COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 2002 SEASON
24/08/02 - Texas Tech (21) @ (45) Ohio State - In the opening game of the season, the #13 ranked Buckeyes announced their title aspirations with a big win over the Red Raiders. The star for Ohio State was Freshman RB Maurice Clarett (21-175-3 inc. TD runs of 59 and 45 yards) who was playing his 1st game for the Buckeyes. Ohio State started strong and led 38-7 at the start of the 4th quarter before Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury (26-44-341-3) made the result more respectable with 2 late TD passes. Ohio State also featured QB Craig Krenzel (11-14-118-0) and WR Michael Jenkins (3-58-0). Texas Tech also featured RB Taurean Henderson (3-31-0) and WR's Wes Welker (5-117-2) and Carlos Francis (5-67-1) (8, 2 Discs, ABC - Nessler/Griese/Swann, NTSC)
31/08/02 - Baylor (22) @ (70) California - In the 1st game of the Jeff Tedford era, much maligned Cal QB Kyle Boller (18-26-213-3) was sensational. Cal threw a 71 yard TD pass on the 1st play of the game and then scored 28 unanswered 1st quarter points. Baylor WR Reggie Newsome (8-164-1) was the lone bright spot for the Baylor team (9, 2 Discs, KRON4 - Tompkins/Pawlawski/Cox, NTSC)
6/09/02 - Florida State (20) @ (26) Louisville - Louisville recorded their greatest ever win as they shocked the #4 Seminoles in a driving rain-storm. Louisville QB Dave Ragone (15-27-182-2) was steady and led his team to overtime where the Cardinals held the 'Noles before clinching the win with a 25 yard TD run from RB Henry Miller (8, 2 Discs, Sunshine Network - Kennedy/Jones, PAL)
14/09/02 - San Jose State (26) @ (63) Stanford - In Stanford coach Buddy Teevens 1st home game, Stanford scored their highest points total since 1981. Stanford used 13 different players to rush the ball for 238 yards. Starting QB Chris Lewis (12-22-182-2) was knocked out of the game in the 1st half but back-up QB Kyle Matter guided the Cardinal to 35 2nd half points. San Jose State scored on a 97 yard kick-off return and a 60 yard TD pass (9, 2 Discs, KRON4 - Tompkins/Walsh, NTSC)
14/09/02 - Mississippi (28) @ (42) Texas Tech - A battle of star QB's between Eli Manning and Kliff Kingsbury was won by Kliff and Texas Tech as Tech put up a 28-7 half-time lead and never looked back. Eli put up good numbers (34-57-374-3) put also threw an interception that was returned for a TD. Kliff also had a good game (25-38-270-2) en-route to setting a Big-12 record for career passing yardage (9, 2 Discs, ABC - Brant/Cunningham/Ryan, PAL)
21/09/00 - North Carolina State (51) @ (48) Texas Tech - In another battle between 2 top QB's, NC State QB Philip Rivers (20-32-301-0) and Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury (27-50-273-3) went toe-to-toe. Tech mounted a 28 point 4th quarter comeback to send the game into overtime but the rushing of TA McClendon (32-150-5) was too much and he settled the game with his 5th TD of the game (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Meyers/Lapham/Knox, PAL)
27/09/02 - Texas Tech (49) @ (0) New Mexico - Texas Tech rebounded from the loss to NC State with a comprehensive win over the Lobos. The star for the Red Raiders was QB Kliff Kingsbury (41-59-407-6) as he led Tech to a 28-0 half-time lead that was never threatened in the 2nd half. He was supported by RB Taurean Henderson (12-40-0 + 5-24-0) and WR's Mickey Peters (7-93-1), Anton Paige (6-76-3), Carlos Francis (6-70-1) and Wes Welker (6-58-0). The Lobos were led by QB Casey Kelley (6-14-53-0), who left at half-time with a broken arm, back-up QB Justin Millea (5-14-58-0) and RB Dontrell Moore (8-33-0) (8, 2 Discs, ESPN 2 - Levy/Gilmore/Flanagan, NTSC)
05/10/02 - Florida (14) @ (17) Mississippi - Ole Miss QB Eli Manning (18-33-154-0) did what his brother Peyton couldn't do : beat Florida. But it needed a stellar effort from the defense to seal the win. Ole Miss DB Matt Grier snagged 2 interceptions from Florida QB Rex Grossman (19-44-205-2 + 4 INT's), returning one for a 24 yard TD, the winning points (8, 2 Discs, CBS - Bolerjack/James/Ware, PAL)
12/10/02 - Buffalo (21) @ (66) Marshall - In a dominating performance, Marshall advanced to 4-1 on the season. Marshall opened the game by scoring 59 unanswered points with Herd QB Byron Leftwich (28-35-447-4) having a huge game in only 2 quarters of play. Marshall scored on a 63 yard TD pass and a 78 yard TD run + 2 fumbles returned for TD's. Marshall also featured WR Darius Watts (6-102-2). Buffalo were led by QB Randall Secky (13-34-132-0) and RB Aaron Leeper (21-145-2 inc. 65 yard TD run), who had a big game in a losing effort (8, JIP 1st Quarter 14:08 - missing 1st Marshall drive and TD, 2 Discs, ESPN+ - Morehouse/Gregory, PAL)
12/10/02 - Florida State (27) @ (28) Miami - #1 Miami survived an upset bid by #9 ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl, extending their winning streak to 28 games, but needed a last play FG miss to do so. In front of a record Orange Bowl crowd of 81,927, the Seminoles out-played the Hurricanes, but 2 TD's in the final 8:10 of the game saw Miami take a 1-point lead with time ticking down. Florida State had 1 last drive, and reached the 'Canes 25 yard line, but a last-play 43 yard FG went "Wide Left" and Miami celebrated the win. Miami featured QB Ken Dorsey (20-45-362-2), RB Willis McGahee (26-95-1), WR Andre Johnson, TE Kellen Winslow Jr (6-84-1), LB's Jonathan Vilma and D. J. Williams and DB Sean Taylor. Florida State featured QB Chris Rix (8-19-83-1), RB Greg Jones (31-189-1), WR Anquan Boldin, DL Darnell Dockett and LB Michael Boulware (9, ESPN Classic re-broadcast, 1 hour 32 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, ABC - Nessler/Griese/Swann, PAL)
19/10/02 - Arizona State (45) @ (42) Oregon - In a wild shootout, Arizona State rallied from an early 21-0 deficit to beat the #6 ranked Ducks and end their 11 game win streak. Oregon took the early initiative with RB Onterrio Smith (27-172-3) running in 2 scores. But the Sun Devils fought their way back into the game on the arm of QB Andrew Walter (31-53-536-4) who set a PAC-10 record for passing yards. His favourite receiver was Shaun McDonald (12-204-1). Oregon QB Jason Fife (21-32-288-3) had a big game in defeat (9, 2 Discs, ESPN+ - Giansante/Newman, PAL)
26/10/02 - USC (44) @ (33) Oregon - #16 ranked USC won in a shootout at Autzen Stadium, with QB Carson Palmer having a record-setting day. Palmer (31-42-448-5) set school records for yards in a game and tied a school record for TD passes in a game as the Trojans overcame a 19-14 deficit at the half to score 30 unsanswered points in the 2nd half to take the win. USC also got big games from WR Mike Williams (13-226-2) and RB Justin Fargas (27-139-1). Oregon were led by QB Jason Fife (20-45-336-2) and RB Onterrio Smith (19-79-0) but they couldn't overcome a poor defensive effort as the Trojans racked up 608 yards of total Offense (8, Slight pixellation + small tracking line at the bottom of the screen + missing action between 6:41 and 5:44 of the 3rd quarter - no scoring missed, 2 Discs, ABC - Jackson/Fouts/Harris, PAL)
09/11/02 - Oklahoma (26) @ (30) Texas A&M - Unranked Texas A&M ambushed the undefeated and #2 ranked Sooners behind the play of Freshman back-up QB Reggie McNeal (8-13-191-4 + 16-89-0). McNeal entered the game in the 2nd quarter and terrorised the Sooners with big pass plays that put the Aggies in position to win the game. Oklahoma featured QB Nate Hybl (20-34-249-2), TE Trent Smith (6-55-0) and RB Quentin Griffin (23-141-0)(8, 2 Discs, ABC - Nessler/Griese/Swann, PAL)
09/11/02 - Virginia Tech (42) @ (50) Syracuse - In a shootout, Syracuse upset #8 ranked Virginia Tech in 3 overtimes. Both teams combined for over 1,100 yards of offense with Hokies QB Bryan Randall (23-35-504-5) and WR Ernest Wilford (8 -279 -4) having huge days. But it wasn't enough as the Orangemen held the ball for 52 minutes compared to 23 minutes for Hokies and out-rushed them by 150 yards. Syracuse were led by QB Troy Nunes (24 -40 -403 -1), RB Walter Reyes (21-118 -3) and WR David Tyree (9-229-0). Virginia Tech also featured RB Lee Suggs (19-65-0) but were missing RB Kevin Jones and DB DeAngelo Hall through injury (9, 2 Discs, ESPN+ - Hullinger/Christensen, PAL)
09/11/02 - LSU (33) @ (30) Kentucky - In one of the wildest finishes in College Football history, #14 ranked LSU stole victory from Kentucky with a last play 75 yard TD pass. Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen (12-26-210-4), RB Artose Pinner (27-143-0) and WR Aaron Boone (3-112-3) looked to have done enough for the win, scoring 10 points in the final 3 minutes for a 3 point lead, but LSU QB Marcus Randall (10-23-264-3) thought otherwise and launched his spectacular TD pass as time expired to WR Devery Henderson (5-201-3) to steal the win (9, 2 Discs, JP Sports - Neal/Archer/Baker, PAL)
16/11/02 - Texas (38) @ (42) Texas Tech - Texas Tech upset the # 2 ranked Longhorns with an awesome offensive display, led by QB Kliff Kingsbury (38-60-473-6). Texas had their own offensive weapons with QB Chris Simms (24-37-345-4), WR's BJ.Johnson (5-120-1) and Roy Williams (8-117-3) having big games. The game was decided in the final 2 minutes when Tech completed a 3rd and long WR pass to get a 1st half and run out the clock (9, 2 Discs, ABC - Nessler/Griese/Swann, PAL)
30/11/02 - Notre Dame (13) @ (44) USC - In a battle of 2 top 10 teams, it was #6 ranked USC that won the game, beating #7 ranked Notre Dame. A tight 1st half was broken open in the 2nd half as USC scored 27 unanswered points and kept Notre Dame scoreless. The main weapons for USC were QB Carson Palmer (32-46-425-4), RB Justin Fargas (20-120-0) and WR Mike Williams (10-169-2). Notre Dame were led by QB Carlyle Holiday (10-29-70-0) and RB Ryan Grant (10-16-0) (9, 2 Discs, ABC - Jackson/Fouts/Harris, PAL)
23/12/02 - Tangerine Bowl - Texas Tech (55) v (15) Clemson - Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury (32-43-375-3) finished his career in style as he went over 5,000 passing yards for the season and led Tech to their 1st bowl win since 1995 (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Tirico/Corso/Herbstreit/Punch, PAL)
03/01/03 - Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State (31) v (24) Miami - In one of the greatest National Championship games ever, the underdog Buckeyes pushed the 'Canes all the way with a staunch defense and a strong running game. Ohio State QB Craig Krenzel (7-21-122 + 19-81-2) turned in an MVP performance and RB Maurice Clarett (22-47-2) had a strong game. Miami tied the game on the last play of the 4th quarter to force overtime and it took 2 overtimes to find the champion. Clarett scored from 5 yards out after a controversial 4th down pass interference call and then the defense stopped Miami QB Ken Dorsey (28-43-296-2) to win the game (9, 2 Discs, ABC - - Jackson/Fouts/Harris/Swann, PAL)
11/01/03 - Shrine Bowl - East (20) v (17) West - At San Francisco's Pac-Bell Park, Miami QB Ken Dorsey and West Virginia RB Avon Cobourne led the East to victory. Dorsey (9-18-192-0) and Cobourne (7-72-2) had big games while West and Arizona QB Jason Johnson (17-30-275-2) had a big game including a 76 yard pass to USC RB Sultan McCullough (9, No 3rd Quarter, No scoring missed, 1 Disc, ESPN - Barnett/Curry/Golic, PAL)
18/01/03 - Senior Bowl - North (17) v (0) South - The North recorded the first shutout since 1990 as the defense shut-down some big name QB's on the South roster and even chipped in with a 99 yard interception return TD from Notre Dame's Shane Walton. The North featured QB's Kyle Boller (Cal), Seneca Wallace (Iowa State) and Dave Ragone (Louisville) + RB Larry Johnson (Penn State) The South featured QB's Carson Palmer (USC), Chris Simms (Texas) and Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) (6, JIP 9:18 1Q, Jumpy picture, 2 Discs, ESPN - Malone/Kiper/Salisbury/Karsten, PAL)
01/02/03 - Hula Bowl - North (24) v (27) South - The South stunned the North with an incredible 4th quarter comeback as they scored 24 unanswered points, including a last play 34 yard FG, to win the game. The North started the best, taking a 21-3 lead into the half thanks to TD passes from Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) and WR Carl Morris (Harvard). Both TD catches were made by WR David Kircus (Grand Valley State). The game looked won by the North until the South blew up the 4th quarter with TD passes from QB Jason Johnson (Arizona) and a TD run from Joe Igber (California) and also 2 on-side kick recoveries that set-up the final points and the win. The North were led by Texas coach Mack Brown and also featured LB Solomon Bates (Arizona State). The South were led by Miami coach Larry Coker and also featured WR Kassim Osgood (San Diego State) and RB Brad Banks (Iowa) (9, JIP 11:30 1st Quarter - no scoring missed, 2 Discs, ESPN - Barnett/Curry/May/Rowe, PAL)