2002 Northwestern State Demons football team

The 2002 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Scott Stoker, the Demons compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, placing in second in Southland. Northwestern advanced to the Division I-AA playoffs before losing to Montana. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

2002 Northwestern State Demons football
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 14–45 vs. Montana
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 16
Record	9–4 (4–2 Southland)
Head coach	Scott Stoker (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	G. Mason (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	J. C. Harper (1st season)
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Southland Football League standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 McNeese State $^		6	–	0					13	–	2
No. 16 Northwestern State ^		4	–	2					9	–	4
No. 23 Nicholls State		3	–	3					7	–	4
Stephen F. Austin		3	–	3					6	–	5
Jacksonville State		2	–	4					5	–	6
Sam Houston State		2	–	4					4	–	7
Southwest Texas State		1	–	5					4	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 29	6:00 pm	Delta State*	No. 19	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA		W 35–7	8,456
September 7	6:00 pm	vs. Southern*	No. 16	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Port City Classic)		W 30–20	23,572	[1]
September 14	1:00 pm	at Delaware State*	No. 13	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE		W 34–14	3,850
September 21	12:00 pm	at No. 8 (I-A) Georgia*	No. 10	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		L 7–45	86,520
October 5	4:00 pm	Elon*	No. 9	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA		W 47–20	11,259
October 10	7:00 pm	Southwest Texas State	No. 7	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	TSAA	W 40–27	7,920	[2]
October 17	3:00 pm	Southwestern Oklahoma State*	No. 5	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA		W 38–0	7,202
October 24	7:00 pm	at No. 22 Nicholls State	No. 3	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA (NSU Challenge)		W 21–14	7,816
October 31	7:00 pm	Sam Houston State	No. 3	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA		W 38–10	7,628	[3]
November 9	4:00 pm	at Jacksonville State	No. 3	Paul Snow Stadium Jacksonville, AL		L 10–19	9,844
November 16	2:00 pm	No. 2 McNeese State	No. 7	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	SCTN	L 3–27	17,031
November 23	4:00 pm	at Stephen F. Austin	No. 12	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (Chief Caddo)		W 42–35	8,221
November 30	1:00 pm	at No. 9 Montana*	No. 13	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	MTN	L 14–45	15,758
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

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