Game on
Louisiana Tech fills void on Florida State's schedule
Posted: Wednesday February 24, 1999 07:38 PM
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They're not Auburn, but Bobby Bowden is happy the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs filled the void left by the Tigers' cancellation. AP |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State finally has a season opener.
The Seminoles filled a void on their schedule Wednesday by announcing an Aug. 28 home game against Louisiana Tech.
The nationally televised game replaces a scheduled Sept. 2 bout with Auburn, which the Tigers canceled earlier this month at a $500,000 price. That game would have featured a matchup between Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden and the team that ousted his son, Terry Bowden, as its coach.
The replacement game won't include that kind of drama, but it will display two of the nation's top returning quarterbacks.
Louisiana Tech's Tim Rattay led the country in total offense last season, averaging 403.3 yards per game. With one of the country's top receivers, senior Troy Edwards, as Rattay's favorite target, the Bulldogs also compiled more offensive yards than any other Division I-A team.
A neck injury kept FSU quarterback Chris Weinke out of the Fiesta Bowl against Tennessee, but Weinke finished the season with a streak of 218 passes without an interception. He is expected to be ready to start the season.
Auburn's decision to pull out of the game left the Seminoles scrambling to find a quality opponent. The Tigers decided to open against Appalachian State, a Division I-AA team, but the Seminoles, considered a national championship contender, wanted to play a Division I-A team to help their strength of schedule rating.
"The cooperation and assistance we received from our television partners, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA during this frantic process was very gratifying," FSU Athletics Director Dave Hart said in a statement. "The chances of landing a Division I-A opponent and maintaining a broad base of television exposure were not very good going into it."
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 -- the Seminoles' fourth appearance on the network.
The two teams have played three times before, with Louisiana Tech winning two of them. Their last meeting was a 1988 Florida State victory in Tallahassee.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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