2001 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 2001 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. This was the second year for head coach Bobby Williams, who led the Spartans to a 7-5 record including a 44–35 victory in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic over the Fresno State Bulldogs of the Western Athletic Conference.

2001 Michigan State Spartans football
Silicon Valley Football Classic champion
Silicon Valley Football Classic, W 44–35 vs. Fresno State
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–5 (3–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bobby Williams (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Morris Watts (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Bill Miller (3rd season)
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium (c. 71,007 AstroTurf)

2001 Big Ten Conference football standings

	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 controversial final play of the home game against Michigan on November 3 led to a change in the official timekeeping policy of the Big Ten Conference. Beginning in 2002, a neutral official appointed by the Big Ten keeps track of the game time on the field.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	1:00 p.m.	Central Michigan*		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		W 35–21	73,879
September 22	2:30 p.m.	at No. 23 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 17–10	80,795
September 29	3:30 p.m.	at No. 16 Northwestern	No. 23	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ABC	L 26–27	40,103
October 13	12:00 p.m.	Iowa		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN2	W 31–28	73,680
October 20	12:00 p.m.	at Minnesota		Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		L 19–28	47,385
October 27	12:00 p.m.	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ESPN+	W 42–28	79,108
November 3	3:30 p.m.	No. 6 Michigan		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 26–24	75,262
November 10	12:00 p.m.	Indiana	No. 22	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)		L 28–37	73,990
November 17	12:00 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPN2	L 14–24	55,660
November 24	3:30 p.m.	Penn State		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 37–42	72,658
December 1	11:00 a.m.	Missouri*		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN2	W 55–7	72,823
December 31	3:00 p.m.	vs. No. 20 Fresno State*		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (Silicon Valley Football Classic)	FSN	W 44–35	30,456
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

• Note: The Missouri game originally scheduled for September 15 was rescheduled to December 1 because of the September 11 attacks.

Roster

2001 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Charles Rogers So RB 8 T. J. Duckett Sr QB 9 Jeff Smoker So G 76 Will Whitticker Fr TE 83 Chris Baker Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 95 Matthias Askew So LB 42 Mike Labinjo So LB 44 Ronald Stanley Fr DT 95 Josh Shaw Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 16 Dave Rayner Fr	Head coach Bobby Williams Coordinators/assistant coaches Morris Watts – Offensive Coordinator Reggie Mitchell – Running backs coach Don Treadwell – Wide receivers coach Pat Perles – Tight ends coach Jeff Stoutland – Offensive line coach Brad Miller – Defensive Coordinator Sal Sunseri – Special teams coordinator/Linebackers coach Troy Douglas – Defensive backs coach Brad Lawing – Recruiting coordinator Matt House – Graduate Assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster