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Tulsa Opens 2002 Football Slate with Oklahoma
3/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 25, 2002
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma and fellow Big XII Conference schools Baylor and Kansas will highlight Tulsa's non-conference portion of the schedule in the 2002 football season, it was announced today.
In addition to Oklahoma, the Hurricane will face two more 2001 bowl participants in the likes of Western Athletic Conference foes Louisiana Tech and Fresno State, both of those games coming on the road.
The Hurricane will kick-off the 2002 season at home against the University of Oklahoma Sooners on Friday, August 30. OU posted an 11-2 record a year ago and defeated Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. The last time the Sooners visited Skelly Stadium came in the 1987 season, when they came to Tulsa as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
A week later, the Hurricane travels to face the Arkansas State Indians in Jonesboro, Arkansas on September 7. The two teams have met twice previously with the series tied 1-1, but the last time Tulsa and Arkansas State played was in the 1981 campaign.
Tulsa opens WAC play against defending league champion Louisiana Tech on September 14 in Ruston, Louisiana. The Bulldogs won the WAC title on the final weekend of the 2001 season at Tulsa with a 19-7 victory.
Tulsa will play two Big XII opponents in successive weeks. First, a trip to Baylor on Sept. 21 is followed by a home game against the Kansas Jayhawks on Sept. 28. The Tulsa-Baylor series is tied at four games apiece, but the Hurricane leads the Kansas series 6-2. However, in the last meetings with both schools, Tulsa's opponent had the upperhand. Baylor downed the Hurricane 37-5 in 1995, and Kansas grabbed a 40-7 victory in the 1992 season.
"We have a very competitive non-conference schedule with three opponents from the Big XII," said Tulsa Head Coach Keith Burns. "We'll have a huge test early against Oklahoma, one of the teams who should definitely be considered a preseason favorite to win the national championship. Our league schedule starts out with three of the best teams in the WAC, so we'll jump into the thick of the conference season right at the beginning."
The month of October begins with the Hurricane enjoying a week off before returning to the WAC schedule. In the first three weeks of the conference season, the Hurricane faces three of the top-4 finishers in the WAC from a year ago, and teams that registered a combined 26-12 overall record, and 18-6 league mark.
The Boise State Broncos visit Skelly Stadium for the first time on Oct. 12, in a series that began last year. The Broncos, along with Louisiana Tech, should be considered among the early favorites to claim the WAC Championship in 2002.
A trip to Hawaii follows on Oct. 19. The Rainbow Warriors posted an overall 9-3 record last year, including late season non-league wins over Air Force and nationally-ranked BYU. Hawaii claimed a 36-15 victory in Tulsa against the Hurricane last year.
The Hurricane returns for a two-game homestand to end the month of October, and begin the month of November. Tulsa hosts the UTEP Miners on Oct. 26 for homecoming, and the Rice Owls on Nov. 2. UTEP garnered a 26-10 win against Tulsa last season, while Rice posted an overall 8-4 record a year ago.
Tulsa visits Fresno State on Nov. 9. FSU is coming off of an 11-3 overall record and 6-2 league mark. The Bulldogs hold a 3-0 series advantage against the Hurricane.
Tulsa closes out the home portion of its slate on Nov. 16 against San Jose State. Since 1999, when the two teams first met, the home team has claimed victory in the series. San Jose won last year's meeting, while Tulsa claimed a 28-17 win at home in the 2000 season.
The Hurricane will look to snap SMU's six-game series winning streak, with all the victories coming since the two teams joined the WAC together in 1996. Tulsa travels to SMU to close out the regular season on Nov. 23.
The TU-OU game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff, while the next two home contests -- Kansas and Boise State -- are slated for 6:00 p.m. start times, and the final three games -- UTEP, Rice and San Jose State -- have start times of 2:00 p.m.
Season tickets are on sale at the TU Athletic Ticket Office. Season ticket prices range from $70 for end zone seats, $90 for tickets located within the end zone and 15-yard line, and $125 for seats located between the 15-yard lines. The Family Fun Zone tickets, which allow for two adults and three children, are priced at $225 for the entire season.
| Date | Opponent | Location | TV | Outcome/Time |
| 08/30/2002 | Oklahoma | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 7:00 PM CT |
| 09/07/2002 | Arkansas State | Jonesborro, Ark. | ? | TBA |
| 09/14/2002 | Louisiana Tech | Ruston, La. | ? | 6:00 PM CT |
| 09/21/2002 | Baylor | Waco, Texas | ? | 6:00 PM CT |
| 09/28/2002 | Kansas | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 6:00 PM CT |
| 10/12/2002 | Boise State | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 6:00 PM CT |
| 10/19/2002 | Hawai`i | Honolulu, Hawaii | ? | 11:00 PM CT |
| 10/26/2002 | UTEP (Homecoming) | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 2:00 PM CT |
| 11/02/2002 | Rice | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 2:00 PM CT |
| 11/09/2002 | Fresno State | Fresno, Calif. | ? | 4:00 PM PT |
| 11/16/2002 | San Jose State | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 2:00 PM CT |
| 11/23/2002 | SMU | Dallas, Texas | ? | 2:00 PM CT |
