2002 Michigan State Spartans football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 2002 Michigan State Spartans football Michigan State Spartans wordmark.svg Big Ten Conference Big Ten 4–8 2–6 Bobby Williams 3rd first 9 games Morris Watts interim, final 3 games Morris Watts 12th Bill Miller 4th Spartan Stadium The 2002 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Bobby Williams in his third and final season as head, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 4–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, tying for eighth place in the Big Ten. William was fired after the ninth game of the season. Michigan State offensive coordinator Morris Watts was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the year. The team played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans' record of 4–8 was the program's worst record since the 1994 season. Schedule 2002 AP Eastern August 31 3:30 p.m. w y 18 Eastern Michigan Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 56–7 73,927 September 7 1:05 p.m. w y 15 Rice Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI 27–10 74,014 September 14 12:00 p.m. l y 15 California Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN2 22–46 72,634 September 21 3:30 p.m. l y Notre Dame 12 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry ABC 17–21 75,182 September 28 1:05 p.m. w Northwestern Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI 39–24 74,215 October 12 12:00 p.m. l y Iowa 17 Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA ESPN 16–44 70,397 October 19 12:00 p.m. l y Minnesota Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 7–28 74,232 October 26 7:00 p.m. l Wisconsin Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN2 24–42 74,504 November 2 12:00 p.m. l y Michigan 15 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI rivalry ESPN2 3–49 111,542 November 9 1:00 p.m. w y Indiana Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN rivalry 56–21 29,253 November 16 12:00 p.m. l Purdue Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 42–45 72,828 November 23 3:30 p.m. l y Penn State 15 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry ABC 7–61 108,755 Rankings 15 18 18 15 15 RV RV RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 18 17 15 15 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 7 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 8 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Roster 2002 Michigan State Spartans f 69 Fr Kyle Cook Kyle Cook (American football) OL y 73 jr Brian Ottney (C) Brian Ottney OL y 51 Fr Chris Morris Chris Morris (American football, born 1983) C y 1 Jr Charles Rogers Charles Rogers (wide receiver) WR y 9 Jr Jeff Smoker QB y 5 Fr Drew Stanton QB y 76 So Will Whitticker G y 95 Jr Matthias Askew DE y 42 Jr Mike Labinjo LB y 99 Fr Brandon McKinney DE y 55 So Matt Ott LB 97 Jr Kyle Rasmussen DT 36 Fr Eric Smith Eric Smith (safety) DB y yes 44 So Ronald Stanley LB y 16 So Dave Rayner K y https://web.archive.org/web/20030210122122/http://msuspartans.ocsn.com:80/sports/m-footbl/mtt/msu-m-footbl-mtt.html Bobby Williams (fired after Michigan game) Morris Watts – interim head coach (finished last three games) 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 2020-12-31 Draft picks 2003 NFL draft 1 2 yes Detroit Lions Charles Rogers Charles Rogers (wide receiver) WR 2002 References Michigan State Category:Michigan State Spartans football seasons Michigan State Spartans football