2002 Florida Gators football team

American college football season

2002 Florida Gators football

Outback Bowl, L 30–38 vs. Michigan
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 24
Record	8–5 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Ron Zook (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Ed Zaunbrecher (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	John Thompson (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple
Captain	Earnest Graham Rex Grossman Byron Hardmon Taylor Jacobs Todd Johnson
Home stadium	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Capacity: 83,000)
Seasons← 2001 2003 →

2002 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
No. 3 Georgia x$	7	–	1	13	–	1
Florida	6	–	2	8	–	5
Tennessee	5	–	3	8	–	5
Kentucky	3	–	5	7	–	5
South Carolina	3	–	5	5	–	7
Vanderbilt	0	–	8	2	–	10
Western Division
Arkansas xy	5	–	3	9	–	5
No. 14 Auburn x	5	–	3	9	–	4
LSU x	5	–	3	8	–	5
Ole Miss	3	–	5	7	–	6
Mississippi State	0	–	8	3	–	9
No. 11 ^Alabama	6	–	2	10	–	3
Championship: Georgia 30, Arkansas 3
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – Alabama had the best division record, but did not participate in postseason play due to NCAA probation. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2002 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2002 college football season. The Gators competed in Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They were led by first-year head coach Ron Zook, who coached them to a second-place finish in the SEC East, an Outback Bowl berth, and an overall record of 8–5 (.615).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	UAB*	No. 6	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	PPV	W 51–3	85,575
September 7	5:15 p.m.	No. 1 Miami (FL)*	No. 6	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry / College GameDay)	CBS	L 16–41	85,777
September 14	6:00 p.m.	Ohio*	No. 12	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	PPV	W 34–6	84,002
September 21	3:30 p.m.	at No. 4 Tennessee	No. 10	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry / College GameDay)	CBS	W 30–13	108,722
September 28	3:30 p.m.	Kentucky	No. 7	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	W 41–34	85,333
October 5	12:00 p.m.	at Ole Miss	No. 6	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	CBS	L 14–17	61,140
October 12	7:45 p.m.	No. 18 LSU	No. 16	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 7–36	85,252
October 19	6:45 p.m.	Auburn		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	W 30–23	85,135
November 2	7:45 p.m.	vs. No. 5 Georgia		Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry / College GameDay)	ESPN	W 20–13	84,433
November 9	2:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt	No. 23	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	PPV	W 21–17	28,881
November 16	6:00 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 20	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	ESPN	W 28–7	85,222
November 30	8:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Florida State*	No. 15	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–31	83,938
January 1, 2003	11:00 a.m.	vs. No. 12 Michigan*	No. 15	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	L 30–38	65,101
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

2002 Florida Gators football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`2`	Kelvin Kight	Jr
RB	`5`	Earnest Graham	Sr
WR	`6`	Taylor Jacobs	Sr
QB	`8`	Rex Grossman	Sr
QB	`10`	Ingle Martin	Fr
WR	`11`	O. J. Small	So
OL	`54`	David Jorgensen	Sr
G	`75`	Shannon Snell	Jr
TE	`82`	Aaron Walker	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
CB	`1`	Keiwan Ratliff	Jr
LB	`42`	Byron Hardmon	Sr
LB	`59`	Mike Nattiel	Sr
DE	`86`	Darrell Lee	Jr
DT	`98`	Tron LaFavor	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Matt Leach

Head coach

Ron Zook

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Ed Zaunbrecher- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
John Thompson – Defensive Coordinator
Mike Woodford – Defense
Jerry "Red" Anderson – Defensive
Joe Wickline – Offensive Line
Dwayne Dixon – Wide Receivers
Larry Fedora – Running Backs
Jerry Odom – Inside Linebackers
Tyke Tolbert – Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

Game summaries

UAB

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Miami (FL)

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Ohio

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At Tennessee

Florida Gators (2–1) at Tennessee Volunteers (1–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	0	24	0	6	30
Tennessee	0	0	13	0	13

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee

Date: September 21
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: Light rain, 71 °F (22 °C)
Game attendance: 108,722
Referee: Rogers Redding
TV: CBS
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

FLA – Earnest Graham 1-yard run (Matt Leach kick), 4:55. Florida 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 3:20.
FLA – Carlos Perez 28-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Matt Leach kick), 3:40. Florida 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 24 yards, 1:12.
FLA – Taylor Jacobs 7-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Matt Leach kick), 0:35. Florida 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 0:52.
FLA – Matt Leach 41-yard field goal, 0:00. Florida 24–0. Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:02.

Third quarter

TENN – Derrick Tinsley 15-yard pass from Casey Clausen (Alex Walls kick), 9:51. Florida 24–7. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 2:28.
TENN – Jabari Davis 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:28. Florida 24–13. Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 6:27.

Fourth quarter

FLA – Taylor Jacobs 21-yard pass from Rex Grossman (kick failed), 10:49. Florida 30–13. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:32.

Top passers

FLA – Rex Grossman – 20/34, 324 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
TENN – Casey Clausen – 30/44, 285 yards, TD

Top rushers

FLA – Ran Carthon – 9 rushes, 51 yards
TENN – Troy Fleming – 9 rushes, 42 yards

Top receivers

FLA – Taylor Jacobs – 9 receptions, 141 yards, 2 TD
TENN – Kelley Washington – 7 receptions, 102 yards

Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	0	28	6	34
• Florida	6	13	13	9	41

Date: September 28
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Game start: 3:30 p.m.
Elapsed time: 3:38
Game attendance: 85,333
Game weather: Sunny; 86 °F (30 °C); wind 9 mph (14 km/h) W
Referee: Steve Shaw

Scoring summary

Q1	2:08	FLA	Graham 1-yard run (kick blocked)	FLA 6–0

Q2	11:55	FLA	Carthon 19-yard run (pass failed)	FLA 12–0

Q2	2:54	FLA	Carthon 6-yard run (Leach kick)	FLA 19–0

Q3	11:05	UK	Abney 14-yard pass from Lorenzen (Begley kick)	FLA 19–7

Q3	7:21	FLA	Jacobs 4-yard pass from Grossman (kick blocked)	FLA 25–7

Q3	6:59	UK	Abney 100-yard kickoff return (Begley kick)	FLA 25–14

Q3	3:21	UK	Pinner 1-yard run (Begley kick)	FLA 25–21

Q3	3:03	UK	Boone 39-yard pass from Lorenzen (Begley kick)	UK 28–25

Q3	0:18	FLA	Jacobs 35-yard pass from Grossman (Leach kick)	FLA 32–28

Q4	9:25	FLA	Ratliff 62-yard interception return (Leach kick)	FLA 39–28

Q4	5:24	UK	Abney 49-yard punt return (pass failed)	FLA 39–34

Q4	5:24	FLA	Ratliff PAT return	FLA 41–34

At Ole Miss

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LSU

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Auburn

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Vs. Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Florida	0	12	0	8	20
Georgia	7	6	0	0	13

Date: Saturday, November 2
Location: Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Game start: 7:45 p.m.
Elapsed time: 3:25
Game attendance: 84,433
Game weather: Clear, 58 °F (14 °C)
Referee: Penn Wagers
Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary

1	6:59	UGA	J.T. Wall 10-yard pass from David Greene (Billy Bennett kick) (3-48, 0:49)	UGA 7-0

2	9:39	FLA	Aaron Walker 5-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Brendt Talcott kick failed) (13-58, 5:21)	UGA 7-6

2	3:56	FLA	Guss Scott 47-yard interception return (pass failed)	FLA 12-6

2	1:20	UGA	Billy Bennett 47-yard field goal (8-48, 2:36)	FLA 12-10

2	0:03	UGA	Billy Bennett 25-yard field goal (4-(-2), 1:08)	UGA 13-12

4	11:32	FLA	Ben Troupe 10-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Grossman run) (10-89, 3:49)	FLA 20-13

At Vanderbilt

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South Carolina

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At Florida State

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Outback Bowl (vs. Michigan)

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Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
1	22	Rex Grossman	QB	Chicago Bears
2	44	Taylor Jacobs	WR	Washington Redskins
4	100	Todd Johnson	S	Chicago Bears
4	116	Ian Scott	DT	Chicago Bears
5	161	Aaron Walker	TE	San Francisco 49ers
5	171	Tron LaFavor	DT	Chicago Bears
6	190	Mike Nattiel	LB	Minnesota Vikings
7	227	Clint Mitchell	DE	Denver Broncos

References

University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 2002 Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
2012 Florida Football Media Guide Archived May 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 113 & 116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.
GatorZone.com, Football, History, Florida Football 20032 Archived September 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
GatorZone.com Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-Sep-06.
"Gators Upend No. 5 Georgia, 20-13". Gatorzone.com. Retrieved 02-May-2012.

Bibliography

2009 Southeastern Conference Football Media Guide, Florida Year-by-Year Records, Southeastern Conference, Birmingham, Alabama, p. 60 (2009).
2012 Florida Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 107–116 (2012).
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.

v t e Florida Gators football
Venues	The Baseball Park (1906–1910) University Athletic Field / Fleming Field (1911–1930) Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Auburn Florida State (Florida Cup) Georgia Kentucky LSU Miami (Florida Cup) Tennessee
Culture & lore	History The Pride of the Sunshine Gator Chomp Mr. Two Bits Gatorade 1961 gambling scandal 1992 SEC Championship Game 2009 SEC Championship Game
People	Head coaches Ring of Honor All-Americans UF Athletic Hall of Fame Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

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