the endzone. DT Matt Walters Miami needed one more win to clinch an undefeated regular season and a spot in the BCS national championship game: On the road, against Big East rival Virginia Tech. Privacy Policy Its game at Florida State on Oct. 13 took on even greater meaning after what happened in 2000. But when you play a team like that, you can't turn the ball over, and I think we ended up throwing four interceptions. Miami won 187.[11]. I think also, what rattled them was how much fun we had while being violent and being intense. To win a national championship, you have to win some you're not supposed to win. Terms of Service NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? With Coker in place as head coach and key players like Reed and McKinnie returning for their senior seasons, the Hurricanes knew what was in front of them. They've never seen an atmosphere like that. Can the Lions fix their defense? Reed All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. I never experienced that, just to sit there and say, "I'm the best, and that was a product of all our work." I wanted to win the national championship -- we wanted to win the national championship. A lot of people don't realize the rivalry between Miami and Virginia Tech. I'll never forget the year before, we beat Florida State and guys were celebrating, and Ed Reed told Dorsey to stand up and told everyone to start cheering for Ken Dorsey. I was like, "Coach, call whatever you want, we're gonna win." Fitzgerald I was hurt before this game. He made things happen. Can the Lions fix their defense? After suffering a gruesome injury in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, McGahee entered the 2003 NFL Draft knowing he would have to sit out a season to rehab. The Canes Collapse Against The Noles, Lose 85-84. We knew what route was coming on that play. OT Joaquin Gonzalez He was probably the most hated guy in all of Blacksburg that night, but at the same time thank you so much, because you just kind of saved us some heartache. We probably could have scored 80 points. Happy to be here, want to high-five everybody, and from the moment I walked into the locker room, it was you're gonna work. Like you knew in your bones that we were going to pull it out. Davenport went on to a seven year NFL career with the Packers, Steelers, and Colts, while averaging 4.6 yards per rush and scoring 13 touchdowns as a pro. Miami jumped on Virginia Tech early, leading 203 at halftime, and 2610 in the fourth quarter. The dominance on the field and at the next level was unparalleled throughout the. When Miami needed to pick up a 3rd and short the bigger bodied Cobia was on the field to run iso from Miamis 21 personnel base offense at the time. You know I'm hurt, yet we let them score two touchdowns. I remember just sitting there like, "Damn.". We didn't do anything right. That roster included 38 players who went on to . Overall, 38 members of the team would be selected in the NFL Draft. One of the things that happened in practice, we caught a few guys in the stadium trying to record our practices, seeing how we were going to stop the triple option. Adelson: 2001 Canes make case for college football's GOATs, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? That's to win the national championship. At that point, euphoric adrenaline runs over you. He was that father figure we were all afraid to disappoint. Dorsey Because that whole season, our mind was set on one goal, and you really don't understand how exhausting something can be when you're in pursuit of it. After the close win over Boston College, Miami went on to win over #14 Syracuse, 590,[12] and #12 Washington, 657,[13] in consecutive weeks in the Orange Bowl. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. It was a competitive culture and accountability was huge and he built a family environment. Still, the resilient Hokies had one more chance to win the game late, taking possession of the ball at midfield and needing only a field goal to take the lead. It took that extra X Factor. Ed was definitely yelling my name, "Matt! Women's Basketball. Coker The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered the greatest college football team in college football history. Dorsey "I'm willing to line our 2001 team up against any collegiate institution, anytime, anywhere," center Brett Romberg said. Every one of those games was a physical, physical affair. The loudest game. I put my heart in this (expletive) dog. And when he spoke, the coaches listened. And he comes to me when we're in Pasadena, he's like, "Look, don't worry, it's gonna be easier in the game. As cliche as it sounds, Miami wanted revenge. He was leading stuff, telling guys what to do, up and down the court with the ball in his hands, and you could just see this guy had that magical feel for how to play team games. Truthfully, the players and coaches felt relief that they had reached the goal they set for themselves 12 months earlier. In my game story, headlined "UM-BELIEVABLE!" The toughness, the mental toughness. Men's Basketball . I still have visions of Tommie Frazier leaving Gator defenders in his wake. McGahee played in the NFL from 2003-2013 including the year of rehab in 2003. He didn't want it to be close. You had Sean Taylor behind him. But there was never any pressure on anybody because they always thought they were going to get it done. We're tougher than you think.". Walters Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. No team past that's been here [at Miami]. Their roster was loaded with future first-round picks -- from Andre Johnson to Jeremy Shockey to Vince Wilfork and at least one NFL Hall of Famer in Ed Reed. When the team takes ownership of its success, you know you have a championship culture. When we recruited him in high school, when I actually went to see him in person it was at a basketball game. And as a coach, you almost never want that -- guys on the ground, just a couple days before the game. Do you have a blog? Dorsey Johnson was a member of the Hurricanes' most recent national championship team in 2001. And I did that, and I was like, "Oh, man, that felt good." A stacked running back room, which featured Frank Gore as the No. "Because you're trying to recruit the foundation of what's to come for the next four years. OC Rob Chudzinski Portis was an even bigger weapon in the NFL over his nine year career. That's always what Miami had been about, and what set it apart in my mind. 14, proved to be a formidable opponent. It is unreal how deep their roster was in 2001. The eccentric Portis is said to have played mind games with his backups in order to hold them down and keep the football in his hands. We all felt that that Sugar Bowl game against Florida, we knew that we should have been playing for a national title. "We felt like we couldn't miss on anyone in recruiting," said Andreu Swasey, who was the strength and conditioning coach at Miami in 2001. We were winning, but we left a lot of points on the field. 1 in both polls -- was sitting at No. After that, there are issues like roster. However, the ball ricocheted off the leg of Miami cornerback Mike Rumph, landing in the hands of defensive end Matt Walters. 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 (1247). Vilma NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? The way we were able to play, come out firing on all cylinders, was huge. So a lot of times when I hear his voice, I can sense that disappointment that he felt with that being his last go around. University of Miami; UM Sports Hall of Fame; Tickets. I'd agreed to a contract before Thanksgiving and my plan was to stay at the University of Miami for decades. Football. We all had our careers that take off from there, but from my eyes, I was like, "What now?" Eventually producing a record 38 NFL Draft picks, the 2001 Hurricanes are considered by many to be the best college football team of all time.[1][2][3]. It was a somewhat natural transition because I knew the players. To solidify going to a national championship without having to worry about if somebody else was going to lose -- that was special. Our freshman year, we redshirted, but we would go on road trips and have our jerseys on with sweatpants on the sideline. Chudzinski Gore has been named to five Pro Bowl rosters and has ran for 14,028 yards over his career. We knew, we got them out here, with the weather, the physicality, they weren't going to be ready for that. Randy Shannon is giving us every way to run this option, and I was frankly frustrated because it was hard to process it all. Backing up the entire unit was football legacy Jarrett Payton. As much as the 2001 team has been glorified in the years since it won the national title, the Hurricanes opened the year ranked No. RBs coach Don Soldinger The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Larry Coker and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. At the very end of January, [my family and I] ended up making the decision to leave. Little did I know that one line would take on a far more powerful meaning in the years to come. We'd just beaten Florida in the Sugar Bowl and gone 11-1. Miami led 12-7 with under a minute to play, but BC had first-and-goal at the Miami 9-yard line. Cleveland scored . And I've debated that, and it's like, 'Yeah, whatever, you can talk.' It was one of those games. If we needed to win it on defense, let's go win it on defense. Payton spent time in NFL Europe as well as the Canadian Football League. It's a fun debate, but at the same time, the competitor in you has no doubt about where we stood. From the 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team alone, 42 players went on to be drafted into the NFL from (2002-2006), including 17 1st round picks. We have the recipe, we have the tools, we have everything to be successful. The first series, we line up, they run their option, and for as fast as it went for us in practice, it was like they were in sand. 1 offense against the No. Find out more. Does that mean I didn't root for Vince? Rumph The fourth quarter was fun for us, because at that point, the game was kind of in hand, and everybody got to enjoy and be part of it: first, second, third string guys, everybody was getting in and getting to play. That atmosphere was crazy. 1.". #14. Gore finished his Miami career with 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Williams They beat us 59-0 and we finished that season with 10 wins. Like, literally none. And I felt like I was a chess piece to that. With BC on the verge of a momentous upset, St. Pierre attempted to pass to receiver Ryan Read at the Miami 2-yard line. Take Ed Reed. We had 31 scholarships lost. Syracuse and Washington were not exactly nobodies. The dominance of the team during its 2001 campaign combined with the legacy those players left -- both in college and the pros -- makes a strong argument that this is the best college football team ever assembled. We knew what we had on paper, but to see how we were dominating, and the energy we produced in such a hostile environment, it was like, "OK, wow, we are who we think we are.". The guys before us set an expectation of how hard you had to work and what that standard was, and we knew we had to live up to that. We all loved Dorsey, but we knew we had other skill sets and talent on that team. Payton was on campus for five season and waiting his turn to be the starter which came after McGahees departure for the 2003 season. The Hurricanes led 34-0 at halftime and could have easily won 59-0 had they decided to play their starters the majority of the second half. Romberg This was because Miami had lost to No. That goes for everybody. Mario Cristobal has not only flipped the roster following his first season in Coral Gables he's been busy tinkering with his coaching staff, too. When he dropped the two-point conversion, I was like, I need some prayer right now. It seems like that every year. ", Flashback: Ed Reed strips ball from teammate for Hurricanes pick-six (0:44), 'It's the most talented team to ever play': An oral history of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? There's going to be some tremendous 3- or 4-yard runs. Walters All rights reserved Romberg But we were a great team. I was thinking in my mind, "There's not a lot of time left in this game. It was the other intangibles we were looking for.". We were really dialed in on character, on personality traits, do they love football? The combined 1247 score is an NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked opponents. And then on the practice field, he had that voice. Miami took a 34-0 halftime lead before cruising to a 37-14 victory, winning the school's fifth national championship. Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2009. Schumann returning to Georgia, Adelson: 2001 Canes make case for college football's GOATs, Miami's turnover chain set a celebratory standard across the college football landscape. And I am a firm believer in that team, too. ACC Network FAQs Joaquin said dominate, and we're not doing it! Former Heisman Trophy Award winner Eric Crouch led the Nebraska Cornhuskers into the Rose Bowl to face the Miami Hurricanes in the 2001 national championship game.. It happened twice in the Coliseum. / As cliche as it sounds, Miami wanted revenge sets and talent on that play let them drive before... 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'S how much we 've been around each other Gore, McGahee and Payton with Davenport blocking for... Fame ; Tickets always had a good team, but from my eyes, I was a physical physical! Draft choices and players who went on to NFL from 2003-2013 including the year of in! 'S go win it on defense there was never any pressure on anybody because they always thought were... N'T put in the locker room had circled on the field and at time! Chudzinski Portis was an even bigger weapon in the case of Willis McGahee of those was! Of the best teams in the case of Willis McGahee ownership of own... Rumph, landing in the scorching heat and high humidity in South Florida,. He dropped the two-point conversion, I was n't in that drive because he had that.... See him in person it was a competitive culture and accountability was huge and built... Roster included 38 players who got drafted, it 's amazing really x27 ; 76th season of and! -- was sitting at No are marked with an asterisk ( *.... 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