In a battle of two offenses that prefer to focus on their running attacks, Coach Philip Montgomery and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane are prepared to take on the No. 23 South Florida Bulls. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN and kickoff for this AAC game is set for 7:00 p.m. ET. When these two programs faced each other a year ago, South Florida knocked Tulsa off by a touchdown 27-20.
South Florida Bulls at Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Preview
The surprising Bulls are 2-3 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 4.5 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 2-2. The Golden Hurricane have lost 2.2 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 0-4.
The Bulls are 5-0 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against AAC opponents. The Golden Hurricane are 1-4 SU overall and 0-2 SU in conference play.
The Bulls are hoping to stay undefeated following a 58-42 victory over Massachusetts last week where their secondary allowed the Minutemen to air it out for 401 yards and five touchdowns. Andy Isabella was unmatched for the Minutemen in that one with 191 yards and a score on 13 catches. On the offense, Blake Barnett completed 17-of-24 passes for 209 yards, along with a score and a pick. Jordan Cronkrite (302 yards on 23 rush attempts, three TDs) and Johnny Ford (77 yards on nine carries, two TDs) led the ground attack while Randall St. Felix (four receptions, 55 yards) and Tyre McCants (four catches, 81 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Back on October 4, Houston knocked off this Tulsa team by a score of 41-26. The Golden Hurricane defense let the Cougars eat up the clock by rushing for 312 yards on 41 attempts, including two rush TDs. D’Eriq King had a solid outing for Houston, posting 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts. For Tulsa, Seth Boomer completed 13-of-31 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Corey Taylor II (152 rushing yards on 33 attempts, one TD) and Javon Thomas (46 yards on 15 carries) handled the running game as Keenen Johnson (five receptions, 91 yards, one TD) and Keylon Stokes (four catches, 54 yards) led the receiving corps in the loss.
South Florida has run the ball on 55.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Tulsa has a rush percentage of 64.1 percent. The Bulls have produced 212 rush yards per game and have 12 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Golden Hurricane are putting up 207 rush yards per game (204 in conference) and have nine total rushing TDs.
If 2018 results can translate to this game, then it’s looking like the Bulls should have an advantage when it comes to RB effectiveness, as their running backs has logged 5.4 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 4.5 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Golden Hurricane have recorded 3.9 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 5.1 to opponents.
The Bulls offensive scheme has tallied 275 yards/contest through the air overall and has nine passing TDs so far. The Golden Hurricane have recorded 191 pass yards per game (211.0 against AAC foes) and have five total pass scores.
Defensively, South Florida has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 213 yards and pass for 210 yards per game. The Tulsa D has given up 173.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 207.4 yards per game on the ground. The Bulls are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.50 to opponents, while the Golden Hurricane have allowed a 5.54 ANY/A.
Offensively, Barnett is up to 1,132 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 85-of-129 attempts with eight scores through the air and four interceptions. He has a 7.98 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.52 over the last two outings.
The Bulls have tried to maintain tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Tyre McCants (288 yards, two TDs) has been a recent factor in the receiving game, but backfield mates Jordan Cronkrite (477 rush yards, four rush TDs) and Johnny Ford (120 rush yards, two rush TDs, zero receiving yards) have brought significant production to the offensive gameplans for South Florida.
Seth Boomer has completed 13-of-31 passes for 227 yards, one TD and one INT for Tulsa. His ANY/A stands at a less-than-spectacular 5.00 for the season.
The Golden Hurricane should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Corey Taylor II (two receiving yards), Justin Hobbs (178 receiving yards and one receiving TD) and Keenen Johnson (250 receiving yards and two TDs) have seen a multitude of touches recently.
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SU Winner – South Florida
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Notes
Betting Trends
The South Florida D has sacked opposing QBs 16 times this season. Tulsa has produced just four sacks.
Tulsa has lost nine fumbles in 2018 while the South Florida offense has lost two.
The Bulls offense has registered six pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Golden Hurricane have put up two such plays.
The South Florida defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Tulsa has given up three such plays.
The South Florida offense has created nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Tulsa has created 11 such runs.
The Bulls defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Golden Hurricane have given up nine such runs.
The Over/Under for Tulsa’s last outing going into it was 71.5. The under cashed in the 41-26 loss to Houston.
Over its last three matches, Tulsa is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
In its last three contests, South Florida is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for South Florida’s last game was set at 72.5. The over cashed in the team’s 58-42 victory over Massachusetts.
As a team, South Florida has rushed for 5.9 yards per attempt across its past three contests and 6.6 over its last two.
Tulsa has averaged 3.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.3 over its past two.
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