The 2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Tyrone Willingham, the Irish compiled a 10–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 290 to 217, and were ranked No. 17 in the final AP and Coaches Polls. They won the first eight games of the season and were at that point ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. The winning streak led to claims to a "Return to Glory", with the phrase appearing on t-shirts that created a "Sea of Green" in the stands, and on the September 30 cover of Sports Illustrated. However, the Irish lost three of their last five games, including a 44–13 loss to USC and a 28–6 loss to NC State in the Gator Bowl.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Carlyle Holiday (1,788 passing yards), running back Ryan Grant (1,085 rushing yards), wide receiver Arnaz Battle (58 receptions for 786 yards), and kicker Nicholas Setta (74 points, 32 of 32 PAT, 14 of 25 field goals). Defensive back Shane Walton tallied seven interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and seven pass breakups, and was a unanimous first-team pick on the 2002 All-America college football team. Center Jeff Faine and linebacker Courtney Watson also received first-team All-America honors from at least one selector.
The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
Roster
Rankings
Game summaries
Maryland
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State During the Michigan State game, quarterback Carlyle Holiday was injured and replaced by backup Pat Dillingham. Dillingham led the Irish to a comeback win on a screen pass to Arnaz Battle.
Stanford
Pittsburgh
Air Force
Florida State
Holiday returned for the Florida State game. In that game, Holiday threw a 65-yard touchdown on his first play to Battle that helped the Irish win the game.
Boston College
The first Irish loss of the season came against the Boston College Eagles, mirroring the 1993 season when Notre Dame narrowly lost a chance to participate in the national championship game due to a loss to Boston College. Willingham, wanting the team to be a part of the "Sea of Green" in the stands, decided that the team should wear green for the game. In 1985, the last time the Irish wore green at home, they came out after halftime against USC and won the game 37–3. The ploy, however, did not work this time, as the Irish committed 5 turnovers and Holiday was injured again and replaced by Dillingham, who threw 2 interception, one of which the Eagles returned for a touchdown that sealed the loss for the Irish.
Navy
The Fighting Irish won their 39th straight victory over Navy.
Rutgers Notre Dame won a 42–0 blowout victory over struggling Rutgers.
at No. 6 USC
Notre Dame had a legitimate shot at a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game if they could win against perennial rival USC. The Irish were ranked higher than the Trojans, but USC quarterback Carson Palmer, who cited the game as the reason he went on to win the Heisman Trophy, threw for 425 yards in the Trojans' 31 point win.
Vs. NC State (Gator Bowl)
Source:
The Irish won 10 games but were not invited to a BCS bowl game, and they accepted a bid to play North Carolina State in the instead. With both an offense and defense that outmatched the Irish, the Wolfpack won the game 28–6, giving the Irish their sixth consecutive bowl loss. Despite the loss, the Irish ended the season ranked in both the Associated Press (AP) and Coaches Polls.
Statistical leaders Passing Carlyle Holiday - 129 of 257 (50.2%) for 1,788 yards, 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, 117.58 efficiency Pat Dillingham - 41 of 81 (50.6%) for 434 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 interceptions, 82.41 efficiency
Rushing Ryan Grant - 1,085 yards on 261 attempts, 4.2 yards per carry, 9 touchdowns Rashon Powers-Neal - 333 yards on 77 carries, 4.3 yards per carry, 2 touchdowns Carlyle Holiday - 200 yards on 92 carries, 2.2 yards per carry, 3 touchdowns Marcus Wilson - 110 yards on 39 carries, 2.8 yards per carry, 0 touchdowns
Receiving Arnaz Battle - 58 receptions for 786 yards, 13.6 yards per reception, 5 touchdowns Omar Jenkins - 37 receptions for 633 yards, 17.1 yards per reception, 3 touchdowns Maurice Stovall - 18 receptions for 312 yards, 17.3 yards per reception, 3 touchdowns Gary Godsey - 16 receptions for 155 yards, 9.7 yards per reception, 0 touchdowns Jared Clark - 7 receptions for 104 yards, 14.9 yards per reception, 0 touchdowns
Tackles Courtney Watson - 90 total, 51 solo Glenn Earl - 81 total, 52 solo Mike Goolsby - 75 total, 51 solo Gerome Sapp - 71 total, 42 solo Shane Walton - 68 total, 46 solo Brandon Hoyt - 57 total, 42 solo Football Review 2002, p. 49.
Punt returns Vontez Duff - 40 returns for 385 yards, 9.6-yard average, 1 touchdown Shane Walton - 9 returns for 85 yards, 9.4-yard average, 0 touchdowns
Kick returns Vontez Duff - 19 returns for 526 yards, 27.7-yard average, 1 touchdown Arnaz Battle - 16 returns for 335 yards, 20.9-yard average, 0 touchdowns Interceptions Shane Walton - 7 interceptions for 84 yards, 2 touchdowns Courtney Watson - 4 interceptions for 123 yards, 1 touchdown Gerome Sapp - 4 interceptions for 17 yards, 0 touchdowns
Awards and honors Head coach Tyrone Willingham received The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award and the George Munger Award. He was also named by Sporting News as "Sportsman of the Year", and was the only coach listed by Sporting News as one of their "Most Powerful People in Sports".
Cornerback Shane Watson was a unanimous first-team selection on the 2002 All-America college football team.
Offensive lineman Jeff Faine received first-team All-America honors from The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, and ESPN.
Linebacker Courtney Watson received first-team All-America honors from ESPN.
Wide receiver Arnaz Battle was named by the Independence Bowl Foundation as their sportsman of the year.
2003 NFL draft The following Notre Dame players were selected in the 2003 NFL draft. Jeff Faine Center 1 21 Cleveland Browns Jordan Black Tackle 5 153 Kansas City Chiefs Sean Mahan Center 5 168 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Shane Walton Safety 5 170 St. Louis Rams Gerome Sapp Safety 6 182 Baltimore Ravens Arnaz Battle Wide Receiver 6 197 San Francisco 49ers Brennan Curtin Tackle 6 212 Green Bay Packers
References