CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2003 Tulsa

8–⁠5 (6–⁠2 Western Athletic Conference), coached by Steve Kragthorpe.

Schedule and results

Tulsa in 2003, game by game: lost at Minnesota 10–49; lost at Arkansas 13–45; won vs. Texas State 41–15; won vs. Arkansas State 54–7; won vs. Hawai’i 27–16; lost at Boise State 20–27; lost vs. Nevada 21–28; won vs. SMU 35–16; won at UTEP 56–28; won at Rice 31–28; won vs. Louisiana Tech 48–18; won at San José State 34–32; lost vs. Georgia Tech 10–52+47−42Lost 10–49 at Minnesota-39MinnesotaLost 13–45 at Arkansas-32ArkansasWon 41–15 vs. Texas State+26Texas StateWon 54–7 vs. Arkansas State+47Arkansas StateWon 27–16 vs. Hawai’i+11Hawai’iLost 20–27 at Boise State-7Boise StateLost 21–28 vs. Nevada-7NevadaWon 35–16 vs. SMU+19SMUWon 56–28 at UTEP+28UTEPWon 31–28 at Rice+3RiceWon 48–18 vs. Louisiana Tech+30Louisiana TechWon 34–32 at San José State+2San José StateLost 10–52 vs. Georgia Tech-42Georgia Tech
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30atMinnesotaL 10–⁠4918%
Sep 6atArkansasL 13–⁠4515%
Sep 13vsTexas StateW 41–⁠1557%
Sep 20vsArkansas StateW 54–⁠745%
Oct 4vsHawai’iW 27–⁠1634%
Oct 11atBoise StateL 20–⁠2714%
Oct 18vsNevadaL 21–⁠2844%
Oct 25vsSMUW 35–⁠1671%
Nov 1atUTEPW 56–⁠2860%
Nov 8atRiceW 31–⁠2849%
Nov 15vsLouisiana TechW 48–⁠1854%
Nov 22atSan José StateW 34–⁠3253%
Jan 3Bowls & playoffvsGeorgia TechHumanitarian BowlL 10–⁠5245%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Georgia Tech 52–⁠10 in the Humanitarian Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Western Athletic Conference.

In program history: The 53rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 111 on file).

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 2nd in Western Athletic Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
400–⁠361
Coach
Steve Kragthorpe
Elo
1441 +126 this season
SP+ rating
-5.6 No. 78 of 117; offense No. 55, defense No. 87
SRS
−3.2 No. 74 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 73
Offensive coordinator
Charlie Stubbs
Defensive coordinator
Todd Graham
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠3–⁠5

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 26— allowed
Defense0.0own 37— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2003 class

Paul Smith PRO★★★No. 682
Oliver Fletcher S★★No. 1050
Brandon Diles RB★★No. 1050
Terrance Thomas CB★★No. 1050
Donnie Johnson CB★★No. 1050

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.800
Running backs12.00.767
Receivers22.00.767
Offensive line22.00.767
Linebackers42.00.767
Defensive backs72.00.767
Whole class172.10.769

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

2003 Western Athletic Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Boise State8–⁠013–⁠116
Fresno State6–⁠29–⁠5
Tulsa6–⁠28–⁠5
Hawai’i5–⁠39–⁠5
Rice5–⁠35–⁠7
Nevada4–⁠46–⁠6
Louisiana Tech3–⁠55–⁠7
San José State2–⁠63–⁠8
UTEP1–⁠72–⁠11
SMU0–⁠80–⁠12

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.