2002 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 football 2002 Nebraska Cornhuskers Nebraska Cornhuskers logo, 1992–2003.svg 150 Big 12 Conference North Division Big 12 7–7 3–5 Frank Solich 5th Craig Bohl 3rd I formation 4–3 Memorial Stadium Independence Bowl L 23–27 vs. Ole Miss The 2002 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Frank Solich and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska finished in 4th place in the Big 12 North Division and tied for 8th conference–wide, with a final record of 7–7 (3–5). With their loss to Ole Miss in the Independence Bowl, the Huskers streak of 40 straight winning seasons came to an end. Earlier, a loss to Iowa State knocked the Huskers out of the AP Poll for the first time since October 11, 1981. The run of 348 consecutive weeks in the rankings was the longest in college football history. Schedule 2002 AP Central August 24 6:45 pm w y 10 Arizona State Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE BCA Classic ESPN 48–10 77,779 August 31 6:00 pm w y 9 Troy State Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 31–16 77,831 September 7 6:00 pm w y 9 Utah State Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 44–13 78,176 September 14 7:00 pm l y y 8 Penn State Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ABC 7–40 110,753 September 28 2:30 pm l y 20 Iowa State 19 Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA rivalry ABC 14–36 51,888 October 5 11:30 am w y McNeese State 2 (I-AA) Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE HDNet 38–14 77,192 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-huntsville-times-lord-has-no-mercy-o/177081289/ The Huntsville Times Lord has no mercy on McNeese State October 6, 2002 July 20, 2025 Newspapers.com October 12 11:30 am w Missouri Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry PPV 24–13 78,014 October 19 11:30 am l y Oklahoma State Lewis Field Stillwater, OK FSN 21–24 45,017 October 26 6:00 pm w y Texas A&M Kyle Field College Station, TX TBS 38–31 81,054 November 2 6:00 pm l Texas 7 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE FSN 24–27 78,268 November 9 12:30 pm w y Kansas Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry 45–7 77,351 November 16 11:30 am l y Kansas State 11 KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS rivalry FSN 13–49 52,221 November 29 Friday 2:30 pm l Colorado 13 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry ABC 13–28 77,804 December 27, 2002 3:30 pm l y y Ole Miss Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA Independence Bowl ESPN 23–27 46,096 Football – 2002 Schedule/Results http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=3&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&KEY=&Q_SEASON=2002 https://web.archive.org/web/20120404134253/http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=3&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&KEY=&Q_SEASON=2002 dead April 4, 2012 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Athletics May 14, 2009 Roster and coaching staff 2002 Nebraska Cornhuskers y Brandon Biodrowski 38 SE RF Jon Bowling 84 TE S Joe Chrisman 11 QB S Wes Cody 59 OG S Thunder Collins 1 IB S y Kelly Cook 32 SE J Ben Cornelsen 81 WB S Will Dabbert 80 TE S Judd Davies 4 FB J Josh Davis 25 IB J Dahrran Diedrick 30 IB S y Mike Erickson 78 OG SO M.J. Flaum 77 OT SO Isaiah Fluellen 28 WR F John Garrison 52 C S C Zach Giesselmann 39 FB RF Aaron Golliday 99 TE S Tim Green 72 OG J DeAntae Grixby 6 IB J Troy Hassebroek 89 WB S Matt Herian 42 TE F David Horne 5 IB F Richie Incognito 51 OT RF y Joel Jackson 31 WB SO Paul Kastl 37 FB S Dusty Keiser 47 TE SO John Klem 19 SE S John Knopp 46 TE F Brandon Koch 75 C RF Scott Koethe 73 OT S David Kolowski 74 C S Nate Kolterman 67 OT S Steve Kriewald 45 FB SO Mark LeFlore 27 WR F Jermaine Leslie 66 OG F Tim Liley 13 SE J Jack Limbaugh 63 C J DeWayne Long 12 WB SO Chris Loos 76 OT J Jammal Lord 10 QB J y Nate Manley 65 OT RF Kurt Mann 64 C F Mike McLaughlin 18 WB RF Ryan Mikluscak 14 SE SO Grant Miller 32 FB F Robin Miller 21 IB J Nanfwang Mutfwang 23 IB RF Brian Nelson 61 OG J Jack O'Holleran 24 WB SO Ryan Ommert 8 WB J Phil Peetz 82 TE J Gary Pike 56 OG RF Ross Pilkington 2 SE F Nick Povendo 69 OT SO Tim Reese 36 IB J Kyle Ringenberg 86 TE S Cory Ross 22 IB RF y Carson Schott 54 OG RF Matt Schroeder 85 SE RF Chris Septak 83 TE SO Josh Sewell 79 C J Alex Shada 87 TE SO Scott Siefken 17 QB SO Marques Simmons 33 IB RF Mike Stuntz 16 QB SO Junior Tagoa'i 55 OG J Wilson Thomas 9 SE S Cory Timm 57 OT F Dane Todd 41 FB F Dan Vili Waldrop 68 OT J Cody Volk 53 OG J Kiffin Wigert 20 WB SO Andy Wingender 34 FB J Matthew Woodward 44 TE RF Ben Zajicek 3 SE SO Demoine Adams 98 RRE S y Titus Adams 96 NT RF y Peter Alta 61 LRE RF Willie Amos 27 LCB J Jake Andersen 71 LG SO Matt Behrends 68 NT S Ryon Bingham 59 NT J y Cole Biodrowski 16 LCB RF Philip Bland 21 FS SO Chad Buller 39 WILL J Daniel Bullocks 14 ROV RF y Josh Bullocks 20 FS RF y Rodney Burgess 6 LCB S Dan Burrow 36 FS SO Terrell Butler 4 LCB J Adam Carriker 90 RE F y Jon Clanton 55 NT S Ira Cooper 11 SLB SO Seppo Evwaraye 97 DT RF Anthony Fisher 62 LRE F Jared Franzluebbers 41 WILL RF Gabe Fries 51 WILL S Brandon Greeson 99 DT F DeJuan Groce 5 RCB S C y Kevin Guse 26 RCB J Jared Helming 73 NT RF T.J. Hollowell 17 WILL J y Lannie Hopkins 40 ROV SO Kellen Huston 29 RCB SO Adam Ickes 49 RCB RF Trevor Johnson 88 RRE J y Trevor Johnson (American football) Patrick Kabongo 94 DT J y Chris Kelsay 57 LRE S C y Nathan Krug 95 RRE RF Kristopher Lewin 64 RE RF Brett Lindstrom 15 FS J Jason Lohr 70 NT S Derek Matteo 32 FS SO Jeff McBride 50 RRE SO Lornell McPherson 1 LCB SO Tim Miller 58 WILL J Jay Moore 44 RE F y Matt O'Shea 63 DT RF Jamie Otto 13 ROV SO Jerrell Pippens 31 FS J y Seth Rexilius 29 CB RF Pat Ricketts 28 LCB J James Roark 35 ROV SO Joey Robinson 30 RCB RF Barrett Ruud 38 MIKE SO y Steve Safranek 42 MIKE J Andrew Shanle 8 FS F Scott Shanle 43 SLB S y Matt Shrader 76 LRE SO Shane Siegel 23 RCB RF Chad Sievers 54 MIKE SO Jemond Smith 45 SLB S Justin Smith 92 LRE S Le Kevin Smith 66 DT RF y Tony Tata 90 MIKE S Aaron Terpening 2 ROV S Benard Thomas 10 LRE J Fred Thorne 25 CB J Blake Tiedtke 25 CB RF Tyler Toline 93 LRE SO Curt Tomasevicz 35 LB J y Curtis Tomasevicz Fabian Washington 3 CB F y Jay White 12 LCB S Seth White 33 RCB J Demorrio Williams 7 WILL J y Josh Brown 26 PK S Sandro DeAngelis 22 PK SO Dale Endorf 32 PK J Sam Koch 37 P RF y Kyle Larson 19 P J y Kyle Larson (American football) Zach Wright 48 PK RF http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=4&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&Q_SEASON=2002 January 16, 2011 Frank Solich   5th season   24th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Craig Bohl   3rd season as DC/LB coach   11th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Turner Gill   11th season as QB coach   11th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Ron Brown   16th season as WR/TE coach   16th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Brown Jeff Jamrog   3rd season as DL coach   5th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Dan Young   20th season as OL/K coach   20th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Reed Milt Tenopir   29th season as OL coach   29th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Sterling Nelson Barnes   6th season as RE coach   6th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: North Texas George Darlington   DB coach   30th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Rutgers Dave Gillespie   5th season as RB coach   14th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska-Omaha Boyd Epley   34th season as S&C coach   34th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Depth chart Pro-Set 4–3 Yes No Yes Jammal Lord Mike Stuntz Dahrran Diedrick David Horne Cory Ross Josh Davis Judd Davies Steve Kriewald Wilson Thomas Ross Pilkington Troy Hassebroek Ben Cornelson Matt Herian Aaron Golliday Jon Bowling Richie Incognito Nick Povendo Mike Erickson Junior Tagoa'l John Garrison Josh Sewell Wes Cody Jake Anderson Dan Vili Waldrop Nate Kolterman Demorrio Williams T.J. Hollowell Chad Buller WEAK Barrett Ruud Chad Sievers MIDDLE Scott Shanle Ira Cooper STRONG Josh Bullocks Jerrell Pippens Phillip Bland Aaron Terpening Lannie Hopkins Daniel Bullocks ROVER Fabian Washington Pat Ricketts DeJuan Groce Lornell McPherson Demoine Adams Trevor Johnson Titus Adams Ryon Bingham Jon Clanton Patrick Kabongo Le Kevin Smith Chris Kelsay Justin Smith Josh Brown Kyle Larson Josh Davis DeJuan Groce 110 90 No Game summaries Arizona State Arizona State at Nebraska [box score] Arizona State Nebraska 3 0 7 0 3 7 14 24 August 24 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 77,779 Ron Franklin (Play-by-play), Mike Gottfried (Color), & Adrian Karsten (Sideline) ESPN Troy State Troy State at Nebraska [box score] Troy State Nebraska 0 3 7 6 7 7 14 3 August 31 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 6:00 p.m. CST 77,831 Utah State Utah State at Nebraska [box score] Utah State Nebraska 7 0 0 6 17 20 7 0 September 7 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 6:00 p.m. CST 78,176 Penn State Nebraska at Penn State [box score] Nebraska Penn State 0 7 0 0 0 13 20 7 September 14 Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania 7:07 p.m. CST 110,753 Brad Nessler (Play-by-play), Bob Griese (Color), & Lynn Swann (Sideline) ABC Iowa State Nebraska at Iowa State [box score] Nebraska Iowa State 0 7 7 0 3 16 7 10 September 28 Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa 2:37 p.m. CST 51,888 Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color), & Jack Arute (Sideline) ABC McNeese State McNeese State at Nebraska [box score] McNeese State Nebraska 0 7 0 7 7 14 0 17 October 5 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 11:35 a.m. CST 77,192 Kevin Kugler, Larry Punteney HDNet This was the first week Nebraska was not featured in the AP Poll since their 59–0 defeat of Colorado on October 10, 1981. Missouri Missouri at Nebraska [box score] Missouri Nebraska 10 3 0 0 7 7 7 3 October 12 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 11:36 a.m. CST 78,014 Dave Armstrong (Play-by-play), Rich Baldinger (Color), Bill Doleman, & Chris Gerving (Sidelines) PPV Oklahoma State Nebraska at Oklahoma State [box score] Nebraska Oklahoma State 0 7 0 14 0 3 14 7 October 19 Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma 11:39 a.m. CST 45,017 Bill Land (Play-by-play), Gary Reasons (Color), & Jim Knox (Sideline) FSN Nebraska's first loss against Oklahoma State since 1961. Texas A&M Nebraska at Texas A&M [box score] Nebraska Texas A&M 7 7 7 17 14 7 10 0 October 26 Kyle Field, College Station, Texas 6:07 p.m. CST 81,054 Ron Thulin (Play-by-play), Charles Davis (Color), Craig Sager, & Erin Andrews (Sidelines) TBS Texas Texas at Nebraska [box score] Texas Nebraska 3 3 14 7 3 0 7 14 November 2 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 6:09 p.m. CST 78,268 Joel Meyers (Play-by-play), Dave Lapham (Color), & Eric Clemons (Sideline) FSN Kansas Kansas at Nebraska [box score] Kansas Nebraska 7 0 0 0 14 10 21 0 November 9 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 12:30 p.m. CST 77,351 Kansas State Nebraska at Kansas State [box score] Nebraska Kansas State 0 6 7 0 14 7 7 21 November 16 KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas 11:39 a.m. CST 52,221 Bill Land (Play-by-play), Gary Reasons (Color), & Jim Knox (Sideline) FSN Colorado Colorado at Nebraska [box score] Colorado Nebraska 7 0 14 7 0 10 3 0 November 29 Friday Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska 2:36 p.m. CST 77,804 Brad Nessler (Play-by-play), Bob Griese (Color), & Lynn Swann (Sideline) ABC Ole Miss Nebraska vs Ole Miss [box score] Nebraska Ole Miss 3 14 3 3 0 14 10 3 December 27 Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana 3:38 p.m. CST 46,096 Jeff Hullinger (Play-by-play), Todd Christensen (Color), & Stacy Paetz (Sideline) ESPN Rankings 2002 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 17 10 9 9 8 18 20 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Coaches Poll 0 17 8 8 8 7 19 19 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR BCS 9 16 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR After the season Nebraska finished in 4th place in the Big 12 North Division and tied for 8th conference-wide, with a final record of 7–7 (3–5). Awards 2002 Husker Honors Award Name(s) All-America 1st team DeJuan Groce, Richie Incognito All-America 2nd team Fabian Washington All-America 4th team David Horne All-Big 12 1st team Josh Brown, DeJuan Groce, Richie Incognito All-Big 12 2nd team John Garrison, Chris Kelsay, Kyle Larson All-Big 12 3rd team Dahrran Diedrick Freshman All-Big 12 1st team Matt Herian, David Horne, Richie Incognito, Ross Pilkington, Le Kevin Smith, Fabian Washington NFL and pro players The following Nebraska players who participated in the 2002 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.All Time NFL Huskers http://nflhuskers.com/alltime.html https://web.archive.org/web/20090815013540/http://nflhuskers.com/alltime.html August 15, 2009 live May 15, 2009 Name Team Demoine Adams Edmonton Eskimos Titus Adams New York Jets Ryon Bingham San Diego Chargers Josh Brown Seattle Seahawks Daniel Bullocks Detroit Lions Josh Bullocks New Orleans Saints Adam Carriker St. Louis Rams Josh Davis New York Jets Aaron Golliday Scottish Claymores DeJuan Groce St. Louis Rams T. J. Hollowell New York Giants Richie Incognito St. Louis Rams Trevor Johnson New York Jets Patrick Kabongo Detroit Lions Chris Kelsay Buffalo Bills Sam Koch Baltimore Ravens Kyle Larson Cincinnati Bengals Jammal Lord Houston Texans Jay Moore San Francisco 49ers Jerrell Pippens Chicago Bears Cory Ross Baltimore Ravens Barrett Ruud Tampa Bay Buccaneers Scott Shanle St. Louis Rams Le Kevin Smith New England Patriots Fabian Washington Oakland Raiders Demorrio Williams Atlanta Falcons References Nebraska Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football seasons Nebraska Cornhuskers football