2002 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

American college football season

2002 Marshall Thundering Herd football

MAC champion
MAC East Division champion
GMAC Bowl champion

MAC Championship Game, W 49–45 vs. Toledo

GMAC Bowl, W 38–15 vs. Louisville

Conference| Mid-American Conference
Division| East
Ranking
Coaches| No. 19
AP| No. 24
Record| 11–2 (7–1 MAC)
Head coach|

* Bob Pruett (7th season)

Offensive coordinator| Mark McHale (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator| Larry Kueck (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator| Bill Wilt (1st season)
Home stadium| Marshall University Stadium

Seasons

<- 2001

2003 ->

2002 Mid-American Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
East Division
No. 24 Marshall x$  |  | 7  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 11  | - | 2  |
UCF |  | 6  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 5  |
Miami (OH) |  | 5  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 5  |
Ohio |  | 4  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 8  |
Akron |  | 3  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 8  |
Kent State |  | 1  | - | 7  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 9  |
Buffalo |  | 0  | - | 8  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 11  |
West Division
Toledo xy  |  | 7  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 5  |
Northern Illinois x  |  | 7  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 4  |
Bowling Green |  | 6  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  |
Ball State |  | 4  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 6  |
Western Michigan |  | 3  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 8  |
Central Michigan |  | 2  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 8  |
Eastern Michigan |  | 1  | - | 7  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 9  |
Championship: Marshall 49, Toledo 45

* $ - Conference champion
* x - Division champion/co-champions

Rankings from AP Poll

The 2002 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Thundering Herd played their home games at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, and competed in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The team was coached by seventh-year head coach Bob Pruett. Marshall won its fifth MAC title in six years and its fifth consecutive bowl game.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

August 31| 7:00 pm| No. 2 (I-AA) Appalachian State*| No. 19|

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| ESPN+| W 50–17| 31,042| [1]
September 12| 7:45 pm| at No. 11 Virginia Tech*| No. 16|

* Lane Stadium
* Blacksburg, VA

| ESPN| L 21–47| 65,049|
September 20| 7:00 pm| UCF| |

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| ESPN2| W 26–21| 32,900|
October 5| 2:00 pm| at Kent State| |

* Dix Stadium
* Kent, OH

| | W 42–21| 15,337|
October 12| 4:30 pm| Buffalo| |

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| | W 66–21| 28,200|
October 19| 4:30 pm| Troy State*| |

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| ESPN+| W 24–7| 27,121|
October 26| 1:00 pm| at Central Michigan| |

* Kelly/Shorts Stadium
* Mount Pleasant, MI

| | W 23–18| 14,564|
November 2| 3:30 pm| at Akron| |

* Rubber Bowl
* Akron, OH

| | L 20–34| 13,762|
November 12| 8:00 pm| Miami (OH)| |

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| ESPN| W 36–34| 26,851|
November 23| 3:30 pm| at Ohio| |

* Peden Stadium
* Athens, OH (Battle for the Bell)

| | W 24–21| 21,110|
November 30| 4:30 pm| Ball State| |

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| ESPN2| W 38–14| 23,824|
December 7| 2:30 pm| Toledo| |

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV (MAC Championship Game)

| ESPN2| W 49–45| 24,582|
December 18| 8:00 pm| vs. Louisville*| |

* Ladd–Peebles Stadium
* Mobile, AL (GMAC Bowl)

| ESPN2| W 38–15| 40,646|

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Eastern time

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Appalachian State

[edit]

See also: 2002 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Mountaineers  | 7  | 3  | 7  | 0 | 17
No. 19 Thundering Herd | 3  | 20  | 14  | 13 | 50

### Virginia Tech

[edit]

See also: 2002 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

No. 16 Thundering Herd  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 21 | 21
No. 11 Hokies | 10  | 10  | 6  | 21 | 47

### UCF

[edit]

See also: 2002 UCF Golden Knights football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Golden Knights  | 7  | 7  | 0  | 7 | 21
Thundering Herd | 3  | 17  | 6  | 0 | 26

### Kent State

[edit]

See also: 2002 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Thundering Herd | 7  | 14  | 14  | 7 | 42
Golden Flashes  | 14  | 0  | 7  | 0 | 21

### Buffalo

[edit]

See also: 2002 Buffalo Bulls football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Bulls  | 0  | 0  | 7  | 14 | 21
Thundering Herd | 21  | 31  | 7  | 7 | 66

### Troy State

[edit]

See also: 2002 Troy State Trojans football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Trojans  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 7 | 7
Thundering Herd | 10  | 7  | 0  | 7 | 24

### Central Michigan

[edit]

See also: 2002 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Thundering Herd | 13  | 7  | 3  | 0 | 23
Chippewas  | 0  | 9  | 3  | 6 | 18

### Akron

[edit]

See also: 2002 Akron Zips football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Thundering Herd  | 7  | 3  | 7  | 3 | 20
Zips | 7  | 17  | 10  | 0 | 34

### Miami (OH)

[edit]

See also: 2002 Miami RedHawks football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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|
|

RedHawks  | 3  | 14  | 10  | 7 | 34
Thundering Herd | 10  | 7  | 12  | 7 | 36

While Stan Hill and his Marshall teammates were celebrating a dramatic win, Miami (Ohio) defensive coordinator John Wauford was being led off the field in handcuffs by state police.

Moments after Hill scored on a 1-yard run with 5 seconds left for a 36-34 victory Tuesday night, Wauford allegedly shoved a Marshall fan and was arrested. The fan, Robert A. Flaugher of Pickerington, Ohio, hit his head on the artificial turf and was taken on a stretcher to a hospital with a concussion, according to a report filed by State Police in Huntington. Flaugher was in stable condition at St. Mary's Medical Center, said a nursing supervisor who did not want her name released.

Wauford was charged with battery, a misdemeanor. He was transported to Cabell County Magistrate Court and posted bail. The amount wasn't immediately released. Miami officials refused to comment on the incident, and did not make players or coaches available to media.

Marshall fans stormed the field after Stan Hill's winning score. Playing in place of the injured Byron Leftwich and making his first career start, Hill also threw four touchdown passes.

Ben Roethlisberger twice brought Miami back from double-digit deficits, and Luke Clemens' 17-yard TD run gave the RedHawks a 34-29 lead with 6:33 left.

After a dropped pass in the end zone by Darius Watts \- who caught three TD passes from Hill - a pair of interference calls against Miami put the ball at the 1, setting up Hill's run.

External link: http://www.muredhawks.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/111202aaa.html

### Ohio

[edit]

See also: 2002 Ohio Bobcats football team and Battle for the Bell (Marshall–Ohio)

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Thundering Herd | 0  | 3  | 14  | 7 | 24
Bobcats  | 7  | 0  | 6  | 8 | 21

### Ball State

[edit]

See also: 2002 Ball State Cardinals football team

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Cardinals  | 7  | 0  | 0  | 7 | 14
Thundering Herd | 10  | 14  | 14  | 0 | 38

### Toledo

[edit]

See also: 2002 Toledo Rockets football team and 2002 MAC Championship Game

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Rockets  | 0  | 17  | 15  | 13 | 45
Thundering Herd | 14  | 14  | 7  | 14 | 49

A month's worth of limping on a sore shin didn't deter Byron Leftwich, and neither did getting flattened by Toledo's David Gardner. Leftwich got up from the third-quarter hit to throw two late touchdowns, including a 40-yarder to Darius Watts with 49 seconds left, as Marshall beat the Rockets 49-45 in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

Marshall atoned for a loss at Toledo in the 2001 championship game, in which the Rockets overcame a 23-0 deficit to win 41-36.

Leftwich completed 32 of 42 passes for 404 yards and four TDs to overshadow the four rushing touchdowns by Toledo redshirt freshman Trinity Dawson, who finished with a career-high 130 yards. Leftwich became the conference's all-time leading passer with 11,654, surpassing the 11,299 yards set by Tim Lester from 1996 to 1999.

External link: [1]

### Louisville

[edit]

See also: 2002 Louisville Cardinals football team and 2002 GMAC Bowl

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Cardinals  | 0  | 7  | 0  | 8 | 15
Thundering Herd | 7  | 10  | 7  | 14 | 38

## Roster

[edit]

2002 Marshall Thundering Herd football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

|
|
|

WR | `87` | Oscar Alcantara | Sr
WR | `83` | Brad Bates | So
OL | `77` | Josh Blakey | So
OL | `56` | Toby Bullock | Fr
RB | `8` | Bradon Carey | Jr
WR | `82` | Josh Davis | So
QB | `4` | Stan Hill | So
WR | `80` | Curtis Jones | Sr
QB | `7` | Byron Leftwich | Sr
TE | `90` | Jason Rader | Jr
G | `75` | Steve Sciullo | Sr
WR | `40` | Darius Watts | Jr
Defense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

|
|
|

DB | `3` | Moriah Anderson | So
LB | `5` | Kevin Atkins | So
LB | `1` | Gladstone Coke | Jr
FS | `19` | Chris Crocker | Sr
DE | `50` | Johnathan Goddard | So
DE | `99` | Jamus Martin | So
DE | `55` | Maurice McKinney | Jr
LB | `53` | Ashley McNeely | Fr
LB | `42` | Ryan Kobbe | Sr
LB | `47` | Henry Moore | Sr
LB | `44` | Carlos Morgan | So
DB | `15` | Yancey Satterwhite | Sr
LB | `12` | Scott Wilks | Fr
DB | `28` | Renaldo Williams | So
LB | `33` | Dionte' Wilson | So
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

|
|
|

K | `9` | Jesse Cortez | Fr
P/K | `36` | Curtis Head | Sr
K | `16` | Nick Kelly | So
LS | `68` | Cory Dennison | Sr

Head coach

* Bob Pruett

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* Lou Anarumo
(Defensive backs)

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

* * *

Roster
Last update: 2002-10-22

## Team players drafted in the NFL

[edit]

The following players were selected in the 2003 NFL draft.

Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise

|
|
|
|

Byron Leftwich | Quarterback | 1 | 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars
Chris Crocker | Defensive Back | 3 | 84 | Cleveland Browns
Steve Sciullo | Guard | 4 | 122 | Indianapolis Colts

[2]

## Rankings

[edit]

See also: 2002 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ 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| 15| 16| Final
AP| 19| 19| 16| 16| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| 24
Coaches| 21| 22| 18| 17| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| 25| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| 24| 19
BCS| Not released| —| —| —| —| —| —| —| —| Not released

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Marshall flies by ASU". The News and Observer. September 1, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "2003 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.

* v
* t
* e

Marshall Thundering Herd football

Venues|

* Central Field (1895–1927)
* Fairfield Stadium (1928–1990)
* Joan C. Edwards Stadium (1991–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Appalachian State
* East Carolina
* Ohio: Battle for the Bell
* West Virginia: Friends of Coal Bowl

Culture & lore|

* Marco the Bison
* "Sons of Marshall"
* Marching Thunder
* Plane crash
* Marshall University: Ashes to Glory
* We Are Marshall

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943–1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Mid-American Conference football champions

* Cincinnati (1947)
* Miami (OH) (1948)
* Cincinnati (1949)
* Miami (OH) (1950)
* Cincinnati (1951)
* Cincinnati (1952)
* Ohio (1953)
* Miami (OH) (1954)
* Miami (OH) (1955)
* Bowling Green (1956)
* Miami (OH) (1957)
* Miami (OH) (1958)
* Bowling Green (1959)
* Ohio (1960)
* Bowling Green (1961)
* Bowling Green (1962)
* Ohio (1963)
* Bowling Green (1964)
* Bowling Green & Miami (OH) (1965)
* Miami (OH) & Western Michigan (1966)
* Ohio & Toledo (1967)
* Ohio (1968)
* Toledo (1969)
* Toledo (1970)
* Toledo (1971)
* Kent State (1972)
* Miami (OH) (1973)
* Miami (OH) (1974)
* Miami (OH) (1975)
* Ball State (1976)
* Miami (OH) (1977)
* Ball State (1978)
* Central Michigan (1979)
* Central Michigan (1980)
* Toledo (1981)
* Bowling Green (1982)
* Northern Illinois (1983)
* Toledo (1984)
* Bowling Green (1985)
* Miami (OH) (1986)
* Eastern Michigan (1987)
* Western Michigan (1988)
* Ball State (1989)
* Central Michigan & Toledo (1990)
* Bowling Green (1991)
* Bowling Green (1992)
* Ball State (1993)
* Central Michigan (1994)
* Toledo (1995)
* Ball State (1996)
* Marshall (1997)
* Marshall (1998)
* Marshall (1999)
* Marshall (2000)
* Toledo (2001)
* Marshall (2002)
* Miami (OH) (2003)
* Toledo (2004)
* Akron (2005)
* Central Michigan (2006)
* Central Michigan (2007)
* Buffalo (2008)
* Central Michigan (2009)
* Miami (OH) (2010)
* Northern Illinois (2011)
* Northern Illinois (2012)
* Bowling Green (2013)
* Northern Illinois (2014)
* Bowling Green (2015)
* Western Michigan (2016)
* Toledo (2017)
* Northern Illinois (2018)
* Miami (OH) (2019)
* Ball State (2020)
* Northern Illinois (2021)
* Toledo (2022)
* Miami (OH) (2023)
* Ohio (2024)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number