2001 Western Michigan Broncos football team

The 2001 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Gary Darnell, the Broncos compiled a 5–6 record (4–5 against MAC opponents), finished in fourth place in the MAC's West Division, and outscored their opponents, 277 to 266.[1][2][3] The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[4]

2001 Western Michigan Broncos football
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record5–6 (4–4 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrian Rock (2nd season)
MVPBryan Lape
Home stadiumWaldo Stadium
Seasons
← 2000
2002 →
2001 Mid-American Conference football standings
Div     Conf Overall
Team   W   L         W   L     W   L  
East Division
Marshall x   6 0     8 0     11 2  
Miami (OH)   4 2     6 2     7 5  
Bowling Green   4 2     5 3     8 3  
Kent State   3 3     5 3     6 5  
Akron   3 3     4 4     4 7  
Buffalo   1 5     1 7     3 8  
Ohio   0 6     1 7     1 10  
West Division
No. 23 Toledo xy$   4 1     5 2     10 2  
Northern Illinois x   4 1     4 3     6 5  
Ball State x   4 1     4 3     5 6  
Western Michigan   2 3     4 4     5 6  
Central Michigan   1 4     2 6     3 8  
Eastern Michigan   0 5     1 6     2 9  
Championship: Toledo 41, Marshall 36
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • Due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth.
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Jeff Welsh with 1,702 passing yards, Philip Reed with 539 rushing yards, and Joshua Bush with 617 receiving yards.[5]

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 31 No. 16 Illinois State*W 48–733,976[6]
September 812:00 p.m.at No. 9 Virginia Tech*ESPN2L 0–3153,662
September 2212:10 p.m.at No. 20 Michigan*ESPNL 21–38109,837
September 296:00 p.m.at Eastern MichiganW 31–1017,310
October 6Akron
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI
W 31–14
October 134:00 p.m.Bowling Green
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI
W 37–2821,874
October 202:00 p.m.at Northern IllinoisL 12–2018,150
October 272:30 p.m.at Miami (OH)FSNL 11–2515,850
November 68:00 p.m.at ToledoESPNL 35–4123,923
November 17Central Michigan
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI (rivalry)
W 20–1723,112[7][8]
November 24Ball State
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI
L 31–35
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

References

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  1. ^ "Football Records: Annual Results". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "Football Records: Year-By-Year Results - 2000-09". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "2001 Western Michigan Broncos Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  4. ^ "Waldo Stadium". Western Michigan University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "2001 Western Michigan Broncos Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (August 31, 2001). "W. Michigan airs it out on ISU". The Pantagraph. p. B1. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Western Michigan 20, Central Michigan 17". Lansing State Journal. November 18, 2001. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Last-second field goal lifts Western Michigan". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. November 18, 2001. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.