South Florida v. Tulsa

[BullFan98]

https://tulsa.rivals.com/news/behind-enemy-lines-south-florida-6

Behind Enemy Lines: South Florida

 

South Florida QB Blake Barnett has thrown for 1,313 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

USATSI

Chris Harmon

ITS Publisher

Tulsa hosts No. 23 South Florida on Friday evening at H.A. Chapman Stadium, with the Golden Hurricane desperate for a win. The TU players and coaches feel like they have let several games slip away due to self-inflicted wounds, including turnovers and penalties.

USF is 5-0 and utilizes former Alabama and Arizona State QB Blake Barnett in an up-tempo offense orchestrated by former Tulsa offensive-coordinator Sterlin Gilbert. To learn more about the Bulls, Kelly Quinlan of Running the Bulls on Rivals.com joined Inside Tulsa Sports for a brief Q&A session.

QUESTION: USF is off to an impressive start this season with a 5-0 record, but what have been the main weaknesses or weak spots for the Bulls on offense and defense so far?

Quinlan: Offensively, injuries have been the biggest issue. They've played games with one or two scholarship running backs, offensive linemen out and other issues. The offense hasn't found consistency passing either on the receivers’ end. Quite a few drops. Defensively, the run defense has been a bit of an issue, and they've tended to let inferior opponents hang around.

Q:  Who are the key players on offense for South Florida?

Quinlan: It all starts with quarterback Blake Barnett, and he is the main cog of the offense. Former Florida running back Jordan Cronkrite is coming off a school-record day where he racked up 300-yards, and he can be explosive with a small amount of daylight. At receiver, Tyre McCant, Randall St. Felix and tight end Mitchell Wilcox are the main weapons.

Q:  Who are the key players on defense for the Bulls?

Quinlan: On the defensive line, Kevin Kegler and Kirk Livingstone are pretty dynamic at defensive tackle and defensive end. Linebackers Khalid McGee and Nico Sawtelle have been very productive and cornerback Mazzi Wilkins has been one of the top cover corners in college football for the last two years. Mike Hampton on the other side of Wilkins is also having a big year.

Q: USF is currently 114th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 212.8 yards per game on the ground.  In 2017, USF finished 21st nationally in rushing defense. What has been the main issue this year in stopping the run?

Quinlan: Well, they played Georgia Tech and the triple option offense in week two and gave up 38 points and a ton of yards on the ground. That really killed them, and Illinois ran all over them with a thin defensive unit. The Bulls were anchored on defense last year by veteran tackles and ends, and those guys are all in the NFL now, as is their leading tackler and top linebacker from a year ago - Auggie Sanchez. So, they have moved guys around, and there are probably more big plays being allowed there.

Q: How do you see the game turning out on Friday?

Quinlan: I think South Florida wins this game and pulls away in the fourth quarter. That has been their pattern all season, and I think that Tulsa will have a hard time with a mobile quarterback and a healthier stable of running backs for the Bulls. I know that offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert will pull out some tricks for his former employer as well.

[TheAccountant]

If there was any time to finally put a complete game together, it is Friday night. We have a nationally televised game (ESPN) and could really score some style points if we can come out and dominate. I am not going to get my hopes up as we have historically played to the level of our competition, but man oh man do I hope we come out swinging and eliminate the penalties and turnovers.

[79 Bull]

WOW this game is going to be EMPTY.  Terrible tv for the AAC on ESPN.  80% of the seats are still available for sale.

Click on the Football-USF link here and check out all of the green seats available.

GO BULLS!

 

 

[BullyPulpit]

6 minutes ago, 79 Bull said:

WOW this game is going to be EMPTY.  Terrible tv for the AAC on ESPN.  80% of the seats are still available for sale.

Click on the Football-USF link here and check out all of the green seats available.

GO BULLS!

 

 

We just had UMASS as a warm-up game for a quiet and empty stadium. We should be prepared for the silence. 

[Rizman]

On the UMass game, I heard a lot of USF fans yelling.   It made me laugh. 

Plus, I think I heard some girl scouts selling cookies and a mom yelling at her son. 

Edited October 11, 2018 by Rizman

[BullFan98]

Anyone know when the team lands or landed in Oklahoma?  

[BullFan98]

https://tulsahurricane.com/documents/2018/10/7//TulsaGameNotes1vs_USF_2018.pdf?id=21417

THE TULSA-USF SERIES . . . • This is the third meeting between Tulsa and USF … the Bulls lead the series 2-0. • The first meeting came in 2014 in Tulsa as USF claimed a 38-30 win. • Last year, Tulsa's comeback bid against #23 USF fell short 27-20 in Tampa.

QUICK HITS . . . • Tulsa senior offensive linemen have combined to start 113 games, including 43 for Chandler Miller, 40 for Willie Wright and 30 for Tyler Bowling. • Junior LB Cooper Edmiston has totaled 3 interceptions in the last 2 games. • Tulsa's defense had a season-high 3 takeaways at Houston, all in the first half. • Red-shirt freshman QB Seth Boomer made his first career start at Houston, where he passed for 227 yards … that total was the second-most ever for a Tulsa freshman making their collegiate debut … second only to TJ Rubley’s 386 yards vs. Oklahoma State as a true freshman in 1987. • Boomer's 227 yards ranks as the 11th highest passing game for a freshman QB. • Senior safety McKinley Whitfield has gone over 200 career tackles and now has 223 career stops, the most for any current Tulsa defender. • True sophomore RB Shamari Brooks has 14 rushing touchdowns and 6 100+ rushing games in his first 13 career games. • Senior PK Nate Walker had a season and career-high 4 field goals at Houston • Sophomore RB Corey Taylor II had new career-highs with 152 yards and 33 carries at Houston.

[BullFan98]

Prior match ups were very close...38-30 & 27-20. 

[79 Bull]

1 hour ago, BullyPulpit said:

We just had UMASS as a warm-up game for a quiet and empty stadium. We should be prepared for the silence. 

Yes, we'll be prepared for the silence but UMass was almost unviewable on a national basis.  This is the national game on ESPN on a Friday night.  Great for us to play in that environment but not good for the conference or team's national perception.

Edited October 11, 2018 by 79 Bull

[NewEnglandBull]

1 hour ago, BullyPulpit said:

We just had UMASS as a warm-up game for a quiet and empty stadium. We should be prepared for the silence. 

It does not seem like much but that game last week does have them prepared to ignore the lack of home field fan interest 

2 minutes ago, 79 Bull said:

Yes, we'll be prepared for the silence but UMass was almost unviewable on a national basis.  This is the national game on ESPN on a Friday night.  Great for us to play in that environment but not good for the conference or team's national perception.

At this point I am more worried about how USF is playing than conference perception. Blood is thicker than water.