2002 Furman Paladins football team

The 2002 Furman Paladins football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their first year under head coach Bobby Lamb, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a conference mark of 6–2, finishing tied for second in the SoCon. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they were upset by Villanova in the first round.

2002 Furman Paladins football
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 38–45 vs. Villanova
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	8–4 (6–2 SoCon)
Head coach	Bobby Lamb (1st season)
Captain	Billy Napier, LeBryan Sperling, Rodney Johnson
Home stadium	Paladin Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 Georgia Southern $^		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 14 Wofford		6	–	2					9	–	3
No. 10 Appalachian State ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
No. 9 Furman ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
VMI		3	–	5					6	–	6
Western Carolina		3	–	5					5	–	6
East Tennessee State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Chattanooga		2	–	6					2	–	10
The Citadel		1	–	7					3	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	at Vanderbilt*	No. 7	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 18–49	28,568	[1]
September 14	Elon*	No. 7	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	W 57–7	4,860	[2]
September 21	at No. 22 Richmond*	No. 7	UR Stadium Richmond, VA	W 17–7	7,189	[3]
September 28	at VMI	No. 7	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	W 55–28	6,235	[4]
October 5	Western Carolina	No. 5	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	W 24–23	13,125	[5]
October 12	at No. 4 Appalachian State	No. 5	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	L 15–16	15,331	[6]
October 19	The Citadel	No. 6	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC (rivalry)	W 37–10	13,188	[7]
October 26	at East Tennessee State	No. 4	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	W 25–0	5,478	[8]
November 9	No. 9 Georgia Southern	No. 4	Paladin Stadium Greensville, SC	L 24–39	15,794	[9]
November 16	at No. 10 Wofford	No. 9	Gibbs Stadium Spartanburg, SC (rivalry)	W 23–21	9,814	[10]
November 23	Chattanooga	No. 8	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	W 35–7	7,423	[11]
November 30	at No. 12 Villanova*	No. 6	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 38–45	3,031	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Daydream turns into a nightmare". The Atlanta Constitution. September 8, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Paladins pour it on". The State. September 15, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Napier takes Furman past Richmond 17–7". The Index-Journal. September 22, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Paladins throttle Keydets". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 29, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Furman pulls out narrow win over WCU". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 6, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Paladins throw away sure thing". The Greenville News. October 13, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2002 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Paladins prove resilience". The Greenville News. October 20, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Furman blows by ETSU". The State. October 27, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia Southern takes easy win over Paladins". The Item. November 10, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Late touchdown lifts Furman over Wofford". The Times and Democrat. November 17, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Paladins whip Mocs, wait for NCAA's call". The Greenville News. November 24, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Paladins get overthrown". The Greenville News. December 1, 2002. pp. 1C, 6C. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.