2001 UCF Golden Knights football team
| {{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]] |
|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | – | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy State | – | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | – | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | – | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | – | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | – | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | – | 0 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2001 UCF Golden Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Their head coach was Mike Kruczek, who was in his fourth season with the team. The season marked the Golden Knights last season as an independent. In 2002, UCF joined the Mid-American Conference in the East Division, the first conference for the Golden Knights since ascending to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.
On opening day, UCF traveled to No. 19 Clemson. The Tigers outlasted UCF, and won by the score of 21–13. UCF quarterback Ryan Schneider threw for 297 yards, but an ineffective rushing game was the difference in the game. UCF scored a touchdown with 8:09 left in regulation, but a missed extra point and a punt on their next possession allowed Clemson to run out the clock and preserve the win.[1] On October 13, UCF blew out Liberty 63–0, the largest shutout victory in school history.[2] The Golden Knights scored on their first six possessions, jumping out to a 42–0 halftime lead. In UCF's final game as an Independent school, the Golden Knights earned a 31–0 win over Louisiana–Lafayette in their second shutout of the year, and fourth blowout win since October. Finishing with a winning record of 6–5, UCF did not receive a bowl invitation.
Schedule
September 11:00 PMat No. 19 Clemson
L 13–21 81,482 September 812:00 PMat Syracuse
SUNL 10–21 35,938 September 223:30 PMat Tulane
SUNW 36–29 17,497 September 2912:00 PMat No. 8 Virginia Tech
SUNL 14–46 53,662 October 66:00 PMUAB
CSSW 24–7 30,820 October 136:00 PMLiberty
- Citrus Bowl
- Orlando, FL
W 63–0 17,103
October 204:00 PMLouisiana-Monroe
- Citrus Bowl
- Orlando, FL
W 38–6 23,001 October 275:05 PMat Utah State
L 27–30 16,135 November 36:00 PMAkron
- Citrus Bowl
- Orlando, FL
W 57–17 15,779 November 102:00 PMat Arkansas
L 20–27 61,527 November 241:00 PMLouisiana–Lafayette
- Citrus Bowl
- Orlando, FL
W 31–0 12,264