Houston Bowl Selects Oklahoma State
12/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Houston Bowl Selects Oklahoma State
HOUSTON, Texas - The Houston Bowl today announced Oklahoma State University will represent the Big 12 Conference in the Dec 27th game versus Southern Miss of Conference USA.
?They (Oklahoma State) ended the year as one of the hottest teams in the country, as shown by their convincing win over Oklahoma,? Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower said. ?We?ve played them the last two seasons previous to this one, and compared to those years, they?re a much-improved team. They?ve moved the ball on just about everyone; they?ve scored a lot of points, and it?s a great challenge for our team to play a team that has been as successful as Oklahoma State in recent years. It should be a great game for our players and fans.?
Southern Miss and Oklahoma State have met twice before with the Golden Eagles holding a 2-0 series advantage. The two met in Stillwater, Okla., in 2000, with Southern Miss defeating OSU, 28-6, and then winning, 17-9, in Hattiesburg to open the 2001 season.
"We?re excited about our opportunity to play Oklahoma State,? said Southern Miss Director of Athletics Richard Giannini. ?We?ve played them the last couple of years, and are familiar with their program and their fans, and we congratulate them on a great year that included wins over Oklahoma and Nebraska. It should truly be a great matchup.?
Jerry Ippoliti, President and CEO of the Houston Bowl, extended the invitation today to the Cowboys. ?This is an exciting football team,? Ippoliti said. ?Oklahoma State beat conference champion Oklahoma convincingly. The Cowboys have one of the premier wide receivers in the country in Rashaun Woods.?
Ippoliti expects OSU will bring lots of fans to the Houston Bowl. ?Three of the strongest alumni bases are in Texas,? Ippoliti pointed out, ?in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.?
?We are excited to have the chance to bring our football team to Houston for this outstanding bowl game,? OSU Head Coach Les Miles said. ?This is a great reward for a football team that has worked hard and achieved much this season. We?ve heard nothing but great things about the Houston Bowl and we look forward to a great week and the challenge of facing an outstanding opponent in Southern Mississippi.?
Miles said he is grateful to the Houston Bowl committee for providing the Cowboys this opportunity and looks forward to seeing thousands of their fans in Houston for the game.
The Houston Bowl will be played at noon Friday, December 27th, at Reliant Stadium, the new home of the NFL?s Houston Texans and the only retractable roof stadium in the professional league. There?s not a bad seat anywhere?all 69,500 seats are good and weather will not be a problem.
Tickets for the game are on sale at the Southern Miss Ticket Office. Tickets for the game are $57 each and can be purchased by calling either 1-800-844-8425 or 601-266-5418, by faxing an order to 601-266-6529, or via the internet at www.SouthernMiss.com. The priority order deadline for Eagle Club members and football season ticket holders is Friday, Dec. 13.
Southern Miss? revenue for the game will depend, in part, on the number of tickets the Golden Eagles are able to sell. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets through the Southern Miss Ticket Office to assure their seating within the Southern Miss ticket area.
The Golden Eagles are scheduled to practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the coming week, take four days off, and then work Dec. 19-22, and depart for Houston the following day, Dec. 23.