2002 Kansas State Wildcats football team

The 2002 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats play their home games in KSU Stadium. 2002 saw the Wildcats finish with a record of 11–2, and a 6–2 record in Big 12 Conference play. The season culminated with a win over Arizona State in the 2002 Holiday Bowl. Prior to the 2002 season, the artificial turf was updated to a more cushioned FieldTurf surface at a cost of $800,000.

2002 Kansas State Wildcats football

Holiday Bowl champion
Holiday Bowl, W 34–27 vs. Arizona State
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Division	North Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 7
Record	11–2 (6–2 Big 12)
Head coach	Bill Snyder (14th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ron Hudson (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Co-defensive coordinators	Bret Bielema (1st season) Bob Elliott (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	KSU Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Big 12 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
North Division
No. 20 Colorado xy	7	–	1	9	–	5
No. 7 Kansas State	6	–	2	11	–	2
Iowa State	4	–	4	7	–	7
Nebraska	3	–	5	7	–	7
Missouri	2	–	6	5	–	7
Kansas	0	–	8	2	–	10
South Division
No. 5 Oklahoma xy$	6	–	2	12	–	2
No. 6 Texas x	6	–	2	11	–	2
Texas Tech	5	–	3	9	–	5
Oklahoma State	5	–	3	8	–	5
Texas A&M	3	–	5	6	–	6
Baylor	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Oklahoma 29, Colorado 7
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The Wildcats finished the 2002 season leading NCAA Division I-A in scoring defense (11.8 points per game) and also tied a school record by posting three shut outs. The team shut out Louisiana–Monroe, Kansas, and Missouri. The Wildcats also recorded a shut out on the road for the first time since the 1973 season. They recorded two shut outs on the road, beating Kansas and Missouri. The Wildcats scored 582 points in the season, good for second most all-time at Kansas State.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:10 p.m.	No. 18 (I-AA) Western Kentucky*		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		W 48–3	45,844
September 7	6:10 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe*		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		W 68–0	43,104
September 14	1:10 p.m.	No. 8 (I-AA) Eastern Illinois*		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		W 63–13	45,642
September 21	6:00 p.m.	No. 11 USC*	No. 25	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	TBS	W 27–20	49,276
October 5	2:30 p.m.	at Colorado	No. 13	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	ABC	L 31–35	52,584
October 12	1:10 p.m.	Oklahoma State	No. 19	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		W 44–9	48,404
October 19	6:00 p.m.	No. 8 Texas	No. 17	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	FSN	L 14–17	50,659
October 26	2:00 p.m.	at Baylor	No. 20	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX		W 44–10	20,247
November 2	1:00 p.m.	at Kansas	No. 14	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)		W 64–0	43,000
November 9	6:00 p.m.	No. 21 Iowa State	No. 12	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	TBS	W 58–7	49,504
November 16	11:30 a.m.	Nebraska	No. 11	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	FSN	W 49–13	52,221
November 23	2:30 p.m.	at Missouri	No. 10	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	ABC	W 38–0	47,507
December 27	7:00 p.m.	vs. Arizona State*	No. 6	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	ESPN	W 34–27	58,717
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

2002 Kansas State Wildcats football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
OT	`65`	Thomas Barnett	Sr
OT	`79`	Jon Doty	So
QB	`5`	Marc Dunn	Sr
TE	`88`	Thomas Hill	Jr
OL	`53`	Nick Leckey	Jr
OL	`64`	Ryan Lilja	Jr
QB	`3`	Ell Roberson	Jr
RB	`36`	Ayo Saba	Fr
QB	`14`	Jeff Schwinn	Jr
WR	`13`	Brandon Solt	Sr
RB	`43`	Darren Sproles	So
WR	`82`	James Terry	Jr
WR	`8`	Taco Wallace	Sr
TE	`81`	Nick Warren	Sr
C	`78`	Steve Washington	Sr
OL	`71`	Michael Weiner	So
QB	`14`	Eric Williams	Jr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL	`90`	Henry Bryant	Sr
LB	`7`	Josh Buhl	Jr
LB	`58`	Quinton Dunham	Fr
LB	`18`	Bryan Hickman	Jr
DB	`9`	Randy Jordan	Jr
DB	`8`	James McGill	Sr
CB	`4`	Terence Newman	Sr
LB	`56`	Terry Pierce	Jr
DL	`30`	Tank Reese	Sr
DE	`83`	Blake Seiler	Fr
DE	`98`	Andrew Shull	Jr
LB	`45`	Ted Sims	Fr
DB	`29`	Henry Thomas	So
DT	`96`	Jerry Togiai	Sr
CB	`2`	DeRon Tyler	Sr
CB	`1`	Bobby Walker	Sr
FS	`2`	Rashad Washington	Jr
DT	`62`	Corey White	Sr
DE	`97`	Melvin Williams	Sr
DB	`26`	Tyler Woolfolk	So
FS	`12`	Derrick Yates	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K/P	`6`	Jared Brite	Jr
K	`15`	Joe Rheem	So
K/P	`19`	Jeff Snodgrass	Fr
LS	`52`	Russ Vanover	So
LS	`72`	Mike Wilson	Jr

Head coach

Bill Snyder

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Ron Hudson – Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks
Michel Smith – Running backs
Greg Peterson – Wide receivers, passing game coordinator, & recruiting coordinator
Matt Miller – Tight ends
Paul Dunn – Offensive line
Bret Bielema – Co-Defensive coordinator
Bob Elliot – Co-Defensive coordinator & secondary
Mo Lattimore – interior Defensive line
Del Miller – Defensive ends

Legend

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

Injured
Redshirt

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	25	15	13	19	17	20	14	12	11	10	8	6	6	7
Coaches	—	—	—	—	23	17	16	23	19	21	14	12	11	10	8	6	6	6
BCS	Not released									—	15	15	12	11	10	8	8	Not released

Game summaries

Western Kentucky

No. 18 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Kansas State Wildcats – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Hilltoppers	0	0	0	3	3
Wildcats	3	31	7	7	48

at KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas

Date: August 31
Game time: 6:10 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Clear, 89 °F (32 °C)
Game attendance: 45,844
Referee: John Laurie
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

KSU – Joe Rheem 36-yard field goal, 10:26. Wildcats 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 4:34.

Second quarter

KSU – Ayo Saba 2-yard run (Joe Rheem kick), 12:57. Wildcats 10–0. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 5:57.
KSU – Bobby Walker 73-yard interception return (Joe Rheem kick), 8:56. Wildcats 17–0.
KSU – Danny Morris 7-yard run (Joe Rheem kick), 4:51. Wildcats 24–0. Drive: 3 plays, 62 yards, 1:01.
KSU – Darren Sproles 9-yard run (Joe Rheem kick), 3:45. Wildcats 31–0. Drive: 1 play, 9 yards, 0:06.
KSU – Joe Rheem 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Wildcats 34–0. Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 0:00.

Third quarter

KSU – Ell Roberson 18-yard run (Joe Rheem kick), 3:47. Wildcats 41–0. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:31.

Fourth quarter

WKU – Peter Martinez 30-yard field goal, 7:18. Wildcats 41–3. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 6:09.
KSU – Ayo Saba 2-yard run (Jared Brite kick), 1:27. Wildcats 48–3. Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 5:51.

Statistics	WKU	KSU
First downs	12	23
Total yards	183	412
Rushing yards	110	240
Passing yards	73	172
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	31:55	27:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Jason Michael	7/11, 73 yards, INT
	Rushing	Maurice Bradley	19 rushes, 64 yards
	Receiving	Casey Rooney	2 receptions, 28 yards
Kansas State	Passing	Ell Roberson	4/8, 108 yards
	Rushing	Darren Sproles	19 rushes, 135 yards, TD
	Receiving	Derrick Evans	3 receptions, 74 yards

Louisiana–Monroe

Eastern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	13	0	0	0	13
Wildcats	15	28	13	7	63

Tony Romo was 13-14 for 120 yards and a TD in the first quarter, but Kansas State grabbed control and cruised to the 50-point win.

No. 11 USC

USC at Kansas State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Trojans	0	6	0	14	20
• No. 25 Wildcats	0	12	7	8	27

Date: September 21
Location: KSU Stadium, Manhattan, KS
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 49,276
Referee: John Laurie
TV announcers (TBS): Ron Thulin, Charles Davis, Craig Sager, and Erin Andrews

Junior quarterback Ell Roberson came off the bench early in the 2nd quarter to give the Wildcats a spark. Kansas State built a 27–6 lead before USC scored two 4th quarter touchdowns to make it a one-possession game. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer completed only 18 of 47 passes for 186 yards.

Statistics	USC	KSU
First downs	16	19
Total yards	276	347
Rushing yards	90	188
Passing yards	186	159
Turnovers	1	5
Time of possession	29:37	30:23

At Colorado

No. 13 Kansas State at Colorado

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Wildcats	0	14	14	3	31
• Buffaloes	14	14	7	0	35

Date: October 5
Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Game start: 2:30 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 52,584
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson, Jack Arute

Oklahoma State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	9	0	0	9
Wildcats	12	13	6	13	44

No. 8 Texas

Texas at Kansas State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 8 Longhorns	0	7	7	3	17
No. 17 Wildcats	0	6	0	8	14

Date: October 19
Location: KSU Stadium
Game attendance: 50,659

At Baylor

At Kansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	30	13	21	0	64
Jayhawks	0	0	0	0	0

No. 21 Iowa State

Iowa State at Kansas State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Cyclones	7	0	0	0	7
• No. 12 Wildcats	13	17	28	0	58

Date: November 9
Location: KSU Stadium
Game attendance: 49,504
Referee: Cooper Castleberry
TV announcers (TBS): Ron Thulin, Charles Davis, Craig Sager, and Erin Andrews

Nebraska

Nebraska at Kansas State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	0	6	7	0	13
• No. 11 Wildcats	14	7	7	21	49

Date: November 16
Location: KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
Game start: 11:39 a.m. CST
Game attendance: 52,221
TV announcers (FSN): Bill Land, Gary Reasons, and Jim Knox

Statistics	NEB	KSU
First downs	15	24
Total yards	231	507
Rushing yards	97	415
Passing yards	134	92
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	27:30	32:30

At Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	10	7	14	7	38
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

Vs. Arizona State (Holiday Bowl)

Kansas State vs. Arizona State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 6 Wildcats	0	14	0	20	34
Sun Devils	0	20	0	7	27

Date: December 27
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Game start: 7:00 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 58,717
TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and Dr. Jerry Punch

Statistics

Scores by quarter

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kansas State	128	191	148	115	582
Opponents	34	65	28	27	154

Team

	KSU	Opp
Scoring	582	154
Points per Game	44.8	11.8
First Downs	273	175
Rushing	168	58
Passing	85	97
Penalty	20	20
Total Offense	5,499	3237
Avg per Play	6.3	3.7
Avg per Game	423.0	249.0
Fumbles-Lost	37–18	23–13
Penalties-Yards	100–759	95–723
Avg per Game	58.4	58.4

	KSU	Opp
Punts-Yards	55–2,186	105–3974
Avg per Punt	39.7	37.8
Time of Possession/Game	31:13	28:47
3rd Down Conversions	76/166	58/205
4th Down Conversions	12/17	6/18
Touchdowns Scored	79	19
Field Goals-Attempts	11–16	7–12
PAT-Attempts	65–74	17–18
Attendance	384,654	163,338
Games/Avg per Game	8/48,082	4/40,834

Offense

Rushing

Name	GP	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Darren Sproles	13	237	1,517	52	1,465	6.2	17	80	112.7
Ell Roberson	12	202	1,276	244	1,032	5.1	16	91	86.0
Terrence Newman	13	2	29	3	26	13.0	0	29	2.0
Total	13	655	3,823	390	3,433	5.2	53	91	264.1
Opponents	13	446	1,405	501	904	2.0	7	85	69.5

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Effic	Att-Cmp-Int	Yds	TD	Lng	Avg/G	Pct.
Ell Roberson	12	136.47	175–91–4	1580	7	56	131.7	52.0
Marc Dunn	10	199.92	35–22–2	383	6	58	38.3	62.9
Total	13	146.97	223–120–6	2,066	14	58	158.9	53.8
Opponents	13	91.69	418–191–20	2,333	11	94	179.5	45.7

Receiving

Name	GP	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Taco Wallace	13	39	704	18.1	5	58	54.2
James Terry	12	28	561	20.0	5	56	46.8
Total	13	120	2,066	17.2	14	58	158.9
Opponents	13	191	2,333	12.2	11	94	179.5

Awards and honors

Terence Newman – Jim Thorpe Award and Consensus First-team All-American

2003 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Terence Newman	Cornerback	1	5	Dallas Cowboys
Terry Pierce	Linebacker	2	51	Denver Broncos
Melvin Williams	Defensive end	5	155	New Orleans Saints
Taco Wallace	Wide receiver	7	224	Seattle Seahawks


2	5:43	KSU	Jared Brite 35-yard field goal	KSU 3-0

2	3:46	KSU	Ell Roberson 1-yard fun (Brite kick)	KSU 10-0

2	0:32	USC	Mike Patterson 3-yard fumble return (kick blocked)	KSU 10-6

2	0:32	KSU	Terence Newman 98-yard PAT return	KSU 12-6

3	3:55	KSU	Darren Sproles 10-yard fun (Brite kick)	KSU 19-6

4	14:55	KSU	James Terry 10-yard pass from Ell Roberson (Roberson run)	KSU 27-6

4	10:21	USC	Keary Colbert 9-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Ryan Killeen kick)	KSU 27-13

4	6:31	USC	Sultan McCullough 25-yard run (Killeen kick)	KSU 27-20