Contents

2002 Florida Gators football team

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)[1]
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

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).

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. 1Miami (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. 4Tennessee	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.	atOle Miss	No. 6	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	CBS	L 14–17	61,140
October 12	7:45 p.m.	No. 18LSU	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 OT	85,135
November 2	7:45 p.m.	vs. No. 5Georgia		Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry / College GameDay)	ESPN	W 20–13	84,433
November 9	2:00 p.m.	atVanderbilt	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. 23Florida State*	No. 15	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–31	83,938
January 1, 2003	11:00 a.m.	vs. No. 12Michigan*	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

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atNeyland 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

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• 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.