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2002 Southern Miss

7–⁠6 (5–⁠3 Conference USA), coached by Jeff Bower.

Schedule and results

Southern Miss in 2002, game by game: won vs. Jackson State 55–7; won vs. Illinois 23–20; won vs. Memphis 33–14; lost at Alabama 7–20; won at Army 27–6; lost at South Florida 13–16; won vs. Cincinnati 23–14; lost at TCU 7–37; won at UAB 20–13; lost vs. Louisville 17–20; lost at Tulane 10–31; won vs. East Carolina 24–7; lost vs. Oklahoma State 23–33+48−30Won 55–7 vs. Jackson State+48Jackson StateWon 23–20 vs. Illinois+3IllinoisWon 33–14 vs. Memphis+19MemphisLost 7–20 at Alabama-13AlabamaWon 27–6 at Army+21ArmyLost 13–16 at South Florida-3South FloridaWon 23–14 vs. Cincinnati+9CincinnatiLost 7–37 at TCU-30TCUWon 20–13 at UAB+7UABLost 17–20 vs. Louisville-3LouisvilleLost 10–31 at Tulane-21TulaneWon 24–7 vs. East Carolina+17East CarolinaLost 23–33 vs. Oklahoma State-10Oklahoma State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31vsJackson StateW 55–⁠775%
Sep 7vsIllinoisW 23–⁠2056%
Sep 14vsMemphisW 33–⁠1471%
Sep 21atAlabamaL 7–⁠2043%
Sep 28atArmyW 27–⁠679%
Oct 12atSouth FloridaL 13–⁠1650%
Oct 19vsCincinnatiW 23–⁠1471%
Oct 30atTCUL 7–⁠3737%
Nov 9atUABW 20–⁠1356%
Nov 14vsLouisvilleL 17–⁠2057%
Nov 23atTulaneL 10–⁠3155%
Nov 30vsEast CarolinaW 24–⁠765%
Dec 27Bowls & playoffvsOklahoma StateHouston BowlL 23–⁠3348%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Oklahoma State 33–⁠23 in the Houston Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 34th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 90 on file).

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.

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 3rd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
282–⁠238
Coach
Jeff Bower
Elo
1513 −27 this season
SP+ rating
4.0 No. 55 of 117; offense No. 104, defense No. 17
SRS
−0.9 No. 67 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 51
Offensive coordinator
Chris Klenakis
Defensive coordinator
Tyrone Nix
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 29— allowed
Defense0.0own 38— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2002 class

Robby D’Angelo OG★★★No. 670
Greg Casnave DT★★★No. 670
Adam Hurst APB★★No. 898
Tavares Barnes DT★★No. 898
Lance Byrd CB★★No. 898

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

The 2002 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs12.00.767
Receivers32.00.767
Offensive line32.30.778
Defensive line92.10.770
Linebackers22.00.767
Defensive backs22.00.767
Whole class202.10.770

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 6Jeremy Bridges OTPhiladelphia Eagles

2002 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
TCU6–⁠210–⁠223
Cincinnati6–⁠27–⁠7
Southern Miss5–⁠37–⁠6
Louisville5–⁠37–⁠6
Tulane4–⁠48–⁠5
UAB4–⁠45–⁠7
East Carolina4–⁠44–⁠8
Houston3–⁠55–⁠7
Memphis2–⁠63–⁠9
Army1–⁠71–⁠11

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