2002 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2002 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record5–7 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorMike Cassity (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
2002 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Ohio State $#+   8 0     14 0  
No. 8 Iowa %+   8 0     11 2  
No. 9 Michigan   6 2     10 3  
No. 16 Penn State   5 3     9 4  
Purdue   4 4     7 6  
Illinois   4 4     5 7  
Minnesota   3 5     8 5  
Wisconsin   2 6     8 6  
Michigan State   2 6     4 8  
Northwestern   1 7     3 9  
Indiana   1 7     3 9  
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2002 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under Ron Turner, the Illini compiled a 5–7 record (4–4 in conference games), tied for fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 346 to 307.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jon Beutjer (2,511 passing yards), running back Anoineo Harris (1,330 rushing yards), wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (65 receptions for 1,010 yards), and kicker Peter Christofilakos (67 points scored, 40 of 40 extra points, 9 of 12 field goals).

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.