Tulane Football to Play Seven Home Games in 2002
Feb 13, 2002 | Football
Feb. 13, 2002
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane's 2002 football schedule, released Wednesday by Director of Athletics Rick Dickson, is unusual for several reasons: the Green Wave will play seven home games in 2002, the first time since 1988 that a Tulane team has played more than six games in New Orleans, Tulane will play eight Conference USA opponents in a single season for the first time, the Green Wave meets intra-state foe UL-Monroe for the first time in school history, and Tulane plays Texas for the first time since 1965, marking the teams' first meeting in the Superdome.
"I think this schedule is one that will be exciting for our fans and successfully mixes regional and in-state opponents with our Conference USA schedule," Dickson said. "Hosting Texas in the Superdome will definitely be a highlight, and Southern will be back for the second Big Easy Classic so we're excited about starting the season with that game this year."
Following the Southern game on August 31st, Tulane takes to the road for three straight Conference USA games, beginning Sept. 7 at Houston and carrying on to East Carolina (Sept. 14) and Memphis (Sept. 21). The Green Wave did not play either Houston or Memphis last season. With eight league games this season, Tulane misses only 2001 C-USA champion Louisville.
"Our schedule this year is one that is going to demand that we get off to a quick start, with a rivalry game versus Southern followed by three straight conference road games," said Tulane Head Coach Chris Scelfo.
After the C-USA road trip, Tulane returns to the Superdome to host Texas before making the trek to Monroe where the Wave will play Scelfo's alma mater for the first time in school history.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Monroe, a place I have special feelings for as I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees from there, and was a member of the football program," Scelfo said. "(ULM Head Coach) Bobby (Keasler) is a long-time friend, but that's one day our friendship will not get in the way of the game. It's an exciting game for our alumni in the area and intrastate games are always healthy for Louisiana football."
Tulane begins its "home stretch" - five of its last six games of the year are at home - by playing host to Conference USA opponents Cincinnati (Oct. 12) and UAB (Oct. 19) before the Homecoming contest versus Navy on October 26th. The Green Wave will enjoy a late-season open date on Nov. 2 prior to making its last road trip of the season to TCU Nov. 9. Visits from Army (Nov. 16) and Southern Miss (Nov. 23) will close out the 12-game campaign and seven-game home schedule.
"From start to finish, it's going to be a tremendous challenge for our team to overcome any adversity dealt to us and to realize that we're playing a 12-game season," Scelfo said. "Drawing on last year's experience (playing 12 games) should help us to do that. You hope to gather momentum early and carry that through the year."
TULANE UNIVERSITY 2002 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Opponent | Site | Time |
| Aug. 31 | Southern (Big Easy Classic) | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 7 | at Houston* | Houston, Texas | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 14 | at East Carolina* | Greenville, N.C. | |
| Sept. 21 | at Memphis* | Memphis, Tenn. | |
| Sept. 28 | TEXAS | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 5 | at UL-Monroe | Monroe, La. | |
| Oct. 12 | CINCINNATI* | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 19 | UAB* | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 26 | NAVY (Homecoming) | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 2 | Open | ||
| Nov. 9 | at TCU* | Fort Worth, Texas | |
| Nov. 16 | ARMY* | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 23 | SOUTHERN MISS* | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
*Indicates Conference USA Game. Home games in ALL CAPS. All times Central and subject to change.
