American college football season
The 2002 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the MAC's West Division title with Toledo. By virtue of their head-to-head win over Northern Illinois, the Toledo Rockets advanced to the MAC Championship Game. Despite reaching bowl eligibility, the Huskies were not invited to a bowl game. Northern Illinois played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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August 29 | 6:30 pm | Wake Forest* | | FSN | W 42–41 OT | 19,653 | |
September 7 | 6:00 pm | at South Florida* | | | L 6–37 | 23,559 | |
September 14 | 11:00 am | at No. 22 Wisconsin* | | ESPN Plus | L 21–24 | 77,460 | |
September 21 | 6:30 pm | Western Illinois* | | | L 26–29 | 23,598 | |
September 28 | 1:00 pm | Kent State | | | W 13–6 | 16,302 | |
October 5 | 1:00 pm | at Ball State | | | W 41–29 | 14,499 | |
October 12 | 1:00 pm | at Miami (OH) | | | W 48–41 | 15,234 | |
October 19 | 1:00 pm | Central Michigan | | | W 49–0 | 20,186 | |
October 26 | 12:00 pm | at Western Michigan | | | W 24–20 | 15,049 | |
November 9 | 1:30 pm | No. 20 Bowling Green | | FSN | W 26–17 | 25,822 | |
November 16 | 12:00 pm | at Eastern Michigan | | | W 49–21 | 5,567 | |
November 23 | 11:00 am | Toledo | | FSN | L 30–33 | 20,154 | |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Central time
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Roster
2002 Northern Illinois Huskies football team roster
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Players
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Coaches
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Offense
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Defense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
DT
|
91
|
Leonard Cooksey
|
Jr
|
DT
|
51
|
Eric Didesch
|
Sr
|
FS
|
|
Keafta Dokes
|
Fr
|
SS
|
37
|
Justin Dole
|
Sr
|
CB
|
18
|
Randee Drew
|
Jr
|
LB
|
45
|
Nick Duffy
|
Jr
|
CB
|
29
|
Deon Smith
|
Fr
|
SS
|
48
|
Ray Smith
|
Fr
|
LB
|
40
|
Willie Smith
|
So
|
|
Special teams
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Roster Last update: October 2, 2002
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References
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |