2002 Villanova Wildcats football team

The 2002 Villanova Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the Villanova University in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their 18th season under head coach Andy Talley, the Wildcats compiled an 11–4 record (7–1 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 448 to 278, and was ranked No. 4 in The Sports Network I-AA Poll. The team advanced to the Division I-A playoffs, defeating Furman in the first round and Fordham in the quarterfinals, before losing to McNeese State in the semifinals.[1][2] The Wildcats played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

2002 Villanova Wildcats football
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 28–39 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 4
2002 record	11–4 (7–1 A-10)
Head coach	Andy Talley (18th season)
Home stadium	Villanova Stadium

2002 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Maine $^		7	–	2					11	–	3
No. 11 Northeastern $^		7	–	2					10	–	3
No. 4 Villanova ^		6	–	3					11	–	4
UMass		6	–	3					8	–	4
William & Mary		5	–	4					6	–	5
Richmond		4	–	5					4	–	7
Delaware		4	–	5					6	–	6
Hofstra		4	–	5					6	–	6
James Madison		4	–	6					5	–	7
New Hampshire		2	–	7					3	–	8
Rhode Island		1	–	8					3	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	at Rutgers*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 37–19		[3]
September 7	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	W 20–0
September 14	Maine	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	L 14–21		[4]
September 21	New Hampshire	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 45–3		[5]
September 28	at James Madison	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 30–26	9,153	[6]
October 5	Hofstra	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 35–7		[7]
October 10	Penn	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 17–3		[8]
October 19	at UMass	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA	L 16–17		[9]
November 2	William & Mary	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 41–20	7,153	[10]
November 9	at No. 18 Northeastern	Parsons Field Boston, MA	L 13–38	6,463	[11]
November 16	Rhode Island	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	W 45–3		[12]
November 23	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 38–34		[13]
November 30	Furman*	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (NCAA I-AA First Round)	W 45–38		[14]
December 7	Fordham*	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (NCAA I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 24–10	4,351	[15]
December 14	McNeese State*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA I-AA Semifinal)	L 28–29		[16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

[17]

References

1. "Villanova Yearly Results (2000-2004)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
2. "2016 Villanova football Media Guide". Villanova.com. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
3. "Embarrassed: I-AA Villanova burns Rutgers time and again". Home News Tribune. September 1, 2002. pp. C1, C8 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Villanova drops home opener". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 15, 2002. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Villanova gets Talley's message". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 22, 2002. p. D10 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Villanova survives a scare and beats James Madison". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 29, 2002. p. D10 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Villanova makes a meal out of Hofstra, 35-7". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 6, 2002. p. D11 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "'Nova's win over Penn is hardly a splashy one". Philadelphia Daily News. October 11, 2002. p. 141 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Villanova won't let UMass throw it away". The Boston Globe. October 20, 2002. p. E18 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Villanova stays alive in A-10 by beating nemesis". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 3, 2002. p. D8 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Emotional NU relentless: Huskies trounce No. 11 Villanova". The Boston Globe. November 10, 2002. p. D17 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "'Nova storms past Rhode Island, 45-3". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 17, 2002. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Final disappointment". The News Journal. November 24, 2002. pp. D1, D7 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Paladins get overthrown". The Greenville News. December 1, 2002. pp. 1C, 6C – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Cats manage win despite injured QB". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 8, 2002. p. D5 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Villaova tumbles in I-AA seminfinals". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 15, 2002. pp. D1, D4 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "2002 Football Schedule". Villanova University Athletics. Retrieved April 6, 2019.