2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

College football game the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game the 2002 Division I-A (now FBS) championship game 2002 Rose Bowl August 2023 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship I-AA National Championship Game 2002 NCAA Division I-AA 2002 December 20 Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 11–3 Gateway Jack Harbaugh 15 — 7 10 7 10 McNeese State University McNeese State Cowboys 12–1 Southland Tommy Tate 1 1 0 6 8 0 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee A. Bellows 12,360 ESPN2 Ron Franklin (play-by-play), Mike Gottfried (color), Adrian Karsten (sideline)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pgVNLDDYCk Western Kentucky Vs Mcneese State 2002 June 11, 2018 February 3, 2019 YouTube 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. 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 2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team 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 2002 McNeese State Cowboys football team 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.http://cfbinfo.com/team/mcneese-state-cowboys/2002 McNeese St Cowboys, 2002 Schedule cfbinfo.com February 3, 2019 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 WKU MSU 1 9:36 WKU 5 27 3:01 RecTD Jeremi Johnson Jason Michael 16 good Peter Martinez 7 0 2 14:51 WKU 4 88 1:53 RushTD Jon Frazier 55 good Martinez 14 0 2 7:32 MSU 10 56 4:37 FG 30 John Marino 14 3 2 4:55 WKU 6 43 2:37 FG 40 Martinez 17 3 2 0:07 MSU 7 19 0:48 FG 24 John Marino 17 6 3 11:03 WKU 4 71 1:05 RushTD Frazier 14 good Martinez 24 6 3 3:49 MSU 8 75 2:13 RecTD Luke Lawton Scott Pendarvis 15 pass good (Jeff Hamilton from Pendarvis) 24 14 4 13:49 WKU 10 79 5:00 RushTD Jason Michael 2 good Martinez 31 14 4 2:51 WKU 4 2 1:36 FG 23 Martinez 34 14 34 14 https://wku_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/sports/m-footbl/stats/122002aaa.html Western Kentucky University Football Box Score Western Kentucky University sidearmsports.com December 20, 2002 February 3, 2019https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27996039/ncaa_division_iaa_playoffs_box_score/ NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs (box score) Los Angeles Times D12 December 21, 2002 February 3, 2019 newspapers.com Game statistics Hilltoppers 7 10 7 10 Cowboys 0 6 8 0 thumb|right|upright|McNeese State wide receiver B. J. Sams Western Kentucky Hilltoppers WKU McNeese State Cowboys MSU 13 60–380 50–195 185 6–10–0 30:18 26 82–405 34–137 268 25–48–3 29:42 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Western Kentucky McNeese State Cowboys McNeese State Jason Michael 6–10, 185 yds, 1 TD Jon Frazier 27 car, 169 yds, 2 RD Jeremi Johnson 3 rec, 90 yds, 1 TD Scott Pendarvis 21–38, 244 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Marcus Trahan 12 car, 82 yds B. J. Sams 7 rec, 69 yds References Further reading https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/21/sports/plus-college-football-western-kentucky-wins-i-aa-title.html Western Kentucky Wins I-AA Title AP The New York Times December 21, 2002 February 3, 2019 http://wkusports.com/news/2002/12/20/Hilltoppers_Win_First_Division_I_AA_Football_Championship_.aspx HILLTOPPERS WIN FIRST DIVISION I-AA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP! wkusports.com December 20, 2002 February 3, 2019 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28080949/division_iaa_poll/ Division I-AA Poll The Sports Network Missoulian Missoula, Montana D4 November 26, 2002 February 5, 2019 newspapers.com External links Western Kentucky Vs Mcneese State 2002 via YouTube Championship Game Category:21st century in Chattanooga, Tennessee Category:NCAA Division I Football Championship Games Category:McNeese Cowboys football games Category:Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football games Category:College football in Tennessee Category:American football competitions in Chattanooga, Tennessee NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game