2002 McNeese State Cowboys football team

The 2002 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Football League during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Tommy Tate, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the Southland title. McNeese State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, beating Montana State in the first round, Montana in the quarterfinals, and Villanova in the semifinals, before losing to Western Kentucky in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. The team played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

2002 McNeese State Cowboys football
Southland champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, L 14–34 vs. Western Kentucky
Conference	Southland Football League
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 2
Record	13–2 (6–0 Southland)
Head coach	Tommy Tate (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Viator (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Lance Guidry (1st as DC, 3rd overall season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Southland Football League standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 McNeese State $^		6	–	0					13	–	2
No. 16 Northwestern State ^		4	–	2					9	–	4
No. 23 Nicholls State		3	–	3					7	–	4
Stephen F. Austin		3	–	3					6	–	5
Jacksonville State		2	–	4					5	–	6
Sam Houston State		2	–	4					4	–	7
Southwest Texas State		1	–	5					4	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	No. 10 Grambling State*	No. 11	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 52–20
September 7	at No. 8 Youngstown State*	No. 6	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 28–13
September 14	at Louisiana–Monroe*	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	W 24–19	10,091
September 28	Western Kentucky*	No. 2	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 38–13	16,840
October 5	at Nebraska*	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	L 14–38	77,192
October 19	Jacksonville State	No. 2	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 28–20
October 26	at Sam Houston State	No. 2	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	W 47–10	6,110	^[1]
November 2	Stephen F. Austin	No. 2	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	W 42–13
November 9	Southwest Texas State	No. 2	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 47–7		^[2]
November 16	at No. 7 Northwestern State	No. 2	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	W 27–3
November 23	No. 17 Nicholls State	No. 1	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 33–21
November 30	No. 24 Montana State*	No. 1	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 21–14
December 7	No. 9 Montana*	No. 1	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 24–20
December 14	No. 12 Villanova*	No. 1	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 39–28		^[3]
December 20	No. 15 Western Kentucky*	No. 1	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	L 14–34	12,360
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[4]

References

1. "McNeese 47, SHS 10". Daily World. October 27, 2002. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "McNeese State's King runs for two TDs in blowout of Southwest Texas". Austin American-Statesman. November 10, 2002. Retrieved March 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Villaova tumbles in I-AA seminfinals". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 15, 2002. pp. D1, D4 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "McNeese State - 2002 Football Schedule". McNeese State Sports. Retrieved January 30, 2019.