Preview: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. USF Bulls
The University of South Florida Bulls ends their open week period by hosting the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday. Tulsa is 2-4 on the season, while the Bulls are 1-4. The Hurricane have fallen to Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and Houston, with wins over Arkansas State and Memphis. The Bulls have taken losses to SMU, Florida, BYU, and NC State, all currently ranked in the top 25.
USF holds a 3-1 lead in the all-time season with Hurricane, with the only loss coming last season, 42-13 at Tulsa.
USF Offense
The Bulls offense is led by freshman quarterback, Timmy McClain, who has passed for 781 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. McClain is also third on the team in rushing yards, with 158. McClain trails Brian Battie (191 yds), and Jaren Mangham (189 yards, 9 TDs) on the ground. Mangham’s nine touchdowns rank him 13th in the nation and ties a program record for a season (Jordan Cronkrite, 2018).
Xavier Weaver has been McClain’s top target, so far, with 328 receiving yards on 17 attempts. Weaver also has a receiving touchdown. True freshman receiver and high school teammate of McClain’s, Jimmy Horn Jr., has nine catches for 124 yards. Five of Horn’s catches came in the loss to SMU. Demarcus Gregory is third on the team in receiving yards with 94. Gregory has gotten more playing time due to injuries. Omarion Dollison (91 yds) and tight end, Michell Brinkman (77 yds), also play big roles in the receiving game.
Tulsa Defense
Cornerback, Tyron Davis, and linebacker, Yohance Burnett, lead the defense in tackles with 42 and 38, respectively. Cornerback, Travon Fuller, has two of the team’s six interceptions and leads Tulsa in pass breakups (7). His nine passes defended ranks him third in the AAC. Defensive lineman, Cullen Wick, has three sacks for the Hurricane, along with 7.5 tackles for loss. He’s tied for #20 in the nation in tackles for loss.
As a team, Tulsa ranks 68th against the run (147 ypg) and 119th against the pass (286 ypg). They are 108th in scoring defense (33 ppg) and 105 in total defense (434 ypg).
Tulsa Offense
Tulsa’s offense has over 400 yards in four of their first six games this season. Quarterback, Davis Brin, is a big part of those numbers. He has passed for 1,649 yards, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. He passed for 428 yards against then #6 Ohio State and 355 yards against Arkansas State.
The Hurricane’s top five receivers are seniors. They are Josh Johnson (481 yds, 2 TDs), Sam Crawford Jr. (369 yds, 3 TDs), JuanCarlos Santana (282 yds, 1 TD), Ezra Naylor, II (165 yds, 1 TD), and Keylon Stokes (148 yds). Johnson is #44 in the nation in total receiving yards and the Hurricane are the #32 passing offense in the country (275 ypg).
Halfway through the season, Tulsa has three running backs with over 200 yards and over 1,000 yards for the unit. Shamari Brooks (416 yds, 3 TDs) is leading the group, followed by Anthony Watkins (282 yds, 3 TDs), and Deneric Prince (261 yds, 2 TDs). Brooks is ranked 63rd in the nation in rushing yards per game and has surpassed 3,000 rushing yards in his career.
Tulsa ranks 35th in total offense (444 ypg) and 94th in scoring offense (24 ppg).
USF Defense
The Bulls rank 128th in the nation in total defense (496 ypg) and 116th in the nation (36 ppg) in scoring defense, but are one of just two teams to play four ranked teams through six games and have played what is currently ranked as the 16th toughest schedule, so far.
They are led on defense by safety, Matthew Hill, and linebacker, Dwayne Boyles with 34 tackles apiece. Linebacker, Antonio Grier, and defensive back, Daquan Evans, are next in line with 30 and 28 tackles, respectively. Boyles is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (2.5) and Grier is second on the team in sacks (1). Boyles and Hill also have one interception apiece, accounting for half of the team’s total.
USF has struggled most with the run game (122nd, 219 ypg), and especially when facing running backs over 200 pounds (Brooks is just under at about 194). Coming into the season, the Bulls looked to be very strong in the secondary, but a number of injuries has contributed to giving up big plays. The Bulls are expecting defensive backs, T.J. Robinson and Jalen Herring back from injury this week.
Expectation
This game will be a good test for both teams, who have played tough schedules early on, and struggled accordingly. USF’s offense under McClain look to finding their stride, with a number of able receivers and a solid one-two punch at running back to move the chains on the ground. The Bulls’ defense, on the other hand, has been hot and cold in every game thus far, and that inconsistency more than makes up for the strength that is building on offense. On the other hand, USF’s defense has been one of the worst in the country in giving up big plays, something Tulsa hasn’t excelled at (47th nationally) and reducing the impact of big plays could go a long way in keeping the Hurricane’s score low. Tulsa leans heavily on the pass when on offense and Brin has thrown as many picks as touchdowns. USF will be looking for that low hanging fruit and should be able to take some away.
Summary
The Bulls are an 8 point underdog at home. Kickoff is at noon, eastern, with broadcast courtesy of ESPNU.