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Tulsa Football Schedule Features Four Bowl participants
3/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 25, 2003
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa's 2003 football schedule features four bowl participants from a year ago, including two non-conference foes -- Minnesota and Arkansas -- and two WAC opponents -- Hawaii and Boise State.
The Hurricane open the season with back-back road games against Minnesota and Arkansas. Tulsa kicks off the Steve Kragthorpe era on August 30 in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers produced an 8-5 record last season and finished in seventh-place in the Big 10 Conference. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
A trip across the border into Arkansas awaits the Hurricane a week later, as Tulsa and Arkansas renew a rivalry on September 6 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It will, however, be the 38th straight time the two teams have played in the state of Arkansas.
The two teams last met in the 1993 season as the Razorbacks captured a 24-11 victory at home. Arkansas leads the series 50-16-3. Tulsa's last victory in the series came in the 1976 season when the Hurricane captured a 9-3 win.
Arkansas posted a 9-5 record a year ago, and played Georgia in the SEC Championship game after posting a 5-3 league record for first-place in the SEC Western Division. Minnesota and Arkansas were opponents in the 2002 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl last December, as the Gophers captured a 29-14 victory.
Following its two-game road trip to begin the season, Tulsa returns home for two straight games. The Hurricane opens the home season on Sept. 13 against Southwest Texas State for a first-time meeting between the two schools. The I-AA Bobcats posted a 4-7 record last year.
Arkansas State is Tulsa's next opponent on Sept. 20. Last year, the Indians posted its most wins since 1995, finishing with a 6-7 overall mark and a 3-3 Sun Belt Conference record, which was good for third place.
"We have an exciting and challenging schedule, starting off with two excellent non-conference games against Minnesota and Arkansas, then coming home for two more non-league games before starting the WAC schedule," said Kragthorpe. "Right out of the gate we have a tough schedule, not only with the two road games, but when we return to Skelly Stadium to start the home season. Southwest Texas State has a brand new coaching staff and Arkansas State beat us last year. After that, we start league play with the top two teams from a season ago."
Following an open date, the Hurricane gets into Western Athletic Conference play starting with the top two teams from a year ago, Boise State and Hawaii.
Tulsa opens conference play on October 4 against the Hawaii Warriors at Skelly Stadium. Hawaii posted a 10-4 overall record and 7-1 league mark last season, finishing in second-place in the WAC. Hawaii fell to Tulane, 36-28, in the 2002 ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl. The Warriors have won the last two meetings including a 37-14 win last year on the islands. Hawaii has a 2-1 record against the Hurricane at Skelly Stadium.
A week later, Tulsa travels to the Pacific Northwest to take on defending league champion Boise State on Oct. 11. The Broncos posted a 12-1 record and went undefeated in the WAC with an 8-0 mark last season. Boise State has won the two previous meetings against the Hurricane, including a 52-24 victory last year. The Broncos completed the 2002 season ranked 12th in the ESPN/USA Today poll and 15th in the Associated Press poll. BSU finished the season with a 34-16 win over Iowa State in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Tulsa returns home to close out the month of October with two home games, featuring the Nevada Wolf Pack on Oct. 18 and the SMU Mustangs on Oct. 25.
Nevada, 5-7 overall and 4-4 in WAC play a year ago, replaces Fresno State on the 8-game WAC schedule for the Hurricane this season. The Tulsa-Nevada series stands at 2-2, while the Hurricane won the last meeting, 38-3, in the final game of the 2000 season in Tulsa.
Tulsa looks to snap a seven-game losing streak against SMU. SMU leads the series 8-2, and has a 4-0 mark against the Hurricane in Tulsa. The Mustangs claimed a 24-21 victory in the season finale last year in Dallas.
In November, Tulsa will play three of its final four games on the road. The Hurricane travels to El Paso, Texas, for a Nov. 1 game against the UTEP Miners. Tulsa won last year's meeting at home with a 20-0 shutout. The Hurricane leads the series 6-5 and has won four of the five games played in El Paso.
On Nov. 2, Tulsa plays the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. The Owls lead the series 6-1-1 and won last year's meeting 33-18. Tulsa's lone win in the series came at Rice Stadium, 23-16 in the 2000 season.
Tulsa closes out the home season against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Nov. 15. Tech leads the series 6-1-0. The last two games in Tulsa were exciting contests, as the Hurricane captured a 22-10 victory in the 2000 season, while Tech clinched the WAC title with a 19-7 win in the 2001 season finale.
The Hurricane completes the regular season on the west coast against San Jose State on Nov. 22. The Spartans, 6-7 overall and 4-4 in the WAC last year, hold a 3-1 series edge against the Hurricane, including a 49-38 shoot-out last year.
The first three home games are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. start times, while the final three home contests are slated for 2:00 p.m.
Season tickets are on sale at the TU Athletic Ticket Office or by calling 918-631-GoTU (4688). Season ticket prices range from $54 for end zone seats, $72 for tickets located within the end zone and 15-yard line, and $108 for seats located between the 15-yard lines. The Family Fun Zone tickets, which allow for two adults and three children, are priced at $180 for the entire season.
The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2003 Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
| 08/30/2003 | Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | TBA |
| 09/06/2003 | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | TBA |
| 09/13/2003 | Southwest Texas State | Tulsa, Okla. | 6:00 PM |
| 09/20/2003 | Arkansas State | Tulsa, Okla. | 6:00 PM |
| 10/04/2003 | Hawaii* | Tulsa, Okla. | 6:00 PM |
| 10/11/2003 | Boise State* | Boise, Idaho | TBA |
| 10/18/2003 | Nevada* | Tulsa, Okla. | 2:00 PM |
| 10/25/2003 | SMU* | Tulsa, Okla. | 2:00 PM |
| 11/01/2003 | UTEP* | El Paso, Texas | TBA |
| 11/08/2003 | Rice* | Houston, Texas | 2:00 PM |
| 11/15/2003 | Louisiana Tech* | Tulsa, Okla. | 2:00 PM |
| 11/22/2003 | San Jose State* | San Jose, Calif. | TBA |
Times are central time zone and subject to change
