2001 Sugar Bowl

The 2001 Sugar Bowl was a 2000–01 BCS game played on January 2, 2001. This 67th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida Gators, and the Miami Hurricanes, in an in-state rivalry game. Miami came into the game ranked 3rd in the BCS, 2nd in both the Coaches and AP Poll, at 10–1, whereas Florida came into the game ranked 7th in the BCS at 10–2. Sponsored by Nokia, the game was officially known as the Nokia Sugar Bowl.

2001 Nokia Sugar Bowl
BCS Bowl Game 67th Sugar Bowl
Miami Hurricanes Florida Gators (10–1) (10–2) Big East SEC 37 20 Head coach:  Butch Davis Head coach:  Steve Spurrier AP Coaches BCS 2 2 3 AP Coaches BCS 7 7 7
1 2 3 4 Total Miami 10 3 14 10 37 Florida 7 3 7 3 20
Date	January 2, 2001
Season	2000
Stadium	Louisiana Superdome
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
MVP	Ken Dorsey (QB, Miami)
Favorite	Miami by 6 (58.5) [1]
Referee	Hal Dowden (Big XII)
Attendance	64,407
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC
Announcers	Brent Musburger (Play by Play) Gary Danielson (Analyst) Jack Arute (Sideline)
Nielsen ratings	13.0
Sugar Bowl  < 2000  2002 >

Teams

The Sugar Bowl during the BCS era usually selected the SEC champion, meaning that the winner of the SEC in 2000, Florida received an invitation to the Sugar Bowl. Their opponent would be Big East champion Miami, re-igniting a rivalry between the two teams, who hadn't faced off since 1987, when their annual series was ended due to an increase in conference games for the Gators.

Miami Hurricanes

Main article: 2000 Miami Hurricanes football team

Miami went undefeated in Big East conference play to win the conference title and earn a BCS berth as their conference's champion. The Hurricanes were seen as contender to play Oklahoma for the national title, however Florida State, a team Miami had defeated in the regular season, was selected leading to controversy over the BCS ranking system. Miami entered the bowl with a 10–1 record (7–0 in conference).

Florida Gators

Main article: 2000 Florida Gators football team

Florida defeated Auburn in the 2000 SEC Championship Game to earn a berth in the Sugar Bowl as their conference's champion. Florida entered the bowl with a 10–2 record (7–1 in conference).

Game summary

Florida started the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Florida quarterback Rex Grossman to tight end Kirk Wells. Miami responded with a 44-yard Todd Sievers field goal to trim the lead to 7–3. Later in the quarter, quarterback Ken Dorsey fired an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeremy Shockey, and Miami took a 10–7 lead after 1 quarter.

Todd Sievers kicked a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter to extend the lead to 13–7. Florida kicker Jeff Chandler kicked a 51-yard field goal before halftime to get the Gators to 13–10. In the third quarter, running back Earnest Graham rushed 36 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, and Florida took a 17–13 lead.

Ken Dorsey later fired a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back D.J. Williams, and Miami reclaimed the lead, 20–17. A Ken Dorsey touchdown later in the quarter increased the lead to 27–17. Florida got within 27–20 following a Jeff Chandler field goal, but Miami scored the game's final 10 points to close the scoring.

The game featured a rare penalty incurred by a mascot. Sebastian the Ibis received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration when he celebrated a Miami touchdown with Najeh Davenport.^[2]

Many believe the Hurricanes were worthy of a national title shot against Oklahoma. After all, the Canes did defeat the Noles earlier in the season and the debate was a serious discussion. Ultimately, Miami would have their day going on to win the title the following season. They had a shot at a repeat in the 2002–03 season, but lost in a classic double overtime thriller against Ohio State.

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MIA FLA 1 10:48 FLA Kirk Wells 23-yard touchdown reception from Rex Grossman, Jeff Chandler kick good 0 7 1 8:46 MIA 44-yard field goal by Todd Sievers 3 7 1 0:50 MIA Jeremy Shockey 8-yard touchdown reception from Ken Dorsey, Todd Sievers kick good 10 7 2 10:44 MIA 29-yard field goal by Todd Sievers 13 7 2 4:21 FLA 51-yard field goal by Jeff Chandler 13 10 3 13:10 FLA Earnest Graham 36-yard touchdown run, Todd Sievers kick good 13 17 3 8:23 MIA D.J. Williams 19-yard touchdown reception from Ken Dorsey, Todd Sievers kick good 20 17 3 3:30 MIA Najeh Davenport 2-yard touchdown reception from Ken Dorsey, Todd Sievers kick good 27 17 4 12:50 FLA 26-yard field goal by Jeff Chandler 27 20 4 7:48 MIA 29-yard field goal by Todd Sievers 30 20 4 4:21 MIA Najeh Davenport 3-yard touchdown run, Todd Sievers kick good 37 20 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 37 20

Statistics

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Hurricanes	10	3	14	10	37
No. 7 Gators	7	3	7	3	20

Statistics	MIA	FLA
First downs	28	25
Plays–yards	84–454	73–452
Rushes–yards	43–184	20–140
Passing yards	270	312
Passing: comp–att–int	22–40–2	24–51–3
Time of possession	35:19	24:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami	Passing	Ken Dorsey	22/40, 270 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Clinton Portis	18 car, 97 yds
	Receiving	Santana Moss	6 rec, 89 yds
Florida	Passing	Rex Grossman	18/41, 252 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Earnest Graham	15 car, 136 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Reche Caldwell	6 rec, 110 yds

References

1. "Orange Bowl Odds: College football". Vegasinsider. January 1, 2003. p. C10. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
2. "Bowl Championship Series - Miami mascot gets hit with unsportsmanlike conduct penalty". Archived from the original on April 8, 2004.