2002 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

The 2002 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by second-year head coach Jerry Kill and played their home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis finished the season with a 4–8 record overall and a 2–5 record in conference play.^[1]

2002 Southern Illinois Salukis football
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Record	4–8 (2–5 Gateway)
Head coach	Jerry Kill (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Limegrover (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tracy Claeys (2nd season)
Home stadium	McAndrew Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Gateway Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Western Kentucky +^		6	–	1					12	–	3
No. 5 Western Illinois +^		6	–	1					11	–	2
Youngstown State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Illinois State		4	–	3					6	–	5
Indiana State		3	–	4					5	–	7
Northern Iowa		2	–	5					5	–	6
Southern Illinois		2	–	5					4	–	8
Southwest Missouri State		1	–	6					4	–	7
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The Salukis' home opener against Kentucky Wesleyan was the first game to use the lights at McAndrew Stadium since 1973. The stadium's lighting system, which had been damaged by renovations after the 1973 season, was repaired before the season by volunteer workers from the local branch of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 29	Kentucky Wesleyan*		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 78–0	12,125	[3]
September 7	Southeast Missouri State*		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 14–21	11,557	[4]
September 14	at Murray State*		Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	L 24–42	8,673	[5]
September 21	West Virginia Tech*		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 72–21	5,843	[6]
September 28	at Eastern Michigan*		Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 45–48 2OT	15,221	[7]
October 5	No. 8 Western Illinois		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 54–52	9,237	[8]
October 12	No. 12 Northern Iowa		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 42–13	10,216	[9]
October 19	at Illinois State	No. 25	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	L 14–35	12,415	[10]
October 26	at Southwest Missouri State		Plaster Sports Complex Springfield, MO	L 28–38	3,283	[11]
November 2	at Youngstown State		Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 9–21	18,147	[12]
November 9	Indiana State		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 14–21	3,217	[13]
November 16	No. 15 Western Kentucky		McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 16–48	3,203	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "2021 Record Book" (PDF). Southern Illinois University Athletics. p. 78. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
2. Underwood, Rick (August 30, 2002). "Bright beginnings". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1A. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Cunningham, Steve (August 30, 2002). "78-0". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1C. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Cunningham, Steve (September 8, 2002). "SIU can't solve SEMO". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Yates, Jason (September 15, 2002). "Murray exploits Saluki loss". The Paducah Sun. p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Cunningham, Steve (September 22, 2002). "Gaining Mo-mentum". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Eastern Michigan downs Southern Illinois in 2OT". Lansing State Journal. Associated Press. September 29, 2002. p. 7C. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "SIU wins shootout with WIU, 54-52". Daily Republican-Register. Associated Press. October 7, 2002. p. 5. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Cunningham, Steve (October 13, 2002). "First Place!". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Reinhardt, Randy (October 20, 2002). "Souza, ISU secure impressive win". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Scranton, Lyndal (October 27, 2002). "Bears snap losing streak". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 1D. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Cunningham, Steve (November 3, 2002). "Salukis continue spiraling with loss". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Cunningham, Steve (November 10, 2002). "Salukis can't escape dismal first quarter". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1B. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Hilltoppers top Salukis for share of league title". The Courier-Journal. November 17, 2002. p. C9. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.