Kansas University has tweaked its 2003 football schedule to add another home game.
KU officials have dropped a scheduled trip to San Diego State and replaced the Aztecs with a home game against Jacksonville (Ala.) State, an NCAA Div. I-AA school.
Also, the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Conference opener against Missouri at Memorial Stadium has been moved up a week from Oct. 4 to Sept. 27.
Senior associate athletic director Richard Konzem, who oversees the football program, said the Missouri shift was made for three reasons — to avoid NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway, to enhance the possibility of KU-MU being selected as part of the Big 12 television package and to give the Jayhawks a weekend off after the first five games.
The latter may have been the most important. The Jayhawks played 12 games last season without a break and coach Mark Mangino often stressed how desirable a weekend off would have been during the long grind.
Mangino said he hoped to schedule future nonconference games to allow the Jayhawks their best opportunity to win. Dropping San Diego State in favor of a Division I-AA school fits that framework.
The athletic department will pay San Diego State $50,000 to break the home-and-home contract, Konzem said. The Aztecs came to Lawrence in 1999 to fulfill their half of the pact.
Meanwhile, Kansas will pay Jacksonville State $250,000 to come to Memorial Stadium. That’s the same amount KU paid to Southwest Missouri State, its Div. I-AA opponent during the 2002 season.
“That’s pretty much the going rate to get a I-AA school,” Konzem said.
By securing the Alabama school for Sept. 20, KU was able to dovetail with the university’s annual open house for the first time since the open house was instigated in 2001. The game has also been designated as Parents Day. Kickoff will be 6 p.m.
Also scheduled for 6 p.m. starts are KU’s two other nonconference home games against Northwestern on Aug. 30 and Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept. 6. All other kickoffs will be announced later.
Kansas will have only one home game in October — against Baylor on Oct. 18 — and that has posed a problem for university officials who would like to schedule homecoming for that weekend, but can’t because it is also the weekend of the annual fall break.
The Sept. 27 game against Missouri might be a possibility, but it falls during Rosh Hashanah. November games are generally ruled out because of the potential for bad weather.
One potential solution would be to move fall break back a week. Konzem said some university groups have already approved that plan.
Kansas last had seven home games during the 2001 season when the schedule contained 11 games.
The NCAA approved the 12th game for the 2002 and 2003 seasons because there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November.
The next year with 14 Saturdays is 2008.
Urrutia, who is rated among the top five offensive guards in the country in the latest rivals.com rankings, will enroll at KU after he graduates in May.
Urrutia chose KU over Florida State, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, Fresno State, UNLV, and New Mexico.
“Both coach Mangino and coach Doeren were here last night,” Urrutia told Kirby. “I told them I’m definitely going to Kansas.”
Kansas University has tweaked its 2003 football schedule to add another home game.
KU officials have dropped a scheduled trip to San Diego State and replaced the Aztecs with a home game against Jacksonville (Ala.) State, an NCAA Div. I-AA school.
Also, the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Conference opener against Missouri at Memorial Stadium has been moved up a week from Oct. 4 to Sept. 27.
Senior associate athletic director Richard Konzem, who oversees the football program, said the Missouri shift was made for three reasons — to avoid NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway, to enhance the possibility of KU-MU being selected as part of the Big 12 television package and to give the Jayhawks a weekend off after the first five games.
The latter may have been the most important. The Jayhawks played 12 games last season without a break and coach Mark Mangino often stressed how desirable a weekend off would have been during the long grind.
Mangino said he hoped to schedule future nonconference games to allow the Jayhawks their best opportunity to win. Dropping San Diego State in favor of a Division I-AA school fits that framework.
The athletic department will pay San Diego State $50,000 to break the home-and-home contract, Konzem said. The Aztecs came to Lawrence in 1999 to fulfill their half of the pact.
Meanwhile, Kansas will pay Jacksonville State $250,000 to come to Memorial Stadium. That’s the same amount KU paid to Southwest Missouri State, its Div. I-AA opponent during the 2002 season.
“That’s pretty much the going rate to get a I-AA school,” Konzem said.
By securing the Alabama school for Sept. 20, KU was able to dovetail with the university’s annual open house for the first time since the open house was instigated in 2001. The game has also been designated as Parents Day. Kickoff will be 6 p.m.
Also scheduled for 6 p.m. starts are KU’s two other nonconference home games against Northwestern on Aug. 30 and Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept. 6. All other kickoffs will be announced later.
Kansas will have only one home game in October — against Baylor on Oct. 18 — and that has posed a problem for university officials who would like to schedule homecoming for that weekend, but can’t because it is also the weekend of the annual fall break.
The Sept. 27 game against Missouri might be a possibility, but it falls during Rosh Hashanah. November games are generally ruled out because of the potential for bad weather.
One potential solution would be to move fall break back a week. Konzem said some university groups have already approved that plan.
Kansas last had seven home games during the 2001 season when the schedule contained 11 games.
The NCAA approved the 12th game for the 2002 and 2003 seasons because there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November.
The next year with 14 Saturdays is 2008.
Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
Aug. 30 | Northwestern | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 6 | UNLV (Band Day) | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 13 | Wyoming | Laramie, Wy. | TBA |
Sept. 20 | Jacksonville State(Family Weekend) | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 27 | Missouri | Lawrence | TBA |
Oct. 11 | Colorado | Boulder, Colo. | TBA |
Oct. 18 | Baylor (Homecoming) | Lawrence | TBA |
Oct. 25 | Kansas State | Manhattan, Kan. | TBA |
Nov. 1 | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | TBA |
Nov. 8 | Nebraska | Lawrence | TBA |
Nov. 15 | Oklahoma State | Stillwater, Okla. | TBA |
Nov. 22 | Iowa State | Lawrence | TBA |
Kansas University has tweaked its 2003 football schedule to add another home game.
KU officials have dropped a scheduled trip to San Diego State and replaced the Aztecs with a home game against Jacksonville (Ala.) State, an NCAA Div. I-AA school.
Also, the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Conference opener against Missouri at Memorial Stadium has been moved up a week from Oct. 4 to Sept. 27.
Senior associate athletic director Richard Konzem, who oversees the football program, said the Missouri shift was made for three reasons — to avoid NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway, to enhance the possibility of KU-MU being selected as part of the Big 12 television package and to give the Jayhawks a weekend off after the first five games.
The latter may have been the most important. The Jayhawks played 12 games last season without a break and coach Mark Mangino often stressed how desirable a weekend off would have been during the long grind.
Mangino said he hoped to schedule future nonconference games to allow the Jayhawks their best opportunity to win. Dropping San Diego State in favor of a Division I-AA school fits that framework.
The athletic department will pay San Diego State $50,000 to break the home-and-home contract, Konzem said. The Aztecs came to Lawrence in 1999 to fulfill their half of the pact.
Meanwhile, Kansas will pay Jacksonville State $250,000 to come to Memorial Stadium. That’s the same amount KU paid to Southwest Missouri State, its Div. I-AA opponent during the 2002 season.
“That’s pretty much the going rate to get a I-AA school,” Konzem said.
By securing the Alabama school for Sept. 20, KU was able to dovetail with the university’s annual open house for the first time since the open house was instigated in 2001. The game has also been designated as Parents Day. Kickoff will be 6 p.m.
Also scheduled for 6 p.m. starts are KU’s two other nonconference home games against Northwestern on Aug. 30 and Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept. 6. All other kickoffs will be announced later.
Kansas will have only one home game in October — against Baylor on Oct. 18 — and that has posed a problem for university officials who would like to schedule homecoming for that weekend, but can’t because it is also the weekend of the annual fall break.
The Sept. 27 game against Missouri might be a possibility, but it falls during Rosh Hashanah. November games are generally ruled out because of the potential for bad weather.
One potential solution would be to move fall break back a week. Konzem said some university groups have already approved that plan.
Kansas last had seven home games during the 2001 season when the schedule contained 11 games.
The NCAA approved the 12th game for the 2002 and 2003 seasons because there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November.
The next year with 14 Saturdays is 2008.
Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
Aug. 30 | Northwestern | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 6 | UNLV (Band Day) | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 13 | Wyoming | Laramie, Wy. | TBA |
Sept. 20 | Jacksonville State(Family Weekend) | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 27 | Missouri | Lawrence | TBA |
Oct. 11 | Colorado | Boulder, Colo. | TBA |
Oct. 18 | Baylor (Homecoming) | Lawrence | TBA |
Oct. 25 | Kansas State | Manhattan, Kan. | TBA |
Nov. 1 | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | TBA |
Nov. 8 | Nebraska | Lawrence | TBA |
Nov. 15 | Oklahoma State | Stillwater, Okla. | TBA |
Nov. 22 | Iowa State | Lawrence | TBA |
Kansas University has tweaked its 2003 football schedule to add another home game.
KU officials have dropped a scheduled trip to San Diego State and replaced the Aztecs with a home game against Jacksonville (Ala.) State, an NCAA Div. I-AA school.
Also, the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Conference opener against Missouri at Memorial Stadium has been moved up a week from Oct. 4 to Sept. 27.
Senior associate athletic director Richard Konzem, who oversees the football program, said the Missouri shift was made for three reasons — to avoid NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway, to enhance the possibility of KU-MU being selected as part of the Big 12 television package and to give the Jayhawks a weekend off after the first five games.
The latter may have been the most important. The Jayhawks played 12 games last season without a break and coach Mark Mangino often stressed how desirable a weekend off would have been during the long grind.
Mangino said he hoped to schedule future nonconference games to allow the Jayhawks their best opportunity to win. Dropping San Diego State in favor of a Division I-AA school fits that framework.
The athletic department will pay San Diego State $50,000 to break the home-and-home contract, Konzem said. The Aztecs came to Lawrence in 1999 to fulfill their half of the pact.
Meanwhile, Kansas will pay Jacksonville State $250,000 to come to Memorial Stadium. That’s the same amount KU paid to Southwest Missouri State, its Div. I-AA opponent during the 2002 season.
“That’s pretty much the going rate to get a I-AA school,” Konzem said.
By securing the Alabama school for Sept. 20, KU was able to dovetail with the university’s annual open house for the first time since the open house was instigated in 2001. The game has also been designated as Parents Day. Kickoff will be 6 p.m.
Also scheduled for 6 p.m. starts are KU’s two other nonconference home games against Northwestern on Aug. 30 and Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept. 6. All other kickoffs will be announced later.
Kansas will have only one home game in October — against Baylor on Oct. 18 — and that has posed a problem for university officials who would like to schedule homecoming for that weekend, but can’t because it is also the weekend of the annual fall break.
The Sept. 27 game against Missouri might be a possibility, but it falls during Rosh Hashanah. November games are generally ruled out because of the potential for bad weather.
One potential solution would be to move fall break back a week. Konzem said some university groups have already approved that plan.
Kansas last had seven home games during the 2001 season when the schedule contained 11 games.
The NCAA approved the 12th game for the 2002 and 2003 seasons because there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November.
The next year with 14 Saturdays is 2008.
Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
Aug. 30 | Northwestern | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 6 | UNLV (Band Day) | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 13 | Wyoming | Laramie, Wy. | TBA |
Sept. 20 | Jacksonville State(Family Weekend) | Lawrence | TBA |
Sept. 27 | Missouri | Lawrence | TBA |
Oct. 11 | Colorado | Boulder, Colo. | TBA |
Oct. 18 | Baylor (Homecoming) | Lawrence | TBA |
Oct. 25 | Kansas State | Manhattan, Kan. | TBA |
Nov. 1 | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | TBA |
Nov. 8 | Nebraska | Lawrence | TBA |
Nov. 15 | Oklahoma State | Stillwater, Okla. | TBA |
Nov. 22 | Iowa State | Lawrence | TBA |