Oklahoma State University Athletics
2002 Football Schedule Finalized
January 03, 2002 | Cowboy Football
Jan. 3, 2002
Seven home games and seven opponents that appeared in post season games in 2001 highlight the 2002 Oklahoma State University football schedule, released today.
The Cowboys will open their second season under coach Les Miles on Aug. 31 against Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, La, before playing three straight games on Lewis Field. The 2002 home opener is set for Sept. 7 against Northern Iowa.
The Cowboys will host UCLA from the Pac 10 on Sept. 14. It will the be the first meeting ever between the two schools and the first time the Cowboys have faced a Pac-10 opponent since Arizona State in 1993.
A Sept. 21 game against SMU in Stillwater completes the early three-game homestand and the Pokes have an open date on Sept. 28 before opening Big 12 Conference play at Texas on Oct. 5.
The Cowboys stay on the road on Oct. 12 with a trip to Manhattan to face Kansas State before hosting Nebraska on Oct. 19. The Cornhuskers will be making their first appearance on Lewis Field since Aug. 31, 1995.
A second open date on Oct. 26 will be followed by a home game against Texas A&M and back-to-back road games against Texas Tech and Kansas. The Cowboys close out the regular season with home games against Baylor (Nov. 23) and Oklahoma (Nov. 30).
"This is an exciting and challenging schedule," said Miles. "We're going to have the opportunity to play seven games on Lewis Field and that's good for our team and our fans. Seven of our 12 opponents were in bowl games and Northern Iowa advanced far into the 1-AA playoffs."
Noting the 2002 Schedule
Seven of OSU's 2002 opponents went bowling last season. The list includes Louisiana Tech, Texas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Eight of the 12 regular season opponents in 2002 had winning records in 2001. Northern Iowa, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, each recorded at least 11 victories. Louisiana Tech was 7-5, UCLA finished 7-4, Texas A&M finished 8-4 and Texas Tech was 7-5.
The combined 2001 record of Oklahoma State's 2002 opponents was 89-55. That is a winning percentage of .618 and should make OSU's 2002 slate one of the toughest in the country.
The only first time opponent on the 2002 schedule is UCLA. The Bruins visit Lewis Field on Sept. 14 and the Cowboys will return the game in 2004. The last time OSU faced a Pac 10 opponent was Sept. 25, 1993 when Arizona State claimed a 12-10 victory in Tempe.
SMU is appearing on the Oklahoma State schedule for the first time since 1950. The Cowboys and Mustangs have met nine times previously and only two of those nine were on Lewis Field. OSU will play SMU in Dallas in 2003.
Oklahoma State's season opener will be against Louisiana Tech but will be played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport. It is the final game of a two-year contract between the two schools.
The Cowboys will celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 19 when Nebraska comes to Lewis Field. It will be the third time overall and first time since 1965 the Cornhuskers have provided OSU's homecoming competition.
Oklahoma State will play three home games in the month of September for the first time since 1988. In 1988, OSU hosted Miami of Ohio, Texas A&M and Tulsa on successive September Saturdays.
Oklahoma State Football...2002 Schedule
Date Opponent Site A 31 Louisiana Tech Shreveport S 7 Northern Iowa Stillwater S 14 UCLA Stillwater S 21 SMU Stillwater S 28 Open O 5 Texas Austin O 12 Kansas State Manhattan O 19 Nebraska Stillwater O 26 Open N 2 Texas A&M Stillwater N 9 Texas Tech Lubbock N 16 Kansas Lawrence N 23 Baylor Stillwater N 30 Oklahoma StillwaterKickoff times to be announced All dates and times are subject to change due to conference television contracts
