2003 Big 12 Championship Game
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Big 12 Championship Game was played on December 6, 2003 in Arrowhead Stadium
in Kansas City, Missouri
. The game determined the 2003 football
champion of the Big 12 Conference
. The Oklahoma Sooners, winners of the South division of the Big 12, were upset by the Kansas State Wildcats
, who won the North division, by a score of 35-7. This was the second time the two teams met in the Big 12 Championship Game. The first was the 2000 Big 12 Championship Game
, a game in which Oklahoma won 27-24.
The Wildcats came into the game 10-3, with a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Wildcats lost at home to Marshall
in September, and followed it up with losses to #13 Texas
in Austin
, and in Stillwater
. The Wildcats would go on to win six games in a row, including their first win in Lincoln
against the Nebraska Cornhuskers
since 1968, clinching their third division title, and their third Big 12 Championship Game appearance.
and ’99
, in 2001 and KSU in 2003.
Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder
’s squad played fundamental football in the Wildcats’ third trip to the title game, amassing 519 yards of total offense and clutch defense in the red zone to produce victory.
It began with a 42-yard Kejuan Jones’ run and Trey DiCarlo PAT kick just 2:49 into the game to give Oklahoma a 7-0 advantage.
Snyder’s Wildcats then began a 35-0 run almost 15 minutes later in game time as tight end Brian Casey caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ell Roberson
. The speed of the drive, four plays for 73 yards and 58 seconds to score after taking over at the 27-yard line, sent a ripple through both teams and the crowd.
It started a streak of three touchdown drives on the Wildcats’ next four possessions and the 28-point victory was about to come to fruition. After the initial score, OU’s offense was three-and-out with a missed field goal over the next five possessions.
Roberson and All-America running back Darren Sproles
turned the tide with a 21-point second quarter. Roberson had 30.3 yards per connection and threw three TD passes in the opening half while Sproles rumbled to an eventual championship record of 235 rushing yards.
Two of the nation’s testiest defenses entering the game allowed almost 1,000 yards (917 total), but the Wildcats limited the nation’s No. 1 scoring team (48.3 points per game) to a touchdown and added a defensive score to ice the game with 10:16 left to play. Sophomore linebacker Ted Sims had perfect placement for a 27-yard interception return for the fifth K-State touchdown of the night.
OU (0-7) - Kejuan Jones 42-yard run (Trey DiCarlo kick); 12:11
Second Quarter
KSU (7-7) - Brian Casey 19-yard pass from Ell Roberson
(Joe Rheem kick); 13:57
KSU (14-7) - James Terry 63-yard pass from Roberson (Rheem kick); 11:34
KSU (21-7) - Darren Sproles
60-yard pass from Roberson (Rheem kick); 3:18
Third Quarter
KSU (28-7) - Antoine Polite 10-yard pass from Roberson (Rheem kick); 3:02
Fourth Quarter
KSU (35-7) - Ted Sims 27-yard interception return (Rheem kick); 10:16
(National Championship game) and lose to LSU Tigers
, 14-21.
Kansas State went on to lose to the Ohio State Buckeyes
in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl
, 28 to 35.
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. The game determined the 2003 football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
champion of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. The Oklahoma Sooners, winners of the South division of the Big 12, were upset by the Kansas State Wildcats
2003 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2003 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2003-2004. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 11 and 4, and a...
, who won the North division, by a score of 35-7. This was the second time the two teams met in the Big 12 Championship Game. The first was the 2000 Big 12 Championship Game
2000 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2000 Big 12 Championship Game was played on December 2, 2000 in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The game determined the 2000 football champion of the Big 12 Conference. The Oklahoma Sooners, winners of the South division of the Big 12, narrowly beat the Kansas State Wildcats, who...
, a game in which Oklahoma won 27-24.
Leading up to the game
The Sooners came into the game already being called possibly the greatest team in college football history. They were undefeated, boasting a 12-0 record, including 8-0 in conference play.The Wildcats came into the game 10-3, with a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Wildcats lost at home to Marshall
2003 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
The 2003 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in 2003 season in NCAA Division I-A. Marshall did not make a bowl for the first time since 1997...
in September, and followed it up with losses to #13 Texas
2003 Texas Longhorns football team
The 2003 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by head football coach Mack Brown and led on the field by redshirt fresman quarterback Vince Young....
in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and in Stillwater
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
. The Wildcats would go on to win six games in a row, including their first win in Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
against the Nebraska Cornhuskers
2003 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 2003 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Frank Solich and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
since 1968, clinching their third division title, and their third Big 12 Championship Game appearance.
Game summary
In one of the most stunning upsets in national conference championship history, Kansas State upended Oklahoma, consensus No. 1 in the polls for 16 consecutive weeks, 35-7. This was the fourth consecutive win for the North Division champ in an odd-numbered year - Nebraska in 19971997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
and ’99
1999 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1999 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Frank Solich and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
, in 2001 and KSU in 2003.
Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
’s squad played fundamental football in the Wildcats’ third trip to the title game, amassing 519 yards of total offense and clutch defense in the red zone to produce victory.
It began with a 42-yard Kejuan Jones’ run and Trey DiCarlo PAT kick just 2:49 into the game to give Oklahoma a 7-0 advantage.
Snyder’s Wildcats then began a 35-0 run almost 15 minutes later in game time as tight end Brian Casey caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ell Roberson
Ell Roberson
Ell Roberson III is a former quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats from 1999-2003. During his senior year, he was 6'1" tall and weighed 209 pounds...
. The speed of the drive, four plays for 73 yards and 58 seconds to score after taking over at the 27-yard line, sent a ripple through both teams and the crowd.
It started a streak of three touchdown drives on the Wildcats’ next four possessions and the 28-point victory was about to come to fruition. After the initial score, OU’s offense was three-and-out with a missed field goal over the next five possessions.
Roberson and All-America running back Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles
Darren Lee Sproles is an American football running back of the NFL who plays for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
turned the tide with a 21-point second quarter. Roberson had 30.3 yards per connection and threw three TD passes in the opening half while Sproles rumbled to an eventual championship record of 235 rushing yards.
Two of the nation’s testiest defenses entering the game allowed almost 1,000 yards (917 total), but the Wildcats limited the nation’s No. 1 scoring team (48.3 points per game) to a touchdown and added a defensive score to ice the game with 10:16 left to play. Sophomore linebacker Ted Sims had perfect placement for a 27-yard interception return for the fifth K-State touchdown of the night.
Scoring summary
First QuarterOU (0-7) - Kejuan Jones 42-yard run (Trey DiCarlo kick); 12:11
Second Quarter
KSU (7-7) - Brian Casey 19-yard pass from Ell Roberson
Ell Roberson
Ell Roberson III is a former quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats from 1999-2003. During his senior year, he was 6'1" tall and weighed 209 pounds...
(Joe Rheem kick); 13:57
KSU (14-7) - James Terry 63-yard pass from Roberson (Rheem kick); 11:34
KSU (21-7) - Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles
Darren Lee Sproles is an American football running back of the NFL who plays for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
60-yard pass from Roberson (Rheem kick); 3:18
Third Quarter
KSU (28-7) - Antoine Polite 10-yard pass from Roberson (Rheem kick); 3:02
Fourth Quarter
KSU (35-7) - Ted Sims 27-yard interception return (Rheem kick); 10:16
After the game
The Sooners went on to play in the 2004 Sugar Bowl2004 Sugar Bowl
The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners...
(National Championship game) and lose to LSU Tigers
2003 LSU Tigers football team
The 2003 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2003–2004. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a bit of controversy, LSU won the BCS National Championship, the first...
, 14-21.
Kansas State went on to lose to the Ohio State Buckeyes
2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2003-2004. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State finished the season with a record of 11-2 and placed second in the...
in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl
2004 Fiesta Bowl
The 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2004, was the 33rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game pitted #7 Ohio State against #8 Kansas State. It was a match-up between a perennial powerhouse in Ohio State, and a school that was only recently accustomed to winning in Kansas State...
, 28 to 35.