Final Record: Overall: 8-4; SEC: 5-3
Team Captains:
Tim Wansley, CB
Jermaine Phillips, ROV
Verron Haynes, TB
Curt McGill, C

Richt Leads 'Dogs To Wins Over Tennessee, Tech, Top 25 Finish In First Year

Mark Richt made a great first impression. He generated an atmosphere of excitement and unity among the Georgia people as he made his way around the state from January to August. Georgia supporters and fans became impressed with his sincerity, openness, family values, and the casual and genuine way he carried himself.

They liked his ideas on building a football program, his commitment to discipline, and the importance he placed on standards of excellence. Fans liked what they saw on the field, too. As the regular season came to a close, he had become the first Georgia coach since H.J. Stegeman in 1920 to win eight games in his inaugural season. He had also handed Tennessee its only regular season defeat (in Knoxville no less) and beaten arch rival Georgia Tech (for the first time since 1997). And he had a 4-0 record on the opponents' home turf beating Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech on the road.

The 'Dogs also finished ranked in the nation's Top 25 for the fifth consecutive season.

Georgia's Attendance Average Ranks Sixth Nationally

Georgia's average home football attendance of 86,520 ranked sixth best in the country for the 2001 season according to NCAA statistics. The 86,520 figure represents a sellout in all six Bulldog home games. The sixth-place finish marks the 15th time in the last 20 years that Georgia has ranked among the nation's top six teams in average home attendance. It's also the 19th time in the last 20 years the Bulldogs have finished among the top seven.

Honors

#45 Boss Bailey (SLB)

  • Pre-Season Butkus Award Watch List
  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-SEC 2nd Team
  • SEC Coaches All-SEC 2nd Team

#8 Terrence Edwards (SE)

  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-SEC 2nd Team
  • *SEC Media Pre-Season All-SEC 2nd Team

#82 Fred Gibson (SE)

  • Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention
  • SEC Coaches Freshman All-SEC
  • The Sporting News Freshman All-America 2nd Team
  • Knoxville News Sentinel All-SEC Freshmen Team

#42 Tony Gilbert (MLB)

  • Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention

#19 Charles Grant (RE)

  • Associated Press All-SEC 2nd Team
  • SEC Coaches All-SEC 2nd Team

#14 David Greene (QB)

  • SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 6 vs. UT)
  • Associated Press SEC Freshman of the Year
  • SEC Coaches Freshman of the Year
  • Knoxville News Sentinel SEC Freshman of the Year
  • SEC Coaches Freshman All-SEC
  • The Sporting News Freshman All-America 2nd Team
  • Knoxville News Sentinel All-SEC Freshmen Team

#83 Jonathan Kilgo (P)

  • Ray Guy Award Finalist (1 of 10)
  • Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention

#95 Brett Kirouac (PK)

  • 2001 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team

#54 Curt McGill (C)

  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-SEC 2nd Team
  • Associated Press All-SEC Second Team
  • SEC Coaches All-SEC 2nd Team

#86 Randy McMichael (TE)

  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-SEC 2nd Team
  • Associated Press All-SEC First Team
  • SEC Coaches All-SEC First Team

#5 Jermaine Phillips (ROV)

  • Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention
  • Vince Dooley Most Valuable Player of the Year
    (Award as voted on by Georgia coaching staff)

#47 David Pollack (DT)

  • SEC Coaches Freshman All-SEC
  • Knoxville News Sentinel All-SEC Freshmen Team
  • The Sporting News Freshman All-America Fourth Team

#78 Jon Stinchcomb (OT)

  • Football News 2nd Team All-American, All-SEC First Team
  • Associated Press All-SEC First Team
  • SEC Coaches All-SEC 2nd Team
  • Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
  • Outland Trophy Award Watch List
  • 2001 American Coaches Assoc. Good Works Team
  • 2001 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team
  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-America 2nd Team
  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-SEC 1st Team
  • Lindy's Pre-Season All-America 2nd Team
  • *SEC Media Pre-Season All-SEC 1st Team
  • AFCA National Good Works Team
  • SEC Good Works Team

#2 Tim Wansley (CB)

  • Pre-Season Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
  • The Sporting News Pre-Season All-SEC 1st Team
  • *SEC Media Pre-Season All-SEC 1st Team
  • Associated Press All-SEC First Team
    (As voted on by members of attendees at the SEC Football Media Day)

Boston College Snaps Bulldogs' Bowl Win Steak

Nashville, Tenn. -- Running back William Green scored a 7-yard touchdown with 4:43 remaining to lift Boston College to a 20-16 win over Georgia at the Music City Bowl. Green rushed for 149 yards and the one touchdown to garner Most Valuable Player honors.

The Bulldogs ended the 2001 season with an 8-4 record. Boston College extended the Big East's mark in the Music City Bowl to 4-0 against the Southeastern Conference and snapped the Bulldogs' four-game win streak in bowls.

Running back Verron Haynes capped his Georgia career with 132 yards on 27 carries, including a 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter. That touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 16-10 lead with 5:26 left in the third quarter, an advantage that held up until Green's go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

Haynes had four straight games with 100 yards or more to end the season, the first Bulldog to accomplish that feat since Garrison Hearst in 1992.

Georgia quarterback David Greene completed 22-of-38 passes for 288 yards. Greene hooked up with fellow freshman Fred Gibson on Georgia's second play from scrimmage for a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Turnovers were costly as Greene was intercepted twice and Haynes and running back Musa Smith each lost fumbles. Boston College didn't have any turnovers in the game.

The Bulldogs began the game with some trickery as Gibson (pictured right) took the opening kickoff and gave a reverse handoff to Decory Bryant, who raced 86 yards (a Georgia bowl record) to the Boston College 18. On Georgia's second play, Greene found Gibson on a swing pass and the freshman receiver fought his way into the end zone from 15 yards out. Kicker Billy Bennett's PAT gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead just 55 seconds into the contest.

The Eagles answered with a 25-yard field goal by Sandro Sciortino and the first quarter ended with the Bulldogs leading 7-3.

Boston College grabbed the lead in the second quarter when quarterback Brian St. Pierre threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dedrick Dewalt. The play was set up by Green's 75-yard run, the longest play allowed by the Bulldogs this season.

Sciortino then converted from 26 yards out to give the Eagles a 13-7 lead. The Bulldogs answered with Bennett's 24-yard field goal as Georgia trailed 13-10 at the break. Haynes' third-quarter touchdown gave the Bulldogs their final lead of the contest.

The Bulldogs' all-time bowl record is now 19-15-3. Georgia was making its first appearance in the Music City Bowl.

Worth Noting...

  • With the loss, Georgia ended a streak of four straight bowl game victories, the longest in school history.
  • Georgia's 177 total kickoff return yards was the most in a bowl by the Bullodgs. Decory Bryant's 86-yard kickoff return in the first quarter was the longest in Georgia's bowl history, besting Arthur Marshall's 51-yard return in the 1991 Independence Bowl.

Boston College 3 10 0 7 20
Georgia 7 3 6 0 16
GA- F. Gibson 15-yd pass from D. Greene (B. Bennett kick), 1st Q 14:05
BC- S. Sciortino 25-yd field goal, 1st Q 1:43
BC- D. Dewalt 10-yd pass from B. St. Pierre (S. Sciortino kick), 2nd Q 9:09
BC- S. Sciortino 26-yd field goal, 2nd Q 3:05
GA- B. Bennett 24-yd field goal, 2nd Q 0:39
GA- V. Haynes 1-yd run (B. Bennett kick failed), 3rd Q 5:26
GA- Gary 21-yard pass from C. Phillips (Bennett kick), 4th Q 13:13
BC- W. Green 7-yd run (S. Sciortino kick), 4th Q 4:43