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2002 Marshall

11–⁠2 (7–⁠1 Mid-American Conference), coached by Bob Pruett, finished No. 24 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Marshall in 2002, game by game: won vs. App State 50–17; lost at No. 11 Virginia Tech 21–47; won vs. UCF 26–21; won at Kent State 42–21; won vs. Buffalo 66–21; won vs. Troy 24–7; won at Central Michigan 23–18; lost at Akron 20–34; won vs. Miami (OH) 36–34; won at Ohio 24–21; won vs. Ball State 38–14; won vs. Toledo 49–45; won vs. Louisville 38–15+45−26Won 50–17 vs. App State+33App StateLost 21–47 at No. 11 Virginia Tech-26No. 11 Virginia TechWon 26–21 vs. UCF+5UCFWon 42–21 at Kent State+21Kent StateWon 66–21 vs. Buffalo+45BuffaloWon 24–7 vs. Troy+17TroyWon 23–18 at Central Michigan+5Central MichiganLost 20–34 at Akron-14AkronWon 36–34 vs. Miami (OH)+2Miami (OH)Won 24–21 at Ohio+3OhioWon 38–14 vs. Ball State+24Ball StateWon 49–45 vs. Toledo+4ToledoWon 38–15 vs. Louisville+23Louisville
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31vsApp StateW 50–⁠1788%
Sep 12at11Virginia TechL 21–⁠4738%
Sep 20vsUCFW 26–⁠2173%
Oct 5atKent StateW 42–⁠2167%
Oct 12vsBuffaloW 66–⁠2191%
Oct 19vsTroyW 24–⁠782%
Oct 26atCentral MichiganW 23–⁠1877%
Nov 2atAkronL 20–⁠3481%
Nov 12vsMiami (OH)W 36–⁠3458%
Nov 23atOhioW 24–⁠2170%
Nov 30vsBall StateW 38–⁠1477%
Dec 7vsToledoMid-American Championship GameW 49–⁠4548%
Dec 18Bowls & playoffvsLouisvilleGMAC BowlW 38–⁠1561%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Louisville 38–⁠15 in the GMAC Bowl; No. 24 in the final AP poll; Mid-American Conference champions.

In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 19
  2. Wk 2: 19
  3. Wk 3: 16
  4. Wk 4: 16
  5. Final: 24

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2002.

Mid-American Conference champions7–⁠1 in the conference, won the Mid-American Championship Game

Led the nationByron Leftwich: total offense per game (355.6)

Record
11–⁠2
Conference
7–⁠1 shared first in Mid-American Conference
AP final
No. 24 peak No. 16
Points
457–⁠315
Coach
Bob Pruett
Elo
1659 +56 this season
SP+ rating
0.5 No. 65 of 117; offense No. 38, defense No. 78
SRS
0.1 No. 62 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 96
Offensive coordinators
Mark McHale and Larry Kueck
Defensive coordinator
Bill Wilt

Top recruits in the 2002 class

Dane Holland OLB★★No. 898
Jarrett Baisden OT★★No. 898
Randall Cook OG★★No. 898
Adam Black PRO★★No. 898
Jimmy Skinner PRO★★No. 898

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2002 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.00.767
Running backs12.00.767
Offensive line22.00.767
Linebackers22.00.767
Defensive backs12.00.767
Whole class82.00.767

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2003

The 2003 draft
Rd 1Byron Leftwich QBJacksonville Jaguars
Rd 3Chris Crocker DBCleveland Browns
Rd 4Steve Sciullo OTIndianapolis Colts

2002 Mid-American Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Marshall7–⁠111–⁠224
Northern Illinois7–⁠18–⁠4
Toledo7–⁠19–⁠5
Bowling Green6–⁠29–⁠3
UCF6–⁠27–⁠5
Miami (OH)5–⁠37–⁠5
Ball State4–⁠46–⁠6
Ohio4–⁠44–⁠8
Akron3–⁠54–⁠8
Western Michigan3–⁠54–⁠8
Central Michigan2–⁠64–⁠8
Kent State1–⁠73–⁠9
Eastern Michigan1–⁠73–⁠9
Buffalo0–⁠81–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.