John Hirn

ColoradoAggies.comThe earliest any regular season football game has ever been played in school history kicked off against the Virginia Cavaliers in the Jim Thorpe Classic. The eventual 2002 Mountain West Conference champion Rams traveled cross-country to Virginia on a very hot and humid night to take on the ACC foes for the first and only meeting between the two schools.Led by CSU hall of fame quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt, the Rams took an early 6-0 lead on two Jeff Babcock field goals in the first quarter. Virginia, led by a quarterback duo of senior Matt Schaub and freshman Marques Hagans answered the call following a Chris Pittman fumble at mid-field, scoring Virginia's first touchdown to take a 7-6 lead. However, 2017 CSU Hall of Fame inductee Cecil Sapp, on the second play after the Cavalier score, made a tremendous 72-yard touchdown run to give the Rams a 12-7 lead.With 3:31 left in the half, Van Pelt hit senior receiver Joey Cuppari on a 34-yard touchdown reception for a 19-7 advantage at the half. The Rams showed dominance in both the offense and defense during the first half, but Virginia struck back in the third quarter. By the start of the fourth quarter, both teams were deadlocked at 29-29 thanks to Sapp's second touchdown of the day in what turned into a nail-biter of an opening game for the 2002 season.The experience of the Rams paid off after a bad snap and clipping penalty left the Rams in a 1st and 32 situation and backed up to their own two-yard line. Van Pelt then hit tight end Joel Dreessen and Joey Cuppari on three consecutive passes to gain a first down and preserve a drive that ended in a Jeff Babcock 46-yard field goal to take a 32-29 lead. Babcock then hit his fifth field goal of the night thanks to a Dexter Wynn interception that helped put the Rams in position to take the 35-29 lead.The Cavaliers were not done yet and proceeded to drive the length of the field with less than two minutes to go in the game. With only seconds on the clock, Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans swept to the outside, leapt toward the goal line and fumbled the ball. Rams safety David Vickers pounced on the ball to preserve the win. Cecil Sapp was named the Jim Thorpe Classic MVP after rushing for 178 yards on 25 attempts and scoring two touchdowns as the Rams went on to one of the finest seasons in school history.