2002 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

2002 Western Carolina Catamounts football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	5–6 (3–5 SoCon)
Head coach	Kent Briggs (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Geoff Collins (1st season)
Home stadium	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
Seasons ←  2001 2003  →

2002 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 Georgia Southern $^		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 14 Wofford		6	–	2					9	–	3
No. 10 Appalachian State ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
No. 9 Furman ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
VMI		3	–	5					6	–	6
Western Carolina		3	–	5					5	–	6
East Tennessee State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Chattanooga		2	–	6					2	–	10
The Citadel		1	–	7					3	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

The 2002 Western Carolina Catamounts team represented Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) in the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Catamounts were led by first-year head coach head coach Kent Briggs and played their home games at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Western Carolina compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the SoCon.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	at Liberty *	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA		W 23–3	8,375	[1]
September 7	at Auburn *	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	PPV	L 0–56	80,067	[2]
September 14	West Virginia Tech *	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		W 47–3	5,121	[3]
September 21	at The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC		W 37–34	14,105	[4]
September 28	East Tennessee State	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		L 7–27	8,121	[5]
October 5	at No. 5 Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC		L 23–24	13,125	[6]
October 12	No. 16 Georgia Southern	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		L 24–41	7,749	[7]
October 19	at Wofford	Gibbs Stadium Spartanburg, SC		L 24–31	8,182	[8]
October 26	Chattanooga	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		W 45–28	7,021	[9]
November 2	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA		W 35–23	5,820	[10]
November 9	No. 8 Appalachian State	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC (rivalry)		L 14–24	10,321	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "Western Carolina routs Liberty". The Greenville News. September 1, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "AU gets an emotional rescue". The Huntsville Times. September 8, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Western wins in romp". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 15, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "The Citadel falls to Catamounts". The Times and Democrat. September 22, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Bucs pick up second straight win". Johnson City Press. September 29, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Furman pulls out narrow win over WCU". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 6, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Eagles overwhelm Cats". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 13, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Terriers wear down Catamounts". The Greenville News. October 20, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cats beat Mocs, end skid". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 27, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Keydets' win streak ends at 3". The Daily News Leader. November 3, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "ASU beats WCU to keep playoff hopes alive". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 17, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. "2021 Western Carolina Catamount Football Media Guide" (PDF). Cullowhee, North Carolina: Western Carolina University Athletics. 2021. p. 123. Retrieved November 22, 2021.