2003 Schedule Announced

[PonyPride]

From the SMU athletic department:




SMU announces 2003 football schedule
Mustangs to face five 2002 bowl teams

DALLAS, TEXAS - Games with five 2002 bowl teams, including four at home, highlight the 2003 SMU football schedule, announced today by Director of Athletics Jim Copeland.

"Our schedule is very attractive and very competitive," said Copeland. "We have a tough non-conference schedule, playing three bowl teams from last year (in non-conference games). We want to bring teams from the region into Ford Stadium and we do just that, hosting Oklahoma State and TCU."

SMU will open the 2003 campaign at former Southwest Conference rival Texas Tech, champions of the Tangerine Bowl in 2002, on Aug. 30. The game is the second in a four-year contract with the Red Raiders. The Mustangs will host Tech in 2004 and return to Lubbock in 2006. Texas Tech won the first game of the series 24-14 in Dallas last September.

After an open week, the Mustangs travel to Waco, Texas to take on former SWC foe Baylor. The game will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 1995, the final season of the Southwest Conference.

SMU's home opener comes on Sept. 20 when Oklahoma State comes to Gerald J. Ford Stadium. OSU won the Houston Bowl last year. The Mustangs open the Western Athletic Conference portion of their schedule on Sept. 27 at Nevada. The WAC home opener comes a week later on Oct. 4 against UTEP.

Other bowl teams that SMU will host are Boise State (Humanitarian) on Oct. 18, Fresno State (Silicon Valley) on Nov. 1 and TCU (Humanitarian) in the regular season finale on Nov. 29.

The complete 2003 Mustang schedule is listed below.

Date Event Site Time/Score

Saturday August 30 at Texas Tech Lubbock, Texas 6:00 p.m.

Saturday September 13 at Baylor Waco, Texas 6:00 p.m.

Saturday September 20 Oklahoma State Dallas, Texas 7:00 p.m.

Saturday September 27 at Nevada Reno, Nevada 3:00 p.m.

Saturday October 4 UTEP (Family Weekend) Dallas, Texas 7:00 p.m.

Saturday October 11 at San Jose State San Jose, California 8:00 p.m.

Saturday October 18 Boise State Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m.

Saturday October 25 at Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 2:00 p.m.

Saturday November 1 Fresno State (Homecoming) Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m.

Saturday November 8 at Louisiana Tech Ruston, Louisiana 2:00 p.m.

Saturday November 15 Rice Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m.

Saturday November 29 TCU Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m.

*Western Athletic Conference game
All times are central and subject to change

[WildHorse]

This can mean one thing, and one thing only: it's prediction time!

Aug. 30 at Texas Tech - SMU 27, Tech 23
More experienced QB, Richard Bartel, leads Ponies past Red Raiders

Sept. 13 at Baylor - SMU 31, Baylor 17
SMU earns statewide attention by starting 2-0 against Big 12

Sept. 20 Oklahoma State - OSU 34, SMU 16
Cowboys bring Ponies back to earth

Sept. 27 at Nevada - SMU 23, Nevada 10
Ponies make up for win that slipped away in 2002

Oct. 4 UTEP - SMU 34, UTEP 6
Have you seen UTEP play?

Oct. 11 at San Jose State - SJSU 26, SMU 20 (in OT)
Ponies suffer setback in San Jose

Oct. 18 Boise State - Boise State 37, SMU 23
No way around it: Broncos are a damn good team

Oct. 25 at Tulsa - SMU 20, Tulsa 3
They're still Tulsa

Nov. 1 Fresno State - Fresno State 27, SMU 17
Another reality check for SMU

Nov. 8 at Louisiana Tech - LaTech 23, SMU 20
Bulldogs still furious after laying proverbial egg in Dallas last year

Nov. 15 Rice - SMU 24, Rice 13
Option befuddles Ponies no longer

Nov. 29 TCU - SMU 26, TCU 23
Ponies earn winning record by reclaiming series lead; 5-star recruits line up at Bennett's door

[PK]

I like it WildHorse....probably won't happen that way...but I really do like it!!!!

[abezontar]

Of course we are going to win the Rice game, we play in Dallas, since I have been following SMU football, and admitedly that has only been since 97, whoever has been at home has one the Rice game, regardless of how good or bad that team is.

[FloridaMustang]

Very conservative predictions, I like em.

[PonyTales]

I like the after-effect of the win over TCU! The series lead is nice, but getting those HS all-Americas to join the ranks would be fantastic!

[Pegasus]

insane! and thats why i love it! less than three weeks until spring ball! HOPE springs ETERNAL!!!! Go Stangs!!!

[Mustangs35SMU]

*Thinks For a Second* Ill Take It!! LETS GO STANGS!

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The Red and Blue Is Back! God Bless SMU Football!

[Fast Eddie]

Why won't the cowardly Aggies and Horns take us on. I know for a fact that coach wants them on the schedule. They're too scared we're going to destroy them on their home turfs!

[MrMustang1965]

Predictions from Mr. Mustang 1965:

Saturday August 30 at Texas Tech Lubbock, Texas 6:00 p.m. (Welker and the Raiders have their way with the Mustangs on the road. TT 31, SMU 13)

Saturday September 13 at Baylor Waco, Texas 6:00 p.m. (Mustangs prep Bears for Div. 1-AA Sam Houston State next week. SMU 30, Baylor 14. *Mr. Mustang 1965 will return to Waco next weekend to see Baylor get drubbed by his alma mater, the SHSU Bearkats!*)

Saturday September 20 Oklahoma State Dallas, Texas 7:00 p.m. (Mustangs get saddled by the Cowboys. OSU 42, SMU 10)

Saturday September 27 at Nevada Reno, Nevada 3:00 p.m. (Mustangs get first road win of 2003. SMU 19, Nevada 10)

Saturday October 4 UTEP (Family Weekend) Dallas, Texas 7:00 p.m. (Miners get 'shafted' on The Hilltop! SMU 27, UTEP 10)

Saturday October 11 at San Jose State San Jose, California 8:00 p.m. (Mustangs chalk up second road loss of 2003. SJSU 17, SMU 14)

Saturday October 18 Boise State Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m. (Boise State rolls into Big D. BSU 35, SMU 10)

Saturday October 25 at Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 2:00 p.m. (Another road win for the Mustangs. SMU 27, Tulsa 14)

Saturday November 1 Fresno State (Homecoming) Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m. (It's HOMECOMING! Mustangs entertain sold out Ford Stadium! SMU 23, Fresno 21)

Saturday November 8 at Louisiana Tech Ruston, Louisiana 2:00 p.m. (Mustangs enact Texas drubbing of northern Cajuns. SMU 27, Lou. Tech 14)

Saturday November 15 Rice Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m. (Mustangs cook up Owl soup. SMU 20, Rice 17)

Saturday November 29 TCU Dallas, Texas 2:00 p.m. (Mustangs continue old Turnpike Rivalry with a win over Horned Frogs. SMU 21, TCU 17)

Mustangs end the season with an 8-4 record. Get invited to The Houston Bowl in Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas!

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[Fast Eddie]

I agree with you on the OSU prediction if that great receiver stays there; that was one strong team--otherwise we have a chance to be in all of the games including a great drubbing of the overrated red raiders!

[Corso]

From Fast Eddie: "Why won't the cowardly Aggies and Horns take us on. I know for a fact that coach wants them on the schedule. They're too scared we're going to destroy them on their home turfs!"

Not so fast, my (fast) friend!

I don't think fear is the reason they won't play us. The fact is UT and A&M have nothing to gain by playing us. For UT (or for A&M in the near future, they hope) to be considered national champion contenders, they have to play a serious out of conference schedule. I think the days of seeing the Horns and Aggies slapping around the likes of Louisiana-Lafayette are either gone or ending soon, in favor of more prominent opponents.

And it's not like they'd gain a recruiting a recruiting advantage by playing here. They'd sell our Ford Stadium, to be sure, but they already get many of the top players from DFW. And for us to go down to their stadiums, they'd have to agree to a home-and-home (which they won't do) or offer us a guarantee to come down - which they also won't do.

And can you imagine the damage if somehow SMU did pull off the upset?

(Note: We already did pull an upset of the Aggies in 1994. The record books won't show it, of course. But I'll go to my grave believing Albert Connell got away with a major offensive pass interference when he caught a touchdown pass with seconds remaining in SMU's 21-21 tie with then-No. 7 A&M in the Alamodome....)

UT and A&M will never play us again, unless some conference realignment or a bowl game forces the game.

[Fast Eddie]

You may have outlined why the Aggies and Horns are afraid of scheduling us but fear is fear, plain and simple. Yes, the reason they fear us is because they DON'T gain anything by losing to us, which would happen. But certainly, if they blew us out that would be a good thing for them or certainly those games would be more well-attended at their home stadia than seeing west louisiana beecats. But I agree for multiple reasons, they are SCARED to schedule us.

[Lefty]

Slow down, Fast Eddie.

They wouldn't draw more fans against us than against the "west louisiana beecats," because they'd sell out against anyone. They get 40,000-50,000 for a spring scrimmage. Scheduling SMU wouldn't affect attendance. And while losing to the Ponies would be viewed by their fans as embarrassing, beating us (even blowing us out) wouldn't gain them any respect, because the response would be that they were supposed to do that, anyway. They'd gain nothing by playing us.

[Fast Eddie]

They actually do not sell out their early games and they would see out to old swc foes. Also, the interest in the game would be greater.