The 2001 Bridgewater College football team took its fans, alumni, staff and students on a ride that ended with an appearance in the Stagg Bowl - the Division III national championship football game.
After rolling through the 2001 regular season undefeated, the Eagles won three straight playoff games to earn a trip to the Stagg Bowl where the Eagles played perennial national power Mount Union in front of a sellout crowd at Salem Stadium and a national television audience.
In recognition of the outstanding season, the 2001 Bridgewater College football team is the first "Team of Distinction" recognized by the College.
Bridgewater went toe-to-toe with the powerful Purple Raiders in the national championship game. The Eagles scored on their first play from scrimmage when quarterback Jason Lutz connected with Marcus Richardson on a 67-yard scoring pass for an early 7-0 lead. Mount Union led 23-13 at the half and stretched the lead to 30-13 in the third quarter.
Bridgewater rallied to pull within 30-27 with two fourth-quarter scores, one on a pass from Lutz to Brian Ratliff and the second on a 3-yard run by Lutz. Following the Lutz scoring run, the Raiders recovered an onside kick with just 1:55 left to play and then ran out the clock to hold off the Eagles.
The Eagles opened the 2001 season with a tough 29-20 victory over Western Maryland, the start of a perfect 9-0 regular season. Bridgewater played just nine games in 2001 as its road game at Christopher Newport, scheduled for Sept. 15, was cancelled due to the tragedy of 9/11.
Bridgewater survived several tough conference games – all on the road - on its way to the ODAC Championship.
The Eagles won a shootout at Hampden-Sydney, 48-42, and defeated then-ODAC power Emory & Henry, 28-14.
The week following the E&H win, the Eagles rallied from a 7-0 halftime deficit to defeat Washington and Lee 34-28 in overtime. Bridgewater stopped the Generals on their first possession of overtime and then, on its first offensive play, tight end Van Williams caught a 25-yard pass from quarterback Jason Lutz for the winning score.
The Eagles capped off the regular season with two comfortable wins, 62-15 over Randolph-Macon and 55-13 over Catholic to claim the program’s second ODAC title and its first since the 1980 season.
The Eagles stayed home for the playoffs, winning three straight games at Jopson Field.
Bridgewater opened the playoffs by outscoring Trinity (Texas), 41-37, and then followed that victory with a dominant performance over Widener, winning 57-32.
Bridgewater punched its ticket to the national title game when the Eagles scored on the final play of the game to defeat Rowan, 29-24. Quarterback Jason Lutz connected with wide receiver Brian Ratliff for the game-winning touchdown.
The Bridgewater offense was one of the most prolific in the nation, averaging almost 45 points per game during the 2001 regular season.
Five members of the 2001 team earned All-America honors and two players – quarterback Jason Lutz and linebacker Jermaine Taylor – are recent inductees into the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame.
2001 Results
Bridgewater 29, Western Maryland 20
Bridgewater 48, Shenandoah 0
Bridgewater 50, Johns Hopkins 27
Bridgewater 48, Hampden-Sydney 42
Bridgewater 49, Guilford 14
Bridgewater 28, Emory & Henry 14
Bridgewater 34, Washington and Lee 28 (OT)
Bridgewater 62, Randolph-Macon 15
Bridgewater 55, Catholic 13
Bridgewater 41, Trinity 37 (NCAA First Round)
Bridgewater 57, Widener 32 (NCAA Quarterfinals)
Bridgewater 29, Rowan 24 (NCAA Semifinals)
Mount Union 30, Bridgewater 27 (Stagg Bowl)
