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Tulsa Football Schedule Features Five 2003 Bowl Participants
2/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 24, 2004
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa's 2004 football schedule features five bowl participants from a year ago, including three non-conference foes -- Kansas, Oklahoma State and Navy -- and two WAC opponents -- Hawaii and Boise State.
The Hurricane open the season with back-back road games against Big 12 opponents, Kansas and Oklahoma State. Tulsa kicks off the season on September 4 against the Kansas Jayhawks. KU had a 6-7 overall record last year and made its first bowl appearance since the 1996 season, losing to North Carolina State, 56-26.
The two teams last met in the 2002 season as the Jayhawks claimed a 43-33 victory at Skelly Stadium. It will be Tulsa's first trip to Lawrence, Kansas, since the 1991 campaign, when the Jayhawks won 23-17.
A trip down the Cimarron Turnpike to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys awaits the Hurricane a week later, as Tulsa and Oklahoma State renew a rivalry on September 11 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It's the first meeting between the two schools since the 2000 season, when OSU captured a 36-26 victory in Tulsa. The Cowboys lead the overall series 36-28-5 as the teams first met in 1914.
OSU posted a 9-4 record a year ago and played Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl, losing by a score of 31-28. The Cowboys finished in third-place in the Big 12 Conference.
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. 18 against Navy for a first-time meeting between the two schools. Behind Tulsa, the Midshipmen had the nation's next best turnaround in the 2003 season with an 8-5 record, winning six more games than the previous season.
Southwest Missouri State, coming off a 4-7 campaign, is Tulsa's next opponent on Sept. 25. Tulsa leads the series against the Division I-AA Bears by a count of 6-0. The two teams last met in the 1999 season as Tulsa captured a 45-21 victory in the season opener.
"We have a very challenging non-conference schedule that starts out with two Big 12 opponents on the road," said Kragthorpe. "Going to Lawrence against a team that made it to a bowl game this past season and has made significant progress under Coach Mangino, then over to Stillwater to play the Cowboys who are coming off of a great season under Coach Miles. Those are two great challenges on the road for our football team.
"Then we come home to play Navy who had an excellent year in 2003, and Southwest Missouri State always has a good football team. From a non-conference standpoint it's a very challenging schedule," added Kragthorpe.
The Hurricane kicks off the Western Athletic Conference schedule against two of the league's other three teams -- Hawaii and Boise State -- that culminated their 2003 seasons with bowl appearances.
"In the WAC, we play the same teams we played last year, we just flip the sites where we play. It's also a very challenging conference schedule because I think the WAC will be very deep this year," said Kragthorpe.
Tulsa opens WAC competition the first weekend of October by traveling to the Hawaiian Islands to play Hawaii on October 2. The Warriors, 9-5 last year and winners of the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, will be looking to avenge a 27-16 defeat at the hands the Hurricane. Hawaii leads the series 4-3, and has a 2-1 mark in Honolulu. Tulsa's lone victory on the island came in the 2000 season by a score of 24-14.
Following an open date, the Hurricane hosts two-time defending WAC Champion Boise State at Skelly Stadium on October 16. The Broncos have won the three previous meetings, including a 27-20 victory last year. Boise State completed the 2003 season with a 13-1 record, ranked 15th nationally and 34-31 winners of the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl over TCU.
A week later, Tulsa goes back on the road to seek revenge. Nevada, 6-6 overall and 4-4 in WAC play a year ago, is Tulsa's opponent in Reno on Oct. 23. Nevada leads the series 3-2 after capturing a 28-21 victory at Skelly Stadium a year ago. A week later, Tulsa returns home to host the Rice Owls on Oct. 30. Tulsa grabbed a 31-28 victory in Houston a year ago, but still trail in the series 6-2-1. Tulsa's two wins in the series have been on the road, while Rice has a 3-0 record against the Hurricane at Skelly Stadium.
In November, Tulsa will play its first two games of the month on the road and close out the regular season with two straight home games. The Hurricane travels to Dallas, Texas, for a Nov. 6 game against the SMU Mustangs. Last year, Tulsa snapped a seven-game series losing streak against the Mustangs with a 35-16 victory at home. In six meetings in Dallas, SMU owns a 4-2 record, while Tulsa's two victories in Dallas came in the first two games played in that city.
On Nov. 13, Tulsa travels to Ruston, Louisiana, to face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The Bulldogs lead the series 6-2, and has won three earlier meetings in Louisiana. Tulsa defeated Tech last year, 48-18, at Skelly Stadium.
Tulsa returns home close out the regular season with the final two games at Skelly Stadium. The Hurricane hosts the San Jose State Spartans on Nov. 20 and the UTEP Miners two days after Thanksgiving. Tulsa grabbed road victories last year against both San Jose State and UTEP.
Tulsa looks to even the San Jose State series, as the Spartans lead 3-2. The Hurricane captured a 34-32 victory in San Jose in the last regular season game a year ago to guarantee a second-place finish in the WAC and a bowl appearance. The last time the teams met in Tulsa, in 2002, San Jose State won by a 49-38 score.
The UTEP Miners, under first-year head coach Mike Price, will close out the regular season for the Hurricane at Skelly Stadium on Nov. 27. Tulsa defeated the Miners, 56-28, in El Paso a year ago. The Hurricane lead the overall series 7-5.
The first two home games are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. start times and the final two home contests are slated for 2:00 p.m. The game times for the October home games against Boise State and Rice have not been determined.
Season tickets will go on sale at the TU Athletic Ticket Office on March 22, 2004. Fans can also call the ticket office at 918-631-GoTU (4688) or go online at www.tulsahurricane.com to order tickets beginning on March 22. Season ticket prices range from $48 for end zone seats, $72 for tickets located between the end zone and 15-yard line, and $120 for seats located between the 15-yard lines. The Family Fun Zone tickets, which allow for two adults and two children, are priced at $144 for the entire season.
2004 Tulsa Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | TV | Outcome/Time |
| 09/04/2004 | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | ? | TBA |
| 09/11/2004 | Oklahoma State | Stillwater, Okla. | ? | TBA |
| 09/18/2004 | Navy | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 6:00 PM |
| 09/25/2004 | Southwest Missouri State | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 6:00 PM |
| 10/02/2004 | Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii | ? | TBA |
| 10/16/2004 | Boise State (Homecoming) | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | TBA |
| 10/23/2004 | Nevada | Reno, Nevada | ? | 8:05 PM |
| 10/30/2004 | Rice | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | TBA |
| 11/06/2004 | SMU | Dallas, Texas | ? | TBA |
| 11/13/2004 | Louisiana Tech | Ruston, La. | ? | TBA |
| 11/20/2004 | San Jose State | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 2:00 PM |
| 11/27/2004 | UTEP | Tulsa, Okla. | ? | 2:00 PM |
