The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Great games, great moments: 2002 season
06.08.2008 | Football
GREAT GAME
#8 Texas 17, #17 Kansas State 14
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002
KSU Stadium (Manhattan, Kan.)
The challenge was clear-- one week after losing a top five showdown with Oklahoma, the 2002 Texas Longhorns found themselves with the daunting task of playing a rapidly rising Kansas State team on the road. En route to an 11-2 season, the Horns rose to the occasion, snapping the Wildcats' eight-game home win streak with a 17-14 victory. It was Texas' first victory over K-State, which finished the year ranked No. 7 nationally, in their three games in Big 12 competition. But more importantly it dramatically swung the momentum of Texas' second straight 11-win season. Dusty Mangum's 27-yard field goal with 1:32 remaining gave Texas the final margin, but it took a blocked field goal attempt on the game's final play to secure its sixth victory of the year.
GREAT MOMENT
#8 Texas 17, #17 Kansas State 14
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002
KSU Stadium (Manhattan, Kan.)
With seven ticks left on the clock, overtime seemed almost inevitable as 17th-ranked Kansas State lined up for a 36-yard field goal that would tie the game. Texas, clinging to a 17-14 lead that had come from Dusty Mangum's 27-yard field goal with 1:32 left to play, had played admirably in the wake of a tough loss to Oklahoma the week before. Now, with just seconds remaining, the Wildcats' Jared Brite prepared for a field goal that would tie the 2002 meeting between the two Big 12 powers in Manhattan. As the ball was snapped, Longhorns tackle Marcus Tubbs crashed through the middle of the Wildcats defense and blocked the kick. As the ball bounced harmless a few yards down field, the Longhorns fell on it with one second left to seal the victory.
GREAT GAME
#7 Texas 27, Nebraska 24
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2002
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Before the largest crowd (78,268) in Nebraska's Memorial Stadium history, Texas snapped the Cornhuskers' nation leading 26-game home winning streak with a 27-24 victory in 2002. It was only the second home loss in 11 years for Nebraska. In 1998, Texas had ended the Huskers' 47-game home winning streak. Chris Simms passed for a UT record 419 yards and Roy Williams had a school best 13 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. But Williams' biggest catch, a 10-yard completion with 1:34 remaining that would have given Texas a first down and allowed them to run out the clock, was nullified by an offensive pass interference call. Nebraska's DeJuan Groce returned the insuring punt 44 yards to the UT 16 and two snaps later set up the game's most dramatic play. With only 10 seconds remaining, and Nebraska camped deep in Texas territory, Nathan Vasher leaped high to pick off Huskers QB Jammal Lord's pass at the UT one-yard line. Vasher's interception foiled a brilliant comeback by the Cornhuskers, who had trailed 27-17 with less than three minutes remaining. It was a big game for fullback Ivan Williams, who had six pass receptions for 111 yards (most-ever by a UT fullback), and Cedric Benson set the tone on the ground with 86 yards on 28 carries as the Horns registered 498 yards of offense.
GREAT MOMENT
#7 Texas 27, Nebraska 24
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2002
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
One more shot into the end zone, thought Nebraska coach Frank Solich, and then, kick a short field goal that would tie the game and send it into overtime. As quarterback Jammal Lord faded back to pass from the Texas 16-yard line, he saw a wide-open receiver near the goal line at the right side of the field. Texas, which had broken the Cornhuskers' 47-game home winning streak back in 1998, was trying to end a similar 26-game run in 2002. The Horns held on to a 27-24 lead as Lord threw and Longhorns cornerback Nathan Vasher responded. Vasher, with a tremendous burst and soaring leap, broke in front of the receiver, and came down with the game-saving interception.
GREAT GAME
#9 Texas 35, LSU 20
Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)
Down by 10 points early, the ninth-ranked Texas Longhorns devised a simple game plan-- get the ball to junior WR Roy Williams. The Odessa native turned a short slant into a 51-yard touchdown, went 75 yards after a leaping grab to set up another score and snaked 39 yards for a score on an end-around as No. 9 Texas rallied past LSU, 35-20, in the 67th SBC Cotton Bowl Classic. The Longhorns (11-2) trailed 17-7 three minutes into the second quarter, with the defense producing the lone score courtesy of senior LB Lee Jackson's 46-yard return of a Marcus Randall fumble in the first quarter. The offense then caught fire. UT scored the next 28 points beginning with senior QB Chris Simms' 51-yard strike to Williams in the second quarter and concluding with another Simms touchdown pass, an 8-yard toss to junior FB Ivan Williams. The Longhorns finished with 382 total yards (113 rush/269 pass) against a defense that was surrendering an average of 278.8 yards per game. Simms completed 15-of-28 passes for 269 yards, well above the 143 passing yards per game LSU was giving up, which ranked second nationally entering the contest. Roy Williams, the game's offensive MVP, finished with four receptions for 142 yards to close out the season with a school-record five consecutive 100-yard games.
