TCU Announces 2003 Football Schedule
2/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 7, 2003
TCU, the defending Conference USA and AXA Liberty Bowl Champions, will be featured four times on national television, as the 2003 football schedule was announced today. The Horned Frogs' 12-game slate includes six home games and six road contests.
"We're excited to be on national television four times," said TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson, "but this will be a very challenging schedule. We will be asked to play a couple of games with less than a week to prepare. With two service academies, an SEC opponent and some of the top teams from Conference USA coming to Fort Worth, the home portion of the schedule should be very appealing to our fans."
For the second year in a row, the Horned Frogs will open its season on Labor Day with a nationally-televised Conference USA road test. TCU's 107th season of intercollegiate football will kick off in New Orleans when the Frogs tangle with the Tulane Green Wave in the Superdome on Monday, September 1. TCU and Tulane are the only two Conference USA members coming off 2002 bowl victories. The game will also mark the third straight season in which the Frogs will open their campaign on the road and on national television.
As was the case in 2002, the Frogs will have just five days before their next test, as they open the home portion of the 2003 slate on Saturday, September 6 against the Naval Academy. Game time at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth is set for 6:00 p.m. TCU shut out the Midshipmen by a 24-0 count in Annapolis, Maryland in 2000, the only previous meeting between the two schools.
After an off week, the Frogs are home again on September 20 when they host Southeastern Conference foe Vanderbilt in a 6:00 p.m. contest at Amon Carter Stadium. The Frogs lead the all-time series with the Commodores, 2 games to 1, including a 19-16 double-overtime win in their last meeting in 1998.
The Frogs first non-conference road test comes September 27 when they travel to Tucson, Arizona to face the Pac-10's Arizona Wildcats. Arizona won the only previous meeting between the two schools, a wild 35-31 decision in Fort Worth in 1999.
The conference schedule resumes the following week when, for the second time in 2003, the Frogs will host a service academy. Army will visit Fort Worth on Saturday, October 4 for a 6:00 p.m. tilt. The Frogs have defeated the Black Knights in each of their previous two battles, including a 46-27 win at West Point, New York in 2002.
The Frogs will get their first look at the newest member of Conference USA on Friday, October 10, when they travel to Tampa, Florida to face the South Florida Bulls in a nationally-televised contest. The 2003 season will mark the first for the Bulls in Conference USA. Playing as an independent, they posted a 9-2 record in 2002.
UAB will make its first appearance ever in Fort Worth on Saturday, October 18. Game time for the Frogs and Blazers is set for 6:00 p.m. UAB defeated TCU by a 38-17 score in Birmingham in 2001, the only previous gridiron meeting between the two schools.
The Frogs and Houston Cougars resume their rivalry for state bragging rights when they meet in Houston on Saturday, October 25. The Cougars hold a 13-9 advantage in the all-time series, but TCU has won the last five meetings, including a 34-17 triumph in Fort Worth in 2002.
The Louisville Cardinals are next up for the Horned Frogs in a nationally-televised weekday game in Fort Worth. The contest will be played either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, November 4, 5 or 6. TCU has defeated Louisville in each of their two prior contests, including a 45-31 victory in Louisville in 2002. The Frogs final home game of the 2003 season is set for Saturday, November 15 when they host Cincinnati. The Bearcats, who claimed a share of the 2002 Conference USA crown, posted a 36-29 overtime win over TCU in the 2002 season opener, the first meeting ever between the two schools.
TCU will wrap up its conference season with a nationally-televised road game at Southern Miss on Thursday, November 20. The Frogs hold a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles, including a 37-7 rout in 2002.
The Frogs will conclude their 2003 regular season with a non-conference matchup with Metroplex rival SMU in Dallas on Saturday, November 29. It will mark the 84th meeting for the "Iron Skillet." The all-time series is currently deadlocked at 38-38-7, but TCU has won each of the last four contests, including a 17-6 win in Fort Worth in 2002.
With Conference USA expanding to 11 football playing institutions for the first time in 2003, the Frogs will not play two league opponents. TCU will not face either Memphis or East Carolina in 2003.
2003 TCU football schedule
DAY DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME TV
Monday September 1 at Tulane* New Orleans, La. TBA ESPN
Saturday September 6 Navy Fort Worth, Texas 6:00 p.m.
Saturday September 20 Vanderbilt Fort Worth, Texas 6:00 p.m.
Saturday September 27 at Arizona Tucson, Arizona TBA
Saturday October 4 Army* Fort Worth, Texas 6:00 p.m.
Friday October 10 at South Florida* Tampa, Florida TBA ESPN
Saturday October 18 UAB* Fort Worth, Texas 6:00 p.m.
Saturday October 25 at Houston* Houston, Texas TBA
November 4, 5 or 6 Louisville* Fort Worth, Texas TBA ESPN
Saturday November 15 Cincinnati* Fort Worth, Texas 2:00 p.m.
Thursday November 20 at Southern Miss* Hattiesburg, Miss. TBA ESPN
Saturday November 29 at SMU Dallas, Texas TBA
*-Conference USA game; Note: All dates and times subject to change.
