The 2001 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in the

2001 NCAA Division I-A football season The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first college football season of the 21st century. It ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time. The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his f ...

Schedule

Season summary

After an 8–4 regular season and a Sun Bowl win in 2000, the Badgers looked for their third Rose Bowl trip in 4 years. However, Wisconsin would be defeated in

Autzen Stadium Autzen Stadium is an outdoor American football, football stadium in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, in Eugene, Oregon. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Du ...

by Oregon and Camp Randall by Fresno State. After those two losses, the Badgers won their next 2 games. But any dreams of Pasadena were dashed after Wisconsin's first Big Ten home game of the season. The Badgers lost 63–32 to Indiana, one of the worst losses in school history. While they managed to upset a ranked Ohio State team in

Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement c ...

the next week, the Badgers found themselves unable to pull off a significant win after; losing four of their final five to close out the season. While the Badgers managed to keep it close against both Illinois and Michigan, they were unable to pull off an upset of either team, losing another close game to Michigan, 20–17. Despite a disappointing season, the Badgers had some bright spots. WR Lee Evans had an amazing season, as he would catch 75 passes for 1,545 yards and 9 touchdowns, despite having 3 different QBs during the year (

Brooks Bollinger Brooks Michael Bollinger (born November 15, 1979) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He also was a member of the Florida Tu ...

Jim Sorgi James Joseph Sorgi Jr. (born December 3, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Sorgi served as ...

, and Matt Schabert). RB

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time NB ...

also turned in an outstanding season, with 1,466 yards rushing Davis would have 10 games of 100 or more yards rushing, including a season high 200 against Penn State. Despite these great efforts from skill position players, the Badgers had injuries at the QB position, as well as difficulties on defense all season long. The Badgers were 2–3 in games decided by 7 points or less and would lose 7 games on the year, missing the postseason entirely.

Roster

Game summaries

Virginia

#7 Oregon

#19 Fresno State

Penn State

Western Kentucky

Indiana

#21 Ohio State

Illinois

Michigan State

Iowa

#11 Michigan

Minnesota

Regular starters

Team players in the
2002 NFL Draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually sinc ...

References

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Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Wisconsin Badgers football seasons

Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers football program represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the sport of American football. Wisconsin competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the W ...