2002 LSU Tigers football team

	2002 SEC football standings
	Eastern Division
	Western Division
	Championship: Georgia 30, Arkansas 3
	† – BCS representative as 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;

LSU Tigers football
2002 LSU Tigers football
SEC Western Division Co-Champions
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 35–20 vs. Texas
Conference	Southeastern Conference Western Division
2002 record	8–5 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach	Nick Saban (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator	Jimbo Fisher (3rd year)
Defensive coordinator	Will Muschamp (1st as coordinator, 2nd overall year)
Home stadium	Tiger Stadium; (Capacity: 91,600)
« 2001	2003 »

The 2002 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2002–2003. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The defending SEC champion Tigers started out strong, but an injury to starting quarterback Matt Mauck hurt the team down and they lost four of their final six games. The season is memorable because of the famous Bluegrass Miracle against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Schedule [edit]

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	1:30 PM	#16 Virginia Tech*	#14	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA	ABC	L 8–26	65,049
September 7	7:00 PM	The Citadel*	#23	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA		W 35–10	85,022
September 14	7:00 PM	Miami (OH)*	#22	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA		W 33–7	90,010
September 28	11:30 AM	Mississippi State	#20	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	JPS	W 31–13	90,793
October 5	7:00 PM	Louisiana–Lafayette*	#19	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	PPV	W 48–0	91,357
October 12	6:45 PM	at #16 Florida	#18	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL (Rivalry)	ESPN	W 36–7	85,252
October 19	6:45 PM	South Carolina	#12	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN	W 38–14	91,340
October 26	11:30 AM	at Auburn	#10	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL (Tiger Bowl)	JPS	L 7–31	85,366
November 9	11:30 AM	at Kentucky	#16	Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY (Bluegrass Miracle)	JPS	W 33–30	66,262
November 16	8:00 PM	#10 Alabama	#12	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 0–31	92,012
November 23	7:30 PM	Ole Miss	#21	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (Magnolia Bowl)	ESPN2	W 14–13	91,613
November 27	1:30 PM	at Arkansas	#17	War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR (Battle for the Golden Boot)	CBS	L 20–21	55,553
January 1	10:00 AM	vs. #9 Texas*		Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	FOX	L 20–35	70,817
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time.

v t e
2002 SEC football standings
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
#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
#11 Alabama	6	–	2	10	–	3
Arkansas ^x^y	5	–	3	9	–	5
#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
Championship: Georgia 30, Arkansas 3
† – BCS representative as 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