2001 Louisville Cardinals football team

2001 Louisville Cardinals football
C-USA champion Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 28–10 vs. BYU
Conference	Conference USA
Ranking
Coaches	No. 16
AP	No. 17
Record	11–2 (6–1 C-USA)
Head coach	John L. Smith (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Scott Linehan (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Chris Smeland (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium

2001 Conference USA football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 17 Louisville $		6	–	1					11	–	2
Cincinnati		5	–	2					7	–	5
UAB		5	–	2					6	–	5
East Carolina		5	–	2					6	–	6
Southern Miss		4	–	3					6	–	5
TCU		4	–	3					6	–	6
Memphis		3	–	4					5	–	6
Army		2	–	5					3	–	8
Tulane		1	–	6					3	–	9
Houston		0	–	7					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 2001 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team, led by John L. Smith, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. They ended the season with an 11–2 record.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 23	7:00 pm	New Mexico State*		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky (John Thompson Foundation Classic)		W 45–24	38,129
September 1	12:30 pm	at Kentucky*		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky (Governor's Cup)	JPS	W 36–10	70,838
September 8	7:00 pm	Western Carolina*		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky		W 31–7	35,214
September 22	12:00 pm	at Illinois*	No. 25	Memorial Stadium Champaign, Illinois	ESPN	L 10–34	43,232
September 29	2:00 pm	Memphis		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky (rivalry)		W 38–21	39,256
October 4	7:30 pm	Colorado State*		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky	ESPN	W 7–2	39,389
October 16	8:00 pm	Southern Miss		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky	ESPN2	W 24–14	33,627
October 27	2:00 pm	at Cincinnati		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati (The Keg of Nails)		W 28–13	31,004
November 3	3:30 pm	at Tulane		Louisiana Superdome New Orleans		W 52–7	19,369
November 10	2:00 pm	Houston	No. 25	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky		W 34–10	40,479
November 15	7:30 pm	at East Carolina	No. 19	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, North Carolina	ESPN	W 39–34	39,775
November 23	6:00 pm	at TCU	No. 17	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas	ESPN	L 22–37	22,176
December 31	4:00 pm	vs. No. 19 BYU*	No. 23	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee (Liberty Bowl)	ESPN2	W 28–10	58,968
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

2001 Louisville Cardinals football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 9 Deion Branch Sr QB 18 Jeff Brunelli Jr RB 23 Lionel Gates Fr WR 85 Tiger Jones  Fr QB 17 Stefan LeFors Fr TE 89 Richard Owens So QB 15 Dave Ragone Jr WR 82 J. R. Russell Fr RB 32 Eric Shelton Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 35 Michael Brown Jr S 12 Curry Burns Jr CB 24 Anthony Floyd Jr DB 42 Laroni Gallishaw  Fr CB 3 Chris Johnson Jr LB 54 Robert McCune Fr S 1 Kerry Rhodes Fr DE 99 Dewayne White Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class G 62 Jamason Welker Fr TE 89 Richard Owens So	Head coach John L. Smith Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster