American college football season
The 2002 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season . The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan . This was the third and final season for head coach Bobby Williams , who was replaced after the Michigan game by interim head coach Morris Watts .
The Spartans were coming off a 7–5 season which ended with a victory in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic over the Fresno State Bulldogs . However, the 2002 season turned out to be very different. The Spartans finished 4–8, their worst record since 1994, and second losing season out of the previous three. Michigan State also finished 2–6 in the Big Ten, their 3rd straight losing season in Big Ten play.
Schedule [ edit ] Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance August 31 3:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan * No. 18 ESPN+ W 56–773,927 September 7 1:05 p.m. Rice * No. 15 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI W 27–1074,014 September 14 12:00 p.m. California * No. 15 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN2 L 22–4672,634 September 21 3:30 p.m. No. 12 Notre Dame * ABC L 17–2175,182 September 28 1:05 p.m. Northwestern Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI W 39–2474,215 October 12 12:00 p.m. at No. 17 Iowa ESPN L 16–4470,397 October 19 12:00 p.m. Minnesota Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN+ L 7–2874,232 October 26 7:00 p.m. Wisconsin Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN2 L 24–4274,504 November 2 12:00 p.m. at No. 15 Michigan ESPN2 L 3–49111,542 November 9 1:00 p.m. at Indiana W 56–2129,253 November 16 12:00 p.m. Purdue Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN+ L 42–4572,828 November 23 3:30 p.m. at No. 15 Penn State ABC L 7–61108,755 *Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time
2002 Michigan State Spartans football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Morris Watts – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Reggie Mitchell – Running backs coach/assistant head coach Don Treadwell – Wide receivers coach Pat Perles – Tight ends coach Jeff Stoutland – Offensive line coach Brad Miller – Defensive coordinator Brad Lawing – Defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Danny Crossman – Special teams coordinator/linebackers coach Troy Douglas – Defensive backs coach Matt House – Graduate Assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 2020-12-31
Rankings [ edit ] Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP 18 18 15 15 RV RV RV RV — — — — — — — — Coaches 18 17 15 15 RV — — — — — — — — — — — Harris Not released — — — — — — — — Not released BCS Not released — — — — — — — Not released
Draft picks [ edit ] References [ edit ]
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold