USF (5-5, 3-3 in The American) vs. TULSA (3-7, 1-5)
KICKOFF: 3:30 p.m. November 23, Raymond James Stadium
TV: ESPN+: Jason Ross Jr. (play by play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
AUDIO: 102.5 HD2 The Strike & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
Tulsa wasn’t expected to be very good this season, and the Golden Hurricane proved that the prognosticators sometimes know what they’re talking about.
They were picked to finish 12th in the 14-team American Athletic Conference and are tied for 12th with UAB. Ominously for second-year coach Kevin Wilson, the two teams his team was picked ahead of – Charlotte and Temple – have already fired their coaches.
I’m sure Wilson has taken note of that, especially since speculation about his job security has been an open topic lately. One of two things happens when the vultures begin to circle: teams throw in the towel or adopt a “save coach’s job” attitude and bust their tails.
Tulsa comes in with five losses in its last six games.
Here are three things the Bulls need to do to extend Tulsa’s misery.
Get the passing game in gear: Much was made of USF’s school-record 425-yard output on the ground last week at Charlotte, but the 49ers have one of the worst run defenses in the country.
Tulsa is made of sterner stuff in that unit.
The Golden Hurricane rank 70th in the country and surrender 149 yards a game. USF’s Kelley Joiner nearly matched that total by himself last week, rushing for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Tulsa will undoubtedly concentrate on stopping Joiner and controlling USF’s ground game, so the Bulls may have to pass to open up the running game. Bryce Archie is expected to start again at quarterback, although head coach Alex Golesh didn’t rule out an appearance by Byrum Brown.
Archie was ineffective through the air at Charlotte, but it didn’t matter. It might matter this week.
Start faster: The Bulls have been a notoriously slow starting team this season. They have trailed in the first quarter of their last eight games, which is mind-blowing.
While they have been a strong second-half team for the most part, Golesh said getting a fast start this week is a priority.
He’s right. If the Bulls can jump on Tulsa early, they should have an enjoyable Senior Day game. They probably will have that anyway, but why take chances?
Let the big guys do their thing: Group of five programs often struggle to assemble effective offensive and defensive lines. One of the reasons the running game has clicked so well is that the Bulls’ offensive line gets better every week.
It’s a remarkable transformation, considering the line was a chief concern last year. When Golesh arrived in 2023, USF had only six scholarship offensive linemen on the roster. Quarterback Byrum Brown took a beating last year because of that, and upgrading the line was a high priority.
It worked.
USF has improved to the nation’s 33rd-ranked rushing offense at 187 yards per game.
You know that stat we mentioned about using the pass to loosen up Tulsa’s run defense? That still should be part of the plan, but the Bulls now have an offensive identity as a power-running team.
The big guys made that possible.