# 2002 Washington Huskies football team

The 2002 Washington Huskies football team was an American football team that represented the University of Washington during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fourth season under head coach Rick Neuheisel, the team compiled a 7–6 record, finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Pacific-10 Conference, and outscored its opponents by a combined total of 398 to 342. Cody Pickett and Ben Mahdavi were selected as the team's most valuable player offensive and defensive players, respectively.

## Northwest Championship

Following the UCLA game, the Huskies had a 4–5 record, 1–4 against Pac-10 opponents, and had lost 4 of the last 5 games. The Huskies were at serious risk of a losing season, their first since 1974, and of missing a bowl game.
Through rare happenstance, Washington was scheduled to play the three other Pacific Northwest schools in order to end the season. Neuheisel, sensing an opportunity to motivate his team, declared that despite the thus far disappointing season the Huskies were still fighting to win the "Northwest Championship" by sweeping Oregon State, Oregon, and Washington State in their remaining games.
It was a successful rallying cry, and the Huskies first beat Oregon State. The next week they won at Autzen Stadium, their first win against Oregon at home since 1996. The Huskies capped the season with a triple-overtime victory over No. 3 Washington State in the Apple Cup, claiming the Northwest Championship with back-to-back-to-back wins over the other northwest schools.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 13 Michigan* | No. 11 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (College GameDay) | ABC | L 29–31 | 111,491 |
| September 7 | 12:30 p.m. | San Jose State* | No. 11 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FSN | W 34–10 | 70,147 |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Wyoming* | No. 11 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FSN | W 38–7 | 72,898 |
| September 28 | 12:30 p.m. | Idaho* | No. 13 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FSN | W 41–27 | 70,070 |
| October 5 | 12:30 p.m. | California | No. 12 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FSN | L 27–34 | 71,337 |
| October 12 | 12:30 p.m. | Arizona | No. 22 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FSN | W 32–28 | 71,016 |
| October 19 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 19 USC | No. 22 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | ABC | L 21–41 | 52,961 |
| October 26 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 23 Arizona State | | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | FSN | L 16–27 | 56,101 |
| November 2 | 4:00 p.m. | UCLA | | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | TBS | L 24–34 | 72,017 |
| November 9 | 12:30 p.m. | Oregon State | | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FSN | W 41–29 | 72,557 |
| November 16 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 23 Oregon | | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR (rivalry) | ABC | W 42–14 | 57,112 |
| November 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 3 Washington State | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA (Apple Cup) | FSN | W 29–26 $^{3OT}$ | 37,600 |
| December 31 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Purdue* | | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX (Sun Bowl) | CBS | L 24–34 | 48,917 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Roster

    Source:

## Team players in the NFL

No Washington players were selected in the 2003 NFL draft.
The following finished their college career in 2002, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.
| Player | Position | First NFL team |
| Paul Arnold | Wide receiver | Indianapolis Colts |
| Kevin Ware | Tight end | Washington Redskins |