Tulsa thrilled to be in Boise

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Posted 7:23PM on Friday, January 2, 2004

BOISE, IDAHO - When Tulsa's bowl status was pending, coach Steve Kragthorpe joked that he would snowshoe to Alaska if that's what it took to extend the season. He was more on target than he thought. "Our athletic director, after we got invited to this, said, 'You made it about half way,'" said Kragthorpe, whose Golden Hurricane play Georgia Tech on Saturday in the Humanitarian Bowl. After consecutive one-win seasons, Tulsa is thrilled to be in one of the less exotic bowl destinations, playing on a funky blue surface that was ringed with snow Friday. Nobody on either team is complaining. Latest News No. 16 Miss. Stops No. 21 Okla. St. 31-28 USC Makes Case for Half of National Title "This whole year, it's been so great," said offensive lineman Austin Chadwick, who has lived up to a pledge he made when Tulsa was struggling early in the season by shaving his head for the game. Several of his teammates have followed his lead. Tulsa (8-4) got the Humanitarian bid when Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State opted out of another home game in favor of playing a ranked opponent in TCU in the Fort Worth Bowl. The Broncos won, but left the hometown bowl organizers looking for a new team to play Tech (6-6). The Golden Hurricane were eager to accept after last appearing in a bowl in 1991. Tulsa had gone just 2-21 over the last two seasons, then Kragthorpe, an assistant with the Buffalo Bills, took over after Keith Burns was fired. After a 3-4 start, Tulsa closed the regular season with a five-game winning streak and got Kragthorpe plenty of recognition. He tied for third with Oklahoma's Bob Stoops in the AP coach of the year voting. Not bad for a rookie head coach. "I voted for Steve Kragthorpe for national coach of the year," Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "A team that's won two games total in two years and they go to a bowl with an 8-4 record? Shoot, that's an unbelievable job." The Yellow Jackets are in their seventh straight bowl, although this one is certainly a new experience. Wednesday's practice was held in snow, something many of the Yellow Jackets had never seen. "I bet it was pretty unique for them. Those guys from Miami, they think it's sand," Gailey said. The Yellow Jackets actually enjoyed the snow so much they took a trip to Idaho City for some snowmobiling, tubing and snowball fights on Thursday. After just a few days, they felt plenty acclimated to the weather. "I think it's colder in Atlanta sometimes with the wind chill factor than it is right here," wide receiver Nate Curry said. Tech had a chance at one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's more high-profile games before losing consecutive games to Virginia and Georgia the last two games of the regular season and falling to .500. Gailey said the difference between finishing 6-7 and 7-6 is huge. "We started at a point where I think everybody thought we'd start at and I think we've improved a great deal," Gailey said. "We're a totally different team, but we still have a game to go so it's hard for me to say yet. These seniors have never had a losing season. I think that's big."