2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

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2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers McNeese State Cowboys
(11–3)(12–1)
Gateway Southland
3414
Head coach: 
Jack Harbaugh 		Head coach: 
Tommy Tate
TSN Seed
15—
TSN Seed
11
1234Total
Western Kentucky71071034
McNeese State068014
DateDecember 20, 2002
Season 2002
Stadium Finley Stadium
Location Chattanooga, Tennessee
Referee A. Bellows [1]
Attendance12,360 [1]
United States TV coverage
Network ESPN2 [2]
Announcers Ron Franklin (play-by-play), Mike Gottfried (color), Adrian Karsten (sideline) [2]
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
 < 2001 2003 > 

The 2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the McNeese State Cowboys. The game was played on December 20, 2002, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Western Kentucky, 34–14.

Contents

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2002 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky started their season with a loss to Kansas State of Division I-A, and the team was 2–3 after their first five games. They then won six games in a row, to finish their regular season with an 8–3 record (7–1 in conference). Unseeded in the playoffs, the Hilltoppers defeated Murray State, second-seed Western Illinois, and third-seed Georgia Southern to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Western Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game.

McNeese State Cowboys

McNeese State finished their regular season with a 9–1 record (6–0 in conference); their only loss was to Nebraska of Division I-A. [3] The Cowboys, seeded first in the tournament, defeated Montana State, Montana, and Villanova to reach the final. This was the second appearance for McNeese State in a Division I-AA championship game, having lost in 1997.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP WKUMSU
19:365273:01WKU Jeremi Johnson 16-yard touchdown reception from Jason Michael, Peter Martinez kick good70
214:514881:53WKUJon Frazier 55-yard touchdown run, Martinez kick good140
27:3210564:37MSU30-yard field goal by John Marino143
24:556432:37WKU40-yard field goal by Martinez173
20:077190:48MSU24-yard field goal by John Marino176
311:034711:05WKUFrazier 14-yard touchdown run, Martinez kick good246
33:498752:13MSU Luke Lawton 15-yard touchdown reception from Scott Pendarvis, 2-point pass good (Jeff Hamilton from Pendarvis)2414
413:4910795:00WKU Jason Michael 2-yard touchdown run, Martinez kick good3114
42:51421:36WKU23-yard field goal by Martinez3414
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.3414

[1] [4]

Game statistics

1234Total
Hilltoppers71071034
Cowboys068014
McNeese State wide receiver B. J. Sams BJ Sams cropped.jpg
McNeese State wide receiver B. J. Sams
StatisticsWKUMSU
First downs1326
Plays–yards60–38082–405
Rushes–yards50–19534–137
Passing yards185268
Passing: comp–att–int6–10–025–48–3
Time of possession30:1829:42
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Western KentuckyPassing Jason Michael 6–10, 185 yds, 1 TD
RushingJon Frazier27 car, 169 yds, 2 RD
Receiving Jeremi Johnson 3 rec, 90 yds, 1 TD
McNeese StatePassingScott Pendarvis21–38, 244 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingMarcus Trahan12 car, 82 yds
Receiving B. J. Sams 7 rec, 69 yds

[1] [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Western Kentucky University Football Box Score". Western Kentucky University. December 20, 2002. Retrieved February 3, 2019– via sidearmsports.com.
  2. 1 2 "Western Kentucky Vs Mcneese State 2002". June 11, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2019– via YouTube.
  3. ↑ "McNeese St Cowboys, 2002 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs (box score)". Los Angeles Times . December 21, 2002. p. D12. Retrieved February 3, 2019– via newspapers.com.

Further reading

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