2002 Washington Huskies football team
American college football season
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The 2002 Washington Huskies football team was an American football team that represented the University of Washington during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fourth season under head coach Rick Neuheisel, the team compiled a 7–6 record, finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Pacific-10 Conference, and outscored opponents 398 to 342. Cody Pickett and Ben Mahdavi were selected as the team's most valuable player offensive and defensive players, respectively.
- Rick Neuheisel (4th season)
| 2002 Washington Huskies football | |
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| Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
| Record | 7–6 (4–4 Pac-10) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Keith Gilbertson (4th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Tim Hundley (4th season) |
| Base defense | Multiple |
| MVPs |
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| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Husky Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Washington State $+ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 USC %+ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 13 Michigan* | No. 11 | ABC | L 29–31 | 111,491 | |
| September 7 | 12:30 p.m. | San Jose State* | No. 11 | FSN | W 34–10 | 70,147 | |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Wyoming* | No. 11 |
| FSN | W 38–7 | 72,898 |
| September 28 | 12:30 p.m. | Idaho* | No. 13 |
| FSN | W 41–27 | 70,070 |
| October 5 | 12:30 p.m. | California | No. 12 |
| FSN | L 27–34 | 71,337 |
| October 12 | 12:30 p.m. | Arizona | No. 22 |
| FSN | W 32–28 | 71,016 |
| October 19 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 19 USC | No. 22 | ABC | L 21–41 | 52,961 | |
| October 26 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 23 Arizona State | FSN | L 16–27 | 56,101 | ||
| November 2 | 4:00 p.m. | UCLA |
| TBS | L 24–34 | 72,017 | |
| November 9 | 12:30 p.m. | Oregon State |
| FSN | W 41–29 | 72,557 | |
| November 16 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 23 Oregon | ABC | W 42–14 | 57,112 | ||
| November 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 3 Washington State | FSN | W 29–26 3OT | 37,600 | ||
| December 31 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Purdue* | CBS | L 24–34 | 48,917 | ||
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Northwest Championship
Following the UCLA game, the Huskies had a 4–5 record, 1–4 against Pac-10 opponents, and had lost 4 of the last 5 games. The Huskies were at serious risk of a losing season, their first since 1974, and of missing a bowl game.
Through rare[1] happenstance, Washington was scheduled to play the three other Pacific Northwest schools in order to end the season. Neuheisel, sensing an opportunity to motivate his team, declared that despite the thus far disappointing season the Huskies were still fighting to win the "Northwest Championship" by sweeping Oregon State, Oregon, and Washington State in their remaining games.[2][3]
It was a successful rallying cry, and the Huskies first beat Oregon State. The next week they won at Autzen Stadium, their first win against Oregon at home since 1996. The Huskies capped the season with a triple-overtime victory over No. 3 Washington State in the Apple Cup, claiming the Northwest Championship with back-to-back-to-back wins over the other northwest schools.[4]
Roster
| 2002 Washington Huskies football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Team players in the NFL
No Washington players were selected in the 2003 NFL draft. The following finished their college career in 2002, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.
| Player | Position | First NFL team |
| Paul Arnold | Wide receiver | Indianapolis Colts |
| Kevin Ware | Tight end | Washington Redskins |