American college football season
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 .
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.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 8 1:00 p.m. Central Michigan * W 35–2173,879 [ 1] September 22 2:30 p.m. at No. 23 Notre Dame * NBC W 17–1080,795 September 29 3:30 p.m. at No. 16 Northwestern No. 23 ABC L 26–2740,103 October 13 12:00 p.m. Iowa Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN2 W 31–2873,680 October 20 12:00 p.m. at Minnesota L 19–2847,385 October 27 12:00 p.m. at Wisconsin ESPN+ W 42–2879,108 November 3 3:30 p.m. No. 6 Michigan Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry ) ABC W 26–24 75,262 [ 2] November 10 12:00 p.m. Indiana No. 22 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry ) L 28–3773,990 November 17 12:00 p.m. at Purdue ESPN2 L 14–2455,660 November 24 3:30 p.m. Penn State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry ) ESPN L 37–4272,658 December 1 11:00 a.m. Missouri * Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN2 W 55–772,823 December 31 3:00 p.m. vs. No. 20 Fresno State * FSN W 44–3530,456 *Non-conference game HomecomingRankings 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 . 2001 Michigan State Spartans football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach 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
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold