# 2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by head coach Jack Harbaugh in his 14th and final season as head coach. They claimed a share of the Gateway Football Conference championship and made the school's third straight appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. After a rocky start, the team rallied to win their last 10 games including the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, beating McNeese State, 34–14, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked number 1 in both final 1AA postseason national polls.
This team won the school's first NCAA team championship and tied the program record for victories in a season set by the 1973 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team. Their roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Sherrod Coates, Jeremi Johnson, and Brian Claybourn, and future NFL coach Jason Michael. Coates, Chris Price, and Buster Ashley were named to the AP All American team and Harbuagh was named AFCA Coach of the Year Award. The All Conference team included Ashley, Coates, Price, Jeremy Chandler, Erik Dandy, Jon Frazier, and Daniel Withrow.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:10 pm | at Kansas State* | No. 18 | KSU StadiumManhattan, KS | L 3–48 | 45,844 |
| September 7 | 5:30 pm | Kentucky State* | No. 22 | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | W 49–0 | 9,500 |
| September 14 | 1:30 pm | Western Illinois | No. 21 | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | L 0–14 | 6,000 |
| September 21 | 5:30 pm | No. 11 Youngstown State | | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | W 13–7 | 10,100 |
| September 28 | 7:00 pm | at No. 2 McNeese State* | No. 25 | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | L 13–38 | 16,840 |
| October 5 | 4:05 pm | at No. 6 Northern Iowa | | UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA | W 31–12 | 14,684 |
| October 12 | 5:30 pm | FIU* | | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | W 56–7 | 6,000 |
| October 19 | 1:30 pm | at Southwest Missouri State | No. 24 | Plaster Sports ComplexSpringfield, MO | W 31–7 | 13,002 |
| October 26 | 4:30 pm | Indiana State | No. 22 | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | W 24–7 | 11,200 |
| November 2 | 4:30 pm | Illinois State | No. 19 | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | W 9–0 | 5,600 |
| November 16 | 1:30 pm | at Southern Illinois | No. 15 | Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL | W 48–16 | 3,203 |
| November 30 | 1:00 pm | No. 23 Murray State* | No. 15 | L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY (NCAA Division I-AA First Round, Battle for the Red Belt) | W 59–20 | 3,300 |
| December 7 | 1:00 pm | at No. 3 Western Illinois* | No. 15 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal) | W 31–28 | 3,300 |
| December 14 | 1:05 pm | at No. 2 Georgia Southern* | No. 15 | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal) | W 31–28 | 6,573 |
| December 20 | 5:30 pm | vs. No. 1 McNeese State* | No. 15 | Finley StadiumChattanooga, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game) | W 34–14 | 12,360 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| The Sports Network | 18 | 22 | 21 | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 1 (41) |

## Game summaries
### At Kansas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
at KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 6:10 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 45,844
* Referee: John Laurie
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WKU | KSU |
| First downs | 12 | 23 |
| Total yards | 183 | 412 |
| Rushing yards | 110 | 240 |
| Passing yards | 73 | 172 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:55 | 27:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Jason Michael | 7/11, 73 yards, INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Maurice Bradley | 19 rushes, 64 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Casey Rooney | 2 receptions, 28 yards |
| Kansas State | Passing | Ell Roberson | 4/8, 108 yards |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Darren Sproles | 19 rushes, 135 yards, TD |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Derrick Evans | 3 receptions, 74 yards |

### Kentucky State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thorobreds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 22 Hilltoppers | 14 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 49 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 9,500
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Kentucky State | Passing |
| Kentucky State | Rushing |
| Kentucky State | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### Western Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 21 Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 6,000
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Illinois | Passing |
| Western Illinois | Rushing |
| Western Illinois | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### No. 11 Youngstown State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 11 Penguins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 10,100
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Youngstown State | Passing |
| Youngstown State | Rushing |
| Youngstown State | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### At No. 2 McNeese State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Hilltoppers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 2 Cowboys | 14 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 16,840
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| McNeese State | Passing |
| McNeese State | Rushing |
| McNeese State | Receiving |

### At No. 6 Northern Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
| No. 6 Panthers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
at UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 4:05 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 14,684
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Northern Iowa | Passing |
| Northern Iowa | Rushing |
| Northern Iowa | Receiving |

### FIU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Hilltoppers | 21 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 56 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,000
* Referee: Bill Etzler
| Statistics | FIU | WKU |
| First downs | 7 | 28 |
| Total yards | 65 | 498 |
| Rushing yards | -7 | 401 |
| Passing yards | 72 | 97 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 23:13 | 36:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| FIU | Passing | Jamie Burke | 5/14, 75 yards, 4 INT |
| FIU | Rushing | Rashod Smith | 6 rushes, 21 yards |
| FIU | Receiving | Harold Leath | 2 receptions, 38 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Jason Michael | 6/10, 97 yards, TD, INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Jon Frazier | 15 rushes, 126 yards, TD |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Jeremi Johnson | 2 receptions, 45 yards |

### At Southwest Missouri State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Hilltoppers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Plaster Sports Complex, Springfield, Missouri
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 13,002
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Southwest Missouri State | Passing |
| Southwest Missouri State | Rushing |
| Southwest Missouri State | Receiving |

### Indiana State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Sycamores | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 22 Hilltoppers | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 11,200
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Indiana State | Passing |
| Indiana State | Rushing |
| Indiana State | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### Illinois State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 19 Hilltoppers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 5,600
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Illinois State | Passing |
| Illinois State | Rushing |
| Illinois State | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### At Southern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Hilltoppers | 7 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 48 |
| Salukis | 3 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
at Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, Illinois
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 3,203
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Southern Illinois | Passing |
| Southern Illinois | Rushing |
| Southern Illinois | Receiving |

### No. 23 Murray State (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Racers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| No. 15 Hilltoppers | 24 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 59 |
at L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 3,300
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Murray State | Passing |
| Murray State | Rushing |
| Murray State | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### At No. 3 Western Illinois (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 31 |
| No. 3 Leathernecks | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Hanson Field, Macomb, Illinois
* Date: December 7
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 3,300
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Western Illinois | Passing |
| Western Illinois | Rushing |
| Western Illinois | Receiving |

### At No. 2 Georgia Southern (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Hilltoppers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| No. 2 Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
at Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia
* Date: December 14
* Game time: 1:05 p.m. CST/2:05 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 6,573
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Georgia Southern | Passing |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving |

### Vs No. 1 McNeese State (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Hilltoppers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| No. 1 Cowboys | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 14 |
at Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
* Date: December 20
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,360
* Referee: A. Bellows
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Ron Franklin, Mike Gottfried, and Adrian Karsten
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WKU | MCN |
| First downs | 13 | 26 |
| Total yards | 380 | 405 |
| Rushing yards | 195 | 137 |
| Passing yards | 185 | 268 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:18 | 29:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Jason Michael | 6/10, 185 yards, TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Jon Frazier | 27 rushes, 159 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Jeremi Johnson | 3 receptions, 90 yards, TD |
| McNeese State | Passing | Scott Pendarvis | 21/38, 244 yards, TD, INT |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Marcus Trahan | 12 rushes, 82 yards |
| McNeese State | Receiving | B. J. Sams | 7 receptions, 69 yards |