2002Penn State Nittany Lions football
Capital One Bowl, L 9–13 vs.Auburn
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 16
Record	9–4 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Joe Paterno (37th season)
Offensive coordinator	Fran Ganter (19th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Tom Bradley (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

The2002 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented thePennsylvania State University in the2002 NCAA Division I-A football season.^[2] The team's head coach wasJoe Paterno. It played its home games atBeaver Stadium inUniversity Park, Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions returned 16 starters from the previous season, who won five of its final seven games. Six starters returned on defense, led by defensive tackleJimmy Kennedy, who returned for his fifth year despite speculations he would enter theNFL draft.^[3]

The offensive unit averted a possible quarterback controversy when last year's starter Matt Senneca announced that he would not be returning for his final year of eligibility.^[4] Redshirt sophomoreZack Mills would lead the offense, with expectations high after showing flashes of brilliance coming off the bench in 2001.Larry Johnson would also become the featured back, after spending three seasons playing in a tailback-by-committee that had inconsistent production. Johnson will have the luxury of running behind an offensive line that returned all five starters.

Penn State was ranked number 24 in both theAP andCoaches college football preseason polls.

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Jay Alford DT	Orange, NJ	Orange HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	4.80	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Chris Auletta OL	Melville, NY	St. Anthony's HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	5.30	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Brian Borgoyn OL	Pittsburgh, PA	Woodland Hills SHS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	NA	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Levi Brown DT	Norfolk, VA	Granby HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.00	Dec 19, 2001
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Mark Farris OL	Pittsburgh, PA	North Hills SHS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	5.00	Jan 23, 2002
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Vince Gliatta DB	Canton, OH	Canton Central Catholic HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.50	NA
	Recruit ratings:Rivals:
Tamba Hali DE	Teaneck, NJ	Teaneck HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.70	Jan 27, 2002
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Patrick Hall RB	Canton, GA	Sequoyah HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	NA	Jan 13, 2002
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Josh Hannum WR	Wallingford, PA	Strath Haven HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	4.20	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Maurice Humphrey CB	Berlin, CT	Berlin HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.40	Nov 26, 2001
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Donnie Johnson RB	Cincinnati, OH	North College Hill HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.40	Dec 21, 2001
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Ed Johnson DE	Detroit, MI	Crockett Vocational Tech	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	4.70	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Jim Kanuch S	Johnstown, PA	Westmont Hilltop HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.43	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Jeremy Kapinos P	Springfield, VA	West Springfield HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.90	Dec 11, 2001
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Lee Lispi OL	Pittston, PA	Pittston Area SHS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	5.10	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Calvin Lowry CB	Fayetteville, NC	Douglas Byrd HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.40	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Robert Price OL	Shaker Heights, OH	Shaker Heights HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	5.20	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Steve Roach OL	Martinsburg, WV	Martinsburg Senior HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	5.20	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Tim Shaw RB	Livonia, MI	Clarenceville HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	4.44	Jan 28, 2002
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
BranDon Snow LB	Newark, DE	Newark HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.47	Feb 6, 2002
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Chris Wilson RB	Baltimore, MD	Catonsville HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.60	NA
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
J.R. Zwierzynski RB	Joliet, IL	Joliet Catholic Academy	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.50	Jan 18, 2002
	Recruit ratings:Scout:    Rivals:
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: 16   Rivals: 21
‡ Refers to40-yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State Commit List for 2002". Rivals. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2007. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Penn State". Scout. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2007. "2002 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2007.

• Jimmy Kennedy

Playboy pre-seasonAll-American^[5]

Second-team Athlon Sports pre-seasonAll-American^[6]

Second-team Lindy's pre-seasonAll-American^[6]

• Zack Mills

Lindy's pre-seasonBig Ten Most Valuable Player^[6]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	12:00 p.m.[7]	UCF*	No. 24	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN[7]	W 27–24	103,029
September 14	8:00 p.m.[8]	No. 8Nebraska*		Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC[8]	W 40–7	110,753
September 21	12:00 p.m.[9]	Louisiana Tech*	No. 15	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus[9]	W 49–17	103,987
September 28	12:00 p.m.[10]	Iowa	No. 12	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN[10]	L 35–42OT	108,247
October 5	3:30 p.m.[11]	at No. 19Wisconsin	No. 20	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ABC[11]	W 34–31	79,403
October 12	3:30 p.m.[12]	at No. 13Michigan	No. 15	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC[12]	L 24–27OT	111,502
October 19	12:00 p.m.[13]	Northwestern	No. 20	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2[14]	W 49–0	108,853
October 26	3:30 p.m.[15]	at No. 4Ohio State	No. 18	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC[15]	L 7–13	105,103
November 2	3:30 p.m.[16]	Illinois	No. 20	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN[16]	W 18–7	105,589
November 9	3:30 p.m.[17]	Virginia*	No. 19	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC[17]	W 35–14	108,698
November 16	3:30 p.m.[18]	atIndiana	No. 16	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	ESPN2[19]	W 58–25	27,454
November 23	3:30 p.m.[19]	Michigan State	No. 15	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC[19]	W 61–7	108,755
January 1, 2003	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 19Auburn*	No. 10	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Capital One Bowl)	ABC[20]	L 9–13	66,334
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inEastern time

2002 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Josh Hannum Fr QB 3 Chris Ganter  Fr RB 5 Larry Johnson  Sr WR 6 Donnie Johnson Fr QB 7 Zack Mills So WR 9 Terrance Phillips  Fr WR 11 Tony Johnson Jr QB 12 Michael Robinson Fr WR 13 Kinta Palmer  Fr RB 13 Reginald Walker So QB 14 Andy Kubic Fr WR 15 Kevin Darling Fr QB 16 Dan Corrado Fr QB 17 Greg Hennigar Fr QB 19 Tom Lundquist  Fr WR 19 Gerald Smith  So RB 20 Tim Shaw Fr WR 22 Pete Gilmore  So RB 23 Aric Heffelfinger Fr WR 24 Bryant Johnson Sr RB 26 Mike Gasparato  So RB 30 BranDon Snow Fr WR 31 Ernie Terrell  Fr RB 32 Chris Wilson Fr TE 33 Mike Lukac  Jr FB 36 Brian Fairchild  Fr FB 39 Paul Jefferson  Jr FB 42 Sean McHugh  Jr RB 44 Ricky Upton  Jr FB 45 Adam Senk  Fr WR 46 Zachery Moran Fr G 50 Tyler Lenda Sr OL 52 Blase Iorio Fr G 54 Scott Davis  So OL 56 Tommy McHugh Fr OL 59 Eric Rickenbach Sr C 60 Robert Price Fr C 61 David Costlow  Jr OL 62 Nick Daise Fr C 63 Joe Iorio Sr OT 64 Matt Schmitt Sr OL 66 Lance Antolick  Fr G 67 Jonathan Nabavi  Jr OT 68 John Wilson  Fr C 70 Nick Marmo  So G 71 Mark Farris Fr OT 72 Gus Felder Sr G 74 Tyler Reed  Fr OT 75 Chris McKelvy Jr OT 76 Damone Jones Jr G 77 E.Z. Smith Fr OL 78 Brian Borgoyn Fr OL 79 Shawn Campbell Sr WR 80 Scott Shirley  Jr WR 81 Jason Stryker  So WR 82 Vic Surma Fr WR 83 Ryan Scott  So WR 84 Steve Delich  Sr TE 85 Isaac Smolko  Fr TE 88 Matt Kranchick  Jr TE 89 Andrew Richardson  Fr TE 91 Mike Pawlikowski  So TE 93 Casey Williams  Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Anwar Phillips  Fr LB 2 Deryck Toles Jr S 8 Jesse Neumeyer Fr DB 9 Jim Kanuch Fr DB 10 Calvin Lowry  Fr S 15 Yaacov Yisrael Jr LB 16 Andy Ryland Jr DE 17 Lavon Chisley  Fr S 18 Andrew Guman  So DB 20 Marcus Mills  Fr CB 21 Alan Zemaitis Fr DB 22 Maurice Humphrey Fr S 23 Shawn Mayer Sr CB 25 Rich Gardner Jr DB 26 Nolan McCready Fr S 27 Chris Harrell So CB 28 James Millon Sr S 29 Paul Cronin  Fr LB 29 Ryan Pinckney Sr CB 30 Eric Dare Jr CB 32 Bryan Scott Sr DB 34 Gio Vendemia  Fr DB 35 John Royse  Fr LB 35 J.R. Zwierzynski Fr LB 37 LaMar Stewart So LB 38 Jimi Mitchell So LB 40 T.C. Cosby So LB 41 Scott Paxson  Fr DB 43 Adam Taliaferro Jr LB 44 Patrick Hall Fr LB 45 Pat Bedics Fr DB 46 Curt Reese  So LB 47 Gino Capone Jr DB 48 Ben Lego  Jr LB 48 Zack Pierce Fr LB 51 Tim Johnson  So DL 53 Steve Roach Fr DE 55 Matthew Rice  Fr DT 57 Charles Rush  Fr LB 58 Dethrell Garcia Fr DT 60 Tyler Valoczki Sr DT 62 Randy Buck Sr LB 65 Sam Ruhe Jr DT 69 Jason Robinson  So DT 73 Jimmy Kennedy Sr DE 81 Michael Haynes Sr DE 86 Jeremiah Davis So DE 87 John Bronson  So DT 90 Levi Brown Fr DT 91 Tamba Hali  Fr DL 92 Ed Johnson Fr LB 94 Derek Wake  So DL 95 Mike Sothern Fr DL 96 Jay Alford Fr DE 97 Greg Bauer Fr DT 98 Anthony Adams Sr DT 99 Tim Falls Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 4 Robbie Gould  So P 14 David Royer Sr K 25 Matt Huet So P 36 Jeremy Kapinos Fr K 95 David Kimball Jr	Head coach Joe Paterno Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: October 12, 2002

After a sloppy first half, Penn State scored 17 unanswered points in the second half and then withstood a late charge to hold off theGolden Knights for a 27–24 win.Zack Mills was 13 of 20 for 194 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. On defense,Anthony Adams recovered a fumbled snap to set up a field goal, andDerek Wake blocked a field goal attempt. Trailing 27–9 in the fourth quarter, UCF got within three points with 24 seconds remaining but failed to recover the onside kick, and Penn State ran out the clock.^[21]

In front of a crowd of 110,753, a newBeaver Stadium attendance record that stood intact for 15 years, (110,823 VS Michigan 2017) Penn State routed theCornhuskers 40–7, asLarry Johnson and backup quarterbackMichael Robinson each had two touchdown runs. CornerbackRich Gardner had his first career interception and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was Penn State's first victory over a top 10 team since 1999.^[22]

Penn State beat theBulldogs 49–17, despite Tech's quarterbackLuke McCown throwing for more than 400 yards but also threw three interceptions and had a fumble lost.Larry Johnson ran for 147 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns and also had a touchdown reception.Michael Robinson also had three rushing touchdowns.^[23]

After trailing theHawkeyes by 22 points in the fourth quarter,Zack Mills threw for three touchdowns in the final 7:13 to tie the game 35–35 and force overtime, but the Nittany Lions were unable to score in overtime and lost 42–35. For the game, Mills completed 23 of 44 passes for a school record 399 yards and four touchdowns. The team finished with only 54 yards rushing, andMichael Robinson, who had five touchdowns in twelve carries in the past two games, was held to minus-2 yards on four carries.^[24]

But the play that was most shown repeatedly on sports highlights shows throughout the rest of the season happened after the game. Following a couple questionable calls by the line judge in overtime,Joe Paterno sprinted down the field to catch up with refereeDick Honig as he approached the tunnel and grabbed Honig by the back of the shirt to voice his displeasure with the way the game ended. Paterno was angered that Penn State wide receiverTony Johnson caught a pass with both feet in bounds according to the stadium's video replay board, but the play was ruled an incompletion.^[25]

Penn State scored on four of its first five possessions as the Lions beat theBadgers 34–31. Penn State scored on touchdowns fromZack Mills,Larry Johnson, andSean McHugh and got fourRobbie Gould field goals. Defensive tackleJimmy Kennedy and defensive endMichael Haynes each had three sacks, as the Lions sacked Wisconsin quarterbackBrooks Bollinger seven times. Wisconsin scored to close it to three points with 1:17 remaining, butBryan Scott covered up the onside kick to seal the game.^[26]

TheWolverines beat Penn State 27–24 in overtime. A slow first half gave way to a shootout in the second half. The game was tied 7–7 at halftime, and the teams combined for only 240 yards. Penn State led 13–7 late in the third quarter and looked to seize control of the game after forcing a Michigan punt at their own 20, but a roughing the punter penalty kept the drive alive, and Michigan found the end zone eight plays later.Zack Mills finished the day 19 of 31 for 264 yards and two touchdowns.^[27]

Joe Paterno expressed his displeasure with the officials for the second time this season as he yelled at referee David Witvoet after regulation. There were a number of odd and questionable actions by the officials during the game, as pointed out by the TV commentators, including the roughing the punter penalty and the referee refusing to ask for measurements when it appeared Michigan had been stopped short of first down. Each time he glanced at the sideline and signaled first down. It was most noticeable in the third quarter when he signaled first down even as Michigan was lining up in short-yardage formation, thinking it was third-and-1.

But Paterno and the coaching staff were most livid about a blown call with 40 seconds remaining in regulation and the score tied at 21–21. ReceiverTony Johnson had just made a leaping catch of a Mills pass at the Michigan 22. The side judge ruled Johnson out of bounds despite replays showing he had both feet at least a yard inbounds. Numerous replays on TV showed the large divot in the field where Johnson's feet had landed. Instead of a field goal opportunity to win the game in regulation, the game was forced into overtime.

Larry Johnson set Penn State's single-game rushing record as the Nittany Lions shut out theWildcats 49–0. Johnson rushed for 257 yards on 23 carries and scored twice before sitting out the final 28 minutes. In all, twelve Penn State players carried the ball for a total of 423 yards. The defense recorded its first shutout since the 1999Alamo Bowl, holding the Wildcats to 9 yards rushing and 202 total yards.^[28]

TheBuckeyes defense heldZack Mills to only 98 yards passing and intercepted three passes, including one byChris Gamble returned for a touchdown, to beat the Nittany Lions 13–7. Penn State was held to only 179 yards of offense and eight first downs, fewest underJoe Paterno.^[29] Despite this, Penn State led 7–3 at halftime and very nearly won the game at the end.

Larry Johnson set the school record for rushing yards in a game, beating his own record from two weeks prior, as the Nittany Lions beat theFighting Illini 18–7. Johnson rushed for 279 yards on 31 carries, including an 84-yard touchdown run. The Penn State defense went 11-plus quarters without allowing a touchdown before Illinois scored with 5:22 remaining.^[30]

The defense held theCavaliers to only 30 yards rushing as Penn State won 35–14.Zack Mills was 19 of 30 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions had 289 yards on the ground, including 118 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown byLarry Johnson. Backup quarterback and holder Chris Ganter also scored on a 30-yard run off of a fake field goal.^[31]

Larry Johnson broke two school records as Penn State beat theHoosiers 58–25. For the third time in five weeks, Johnson set the school's single-game rushing record with 327 yards on 28 carries. Johnson also broke Penn State's single-season rushing record with a total of 1,736 yards with two games left to play.^[32]

Larry Johnson became the ninth player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season^[33] as Penn State blew out theSpartans 61–7. Johnson finished the day with 279 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half.Bryant Johnson also scored on an 81-yard punt return and a 41-yard touchdown reception. Penn State had 400 yards of offense at halftime and finished with 536 total yards, including 422 yards rushing.^[34]

TheAuburn Tigers rushed for 200 yards, controlled the clock, and outscored the Lions 13–3 in the second half to upset the Nittany Lions 13–9 in theCapital One Bowl.Larry Johnson finished with only 72 yards on 20 carries.Zack Mills was also ineffective, going 8 of 24 for 67 yards and an interception. He was pulled for a couple drives in the third quarter, and backup quarterbackMichael Robinson led to the Lions for a field goal to go up 9–7.^[35]

Penn State finished the season ranked #16 in the finalAP college football poll and #15 in the finalCoaches college football poll, earning Penn State its 25th Top 15 finish under Joe Paterno.^[72]

TailbackLarry Johnson would finish the season as the first Nittany Lion to lead the nation in rushing and all-purpose yardage. Johnson become the ninth player in Division I-A history to gain 2,000 yards rushing in the regular season, finishing third inHeisman Trophy balloting.^[73]

Penn State claimed second place in football attendance for the second consecutive season, averaging 107,239 through eight home games, ranking in the top four for the 12th consecutive year. The Nittany Lions also broke the NCAA record for total season attendance with 1,247,707 during the 13-game schedule, including a Beaver Stadium record of 110,753 for the Nebraska game.^[74]

A school record six seniors would be drafted in the first two rounds of the2003 NFL draft, including another school record four players in the first round.^[75]

A few other conference coaches had lobbied forinstant replay before, but they had fallen on deaf ears untilJoe Paterno, who had been against instant replay citing the length of games as a factor, changed his opinion after a number of questionable officiating calls in the Iowa and Michigan games. Paterno and Penn State athletic director Tim Curley called for a comprehensive review of Big Ten officiating. At the news conference after the Michigan game, Paterno went further and said that the conference should change the way that officials are assigned, referring to the assignment of the officiating crew that worked the Michigan game, three of whom live in the state of Michigan.^[76]

After the Big Ten concluded its comprehensive review of its officiating, the conference implemented a pilot program during the 2003 season to evaluate the use of instant replay. The pilot was used to gather data and did not interfere with games or overturn any missed calls.^[77]

For the 2004 season, the Big Ten introduced college football's first instant replay system. A technical advisor in the press box with access to the television feeds will be able to stop a game for a replay review and potentially overturn a play, with no limit on the number of plays that can be reviewed.^[78]

• Penn State set a new single season attendance record of 857,911 fans.

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