Week 3 of season reminiscing -- 2001

[adk(roc)CUSE]

Towards the end of my season ticket years. I was living in Syracuse then, Regency Tower on James Street. My dad at this point would drive down from the Adirondacks solo and we would go to the games. I remember him calling me before the Auburn game saying he probably wouldn't be able to make it because he had hit a deer on his motorcycle. He was pretty banged up. He really wanted to make that game too as a vet. Instead my sister came, I think it was her first Cuse football game.

 

[Scooch]

I helped organize a massive tailgate for my friends at the Kickoff Classic game. I think we had 60-70 people spread across spots in the Giants Stadium parking lot. Was so elaborate that we ended on on the Fox 5 news that night.

I seem to recall that was the first game with our “new offense”... which mostly seemed to involve a ton of pre-snap motion and not much else.

As Tom mentioned, Freeney had the most dominating season I’ve even seen from a defensive player. Quentin Harris was also a monster in the secondary, and James Mungro pretty much was the offense.

2001 was the first season since 1992 where I felt like we didn’t stub our toe against an inferior team. There was no shame in losing to GaTech, Tenn and Miami that year in neutral/road sites.

I also recall the 2001 post season saw the decommissioning of an infamous web site.

 

[Shenexon]

9/11 erased 2001 for me. I didn't go to a single game, nor do I remember watching a game. I was working for FEMA in 2001 and the world changed in an instant, on many levels. I'm glad to be back to football in the fall...

9/11 season.

Tough one.

Went to Ga Tech, should’ve gone to Tennessee, then the world changed.

Went to @Rutgers, then BC @ the Dome.

Remember watching auburn on tv which I had a ticket for, but didn’t go up..and that big W made me want to go to the BC game... which I ws doing annually back then.

But I was still not ready to really let go of shlit and had a hard time having fun throwing the aforementioned food at Lil Joe. Still a good time though. Remember sneaking a lot of beer to the board ‘tech guy’ at the time. It was some 17 or 18 year old HS kid named Rob. Is he still here?

 

[Doc5120]

For whatever reason I don't remember much, really anything about the G. Tech & Tennessee games, which is a good thing based on the scores.

I remember watching the V. Tech game in my dorm room, and Riddle's punt return is clear as day in my head. What a great victory that was.

I also remember going to the Pitt game and enjoying a trip to the Gold Club (gentlemens club) later that night. One of my buddies who was with me hit up the Gold Club ATM on 4 separate occasions that night. Those girls took him for every penny his 19 year old self had.

 

[Brian Orange]

My junior year on the hill! A randomly good post McNabb season for Pasqualoni. Probably bought him a few more years which probably just hurt the program in the long run. I digress.

My random thoughts from this season (PS - I love this thread).

Georgia Tech - was so pumped for this game! I think it was the first college game of the year. If I remember correctly, this game was added to the schedule late in the spring

Tennessee - just remember the team being so sloppy and Mike Golic almost like making fun of us on the broadcast.

UCF - nothing stands out about this game but I I think it was sneaky close. They may have thrown a Hail Mary TD right before the half.

Auburn - what a night. Pataki was there. So much emotion. I think I remember it being the largest first post 9/11 gathering in New York state or something similar to that.

ECU - really fun game. David Garrard. Loved that guy in the NFL probably because of this game.

Rutgers - don't remember much from this game but do remember the games at Rutgers during my time on the hill were always too close.

Pittsburgh - Will Hunter big late INT TD. Did someone say we haven't won at Pitt since? Pitt had a OLineman Rob Petiti or similar to that and he totally bottled up Freeney that day.

Temple - we wore those hideous Orange jerseys

WVU - nothing stands out about this game.

Miami - I'll put this Miami team and their 2000 team against ANY other team in college history. They were loaded. We had a nice record but in reality Miami was way, way, way better than us.

Tech - The Lollipop game! Can't believe nobody has mentioned that yet. VT accused our holder of using a lollipop stick to help on FGs or something.

BC - Feel like this game was sneaky close. William Green killed us. He was really good.

K-State - we were all mad we should have been in the Gator Bowl on New Year' Day but they took Virginia Teach instead

 

[SUFaninNJ]

When I saw this thread my immediate thoughts were:
1) Freeney was a beast
2) Lollipop at Va Tech
3) The emotion of that Auburn game

 

[GoSU96]

Great season, GT was a shame.

Auburn win was one of the top moments in Dome history.

Another example of Jake's insane scheduling.

Hey we're going to Tennessee, have Auburn coming in, in the odd year with VT and UM on the road, I have a great idea, let's go play an ACC team in the kickoff classic.

 

[sufandu]

Great season, GT was a shame.

Auburn win was one of the top moments in Dome history.

Another example of Jake's insane scheduling.

Hey we're going to Tennessee, have Auburn coming in, in the odd year with VT and UM on the road, I have a great idea, let's go play an ACC team in the kickoff classic.

I bet the kickoff classic decision had something to do with the CNY connection to O'Leary. I don't think Auburn was considered much of a worry. They had a good team in 2000 but had losing records in '98 and '99. When we were scheduling those games we still had the temple and rutgers creampuffs built into our schedule and we didn't think we would have the post McNabb slide.

 

[clayman32]

Lots of jogged memories from this thread. I would have figured the binge drinking back then would have erased them. Mckinney holding Freeney all game, Riddle's punt return in Blacksburg, the national anthem before Auburn, and the beatdown in Knoxville are most prominent

One thing that just came to me about the Ga Tech game had nothing to do with the game at all. Didn't Aaliyah die that day? I vaguely remember an ABC news special report cutting in during the game that showed her crashed plane. Just kind of a random, weird memory that sticks out in my head

 

[HOFCeluck]

Didn't Aaliyah die that day?

Yeah. It was this, the KO Classic and me moving into my Suite Junior year on the same day. Crazy what we remember.

ETA actually it was the day before so nm

 

[phillydad]

Season started out a little shaky with disappointing performances against GT and Tenn, but then we hit our stride winning 8 in a row, led by arguably the best player in college football that year Dwight Freeney. The Auburn game was one of the more special days in Dome history right after 9/11. East Carolina was an exciting comeback led by Troy Nunes after RJ went down. The Virginia Tech win signified that we were officially for real. I personally went to every home game and then the game at Pitt which was our first and only win at Heinz Field.

Did anyone here attend?
-the game at Tennessee? What was Neyland like?
-the win at #5 Va Tech?
-the Insight.com blowout against K State?

View attachment 164309

Going strictly on memory, no googling.
Georgia Tech, attended, remember being down a score with a few mts to play around our own 30. I always liked Nunes but had little confidence that he would take us down the field.

Tenn - didn't they score on their first play, to Donte Stallworth?

UCF - Brian Orange is correct, they scored on a long pass right before halftime, I thought, here we go again.

Auburn - They had no shot, coming from Alabama to NY post 9/11. Jason Campbell, deer/headlights.

ECU - was there when the ref went down. Parent's weekend?

At Rutgers - Not sure why I did not attend, it would have been our only win there that I would see if I did.

At Pitt - I thought this game was much closer. Bonehead play by Antonio Bryant at some point?

Temple - I remember walking the corridors at halftime and seeing a lone Templefan in a jersey.

at Vtech - Riddle 2x nuff said. Seemed like it took forever for the game to end.

WVU - no recollection

at Miami - was out, listened on radio, turned off, payback for 98.

BC - no recollection.

KSU bowl - in Fla for the holidays. Great end to the season.

 

[Eric15]

At Pitt - I thought this game was much closer. Bonehead play by Antonio Bryant at some point?

Pitt was winning 10-7 at halftime and then we just blew their doors off in the second half winning 42-10.