Fresno State Athletics
Football Adds Wisconsin to 2002 Schedule
2/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 21, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Athletics Director Scott Johnson announced today that he has completed contract negotiations for Fresno State to play the University of Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in the second annual John Thompson Foundation Kickoff Classic on Aug. 23. The game will begin at 5 p.m. PDT and will be telecast by ESPN.
The game against the Badgers will mark the second consecutive year the Bulldogs will begin the season with a game in a preseason event. Last year, Fresno State opened by defeating Colorado 25-22 in the Jim Thorpe Classic in Boulder, Colo. It also guarantees the Bulldogs at least 13 regular season games for a second consecutive season.
"This is just a continuation of our philosophy of scheduling the highest quality opponents for our football program," said Johnson. "It's another great opportunity for us to play a top team from a top conference in front of a national television audience.
"These were protracted negotiations that involved us initially trying to secure a home game. When that proved unattainable, we then focused our attention in this direction."
The game will be a rematch of last year's Fresno State-Wisconsin contest, won by the Bulldogs 32-20 in Madison, Wis. That win was Fresno State's third in a row to start the 2001 season and catapulted the program into the national spotlight.
"We are very excited about playing Wisconsin once again," said head coach Pat Hill. "We had a great game with them last year, and the environment at Camp Randall Stadium is as good as it gets in college football. And I think it shows how interested people are in our program that for the last two years, we have played in a preseason game."
The Bulldogs, who were rated as high as No. 8 in the nation during the 2001 season, finished with an 11-3 record, losing to Michigan State 44-35 in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. Fresno State returns 17 starters from that team, which tied the school record for most wins in a season. The Bulldogs placed second in the Western Athletic Conference and made their third consecutive bowl appearance.
Wisconsin ended the 2001 year with a 5-7 record and failed to make a bowl game for the first time since 1995.
The Bulldogs' non-conference schedule also includes home games against San Diego State and Colorado State and road contests against Oregon and Oregon State.
