2001 Cotton Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2001 Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football
bowl game
played on January 1, 2001, at the Cotton Bowl
in Dallas
, Texas
, USA. The Cotton Bowl was part of the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
. The bowl game featured the Tennessee Volunteers
from the SEC
and the Kansas State Wildcats
from the Big 12
and was televised in the United States on Fox
.
became just the second team to win 11 games in four consecutive seasons by defeating The Tennessee Volunteers
, 35-21, in the 2001 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Third-quarter touchdown runs of 12 and six yards by junior Josh Scobey
three minutes apart were the difference as Kansas State improved its four-year record to 44-8, including three bowl victories.
The Wildcats (11-3) joined The Florida State Seminoles
as the only teams to reach the 11-win plateau in four consecutive seasons.
After losing to # 1 Oklahoma
in the Big 12 Conference
championship game, Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder
gave his players the chance to vote on whether or not they wanted to accept a Cotton Bowl Classic bid. The vote was unanimous, and the Wildcats played well in their second trip to Dallas in five years.
Having lost the 1997 Cotton Bowl Classic to BYU
, the Wildcats scored on their second possession and led 21-7 just 19½ minutes into the contest.
Senior quarterback Jonathan Beasley ran for a 14-yard score and threw TD passes of 56 and 10 yards to Quincy Morgan
to give Kansas State the two-touchdown advantage.
The Wildcats frustrated Tennessee freshman quarterback Casey Clausen
into a miserable 7-of-25, three-interception performance. Clausen did throw a 17-yard TD pass to TE David Martin
, forcing a 7-7 tie in the first minute of the second quarter.
Scobey set a Kansas State bowl record by rushing for 147 yards on 28 carries, breaking the mark of 133 yards set by J.J. Smith in the 1993 Copper Bowl. Beasley added 98 yards on 17 attempts while completing 13-of-27 passes for 210 yards.
Tennessee's Travis Henry
carried 17 times for 180 yards, 81 coming on a late touchdown scamper. The Volunteers (8-4) had their seven-game winning streak halted.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
played on January 1, 2001, at the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA. The Cotton Bowl was part of the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
. The bowl game featured the Tennessee Volunteers
2000 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2000 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. Phillip Fulmer was the head coach and led the Volunteers to an appearance in the 2001 Cotton Bowl Classic.-Schedule:...
from the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
and the Kansas State Wildcats
2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2000. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 2000 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 11-3, and a 6-2 record in...
from the Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
and was televised in the United States on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
Game summary
The Kansas State Wildcats2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2000. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 2000 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 11-3, and a 6-2 record in...
became just the second team to win 11 games in four consecutive seasons by defeating The Tennessee Volunteers
2000 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2000 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. Phillip Fulmer was the head coach and led the Volunteers to an appearance in the 2001 Cotton Bowl Classic.-Schedule:...
, 35-21, in the 2001 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Third-quarter touchdown runs of 12 and six yards by junior Josh Scobey
Josh Scobey
Joshua Payne Scobey is an American football running back and kick returner who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State...
three minutes apart were the difference as Kansas State improved its four-year record to 44-8, including three bowl victories.
The Wildcats (11-3) joined The Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
as the only teams to reach the 11-win plateau in four consecutive seasons.
After losing to # 1 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
in the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
championship game, Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
gave his players the chance to vote on whether or not they wanted to accept a Cotton Bowl Classic bid. The vote was unanimous, and the Wildcats played well in their second trip to Dallas in five years.
Having lost the 1997 Cotton Bowl Classic to BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, the Wildcats scored on their second possession and led 21-7 just 19½ minutes into the contest.
Senior quarterback Jonathan Beasley ran for a 14-yard score and threw TD passes of 56 and 10 yards to Quincy Morgan
Quincy Morgan
Quincy Demond Earl Morgan is an American football free agent wide receiver in the National Football League who has played for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Denver Broncos...
to give Kansas State the two-touchdown advantage.
The Wildcats frustrated Tennessee freshman quarterback Casey Clausen
Casey Clausen
Casey Clausen , is a former American football player who played quarterback for the University of Tennessee. Clausen attended Bishop Alemany High School....
into a miserable 7-of-25, three-interception performance. Clausen did throw a 17-yard TD pass to TE David Martin
David Martin (American football)
David Earl Martin is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, forcing a 7-7 tie in the first minute of the second quarter.
Scobey set a Kansas State bowl record by rushing for 147 yards on 28 carries, breaking the mark of 133 yards set by J.J. Smith in the 1993 Copper Bowl. Beasley added 98 yards on 17 attempts while completing 13-of-27 passes for 210 yards.
Tennessee's Travis Henry
Travis Henry
Travis Deion Henry is a former American football running back for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. He was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
carried 17 times for 180 yards, 81 coming on a late touchdown scamper. The Volunteers (8-4) had their seven-game winning streak halted.