GAME PREVIEW: Tulsa vs. USF

Friday, October 12

H.A. Chapman Stadium

6:00 PM

Tulsa

South Florida

Tickets

Photo by: Brett Rojo

GAME PREVIEW: Tulsa vs. USF

10/12/2018 6:30:00 AM | Football

Friday Night's Home Game Against No. 23-Ranked South Florida is a Black-Out; Fans are Encouraged to Wear Black

GAME 6: TULSA (1-4, 0-2 American) vs. #23 USF (5-0, 1-0 American)
Date/Time:	Friday, October 12, 6:01 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium:	Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 4th year #23 USF – Charlie Strong (Central Arkansas '82), 2nd year
TV:	ESPN
Talent:	Clay Matvick (pxp), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
Tickets:	To purchase tickets, click here
Gameday Guide:	For gameday guide, click here
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	USF leads 2-0
First Meeting:	USF 38, Tulsa 30 (Oct. 18, 2014), Tulsa, Okla.
Last Meeting:	#23 USF 27, Tulsa 20 (Nov. 16, 2017), Tampa, Fla.
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| USF \| American Athletic Conference

TULSA, Okla.–– It will be no easy task for Tulsa as the Golden Hurricane will look to get its first American Athletic Conference victory Friday night against the nation's 23^rd-ranked South Florida Bulls.

Tulsa, 1-4 and 0-2 in the American, is coming off of a tough road loss at Houston last Thursday, while USF (5-0, 1-0 AAC) was on the winning end of a high-scoring 58-42 road game at UMass on Saturday.

The ESPN-televised game is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT) from Tulsa's H.A. Chapman Stadium on what is billed as a Black-Out Game for the Hurricane. All TU fans are encouraged to wear black to the game.

Three of the American Athletic Conference's top-7 ball carriers will be on display Friday night as USF has the league's second-leading rusher, while Tulsa's Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II rank 6-7 in the league for rushing yards per game.

USF's Jordan Cronkrite, a Florida transfer, shattered the American Athletic Conference and school records last week for single-game rushing with 302 yards, including 183 yards on just three carries. Cronkite came into the game with 304 yards on the season, and now averages 151.5 yards per game.

Cronkite runs behind a senior-less starting offensive front that averages 6-feet, 4-inches tall and tips the scales at 309 pounds.

The USF run game is not the only strength of the Bulls offense, as quarterback Blake Barnett has completed 65-percent of his passes for 1,313 yards and nine touchdowns in the first five games. Barnett has hit four different receivers for over 200 yards each, led by Randall St. Felix with 351 yards, while Darnell Salomon averages 22.2 yards and a team-high four TDs on his 13 receptions and Tyre McCants leads USF with 26 receptions going for 300 yards.

Tulsa counters on defense with a front line that features two 300+ pounders on the interior with junior Shemarr Robinson and sophomore Tyarise Stevenson. The lone senior upfront is Myles Mouton at one end spot and junior Trevis Gipson mans the other defensive end position for the Hurricane.

Stevenson has started 4 of 5 games this year whether anchoring Tulsa's 3-man or 4-man fronts. Gipson and Robinson have tallied 20 tackles each to lead the front four.

Linebackers Cooper Edmiston at MIKE, Zaven Collins at WILL and Diamon Cannon at the STAR position have been active for the Hurricane this season Edmiston leads the Hurricane with 42 tackles and 3 interceptions. The starting linebacker corps have combined for 8 TFLs for -31 yards through the first five games.

The secondary is led by senior safety McKinley Whitfield, who has 30 tackles and four pass breakups on the season. Manny Bunch with 26 tackles and TieNeal Martin with 20 stops, also patrol the backend for the Hurricane.

Tulsa uses Reggie Robinson and Keanu Hill as well as true sophomores Allie Green and Akayleb Evans interchangeably at the cornerback slots. Robinson has started 19 career games, but made his first start last week after missing most of the preseason with an injury.

Hill, Evans and Green have each started three games this year. The foursome have combined for 48 tackles and 8 pass break-ups.

USF has been vulnerable in the run game, ranking 113^thnationally, but is ranked among the top-50 for pass defense

The linebacker duo of Khalid McGee and Nico Sawtelle has combined for 80 tackles and 8.5 TFLs to lead an active USF defense. The four-man front for the Bulls is led by ends Kirk Livingstone with 23 tackles and five TFLs for -17 yards and Josh Black with 18 tackles and a team-best four sacks for -19 yards.

Senior Ronnie Hoggins leads the secondary from his nickel position, totaling 33 tackles, while cornerbacks Mike Hampton and Mazzi Wilkins have combined for 12 pass breakups.

On offense, Tulsa has been able to run the ball for an average of 206.8 yards per game, but turnovers have stifled the Hurricane offense.

Red-shirt freshman Seth Boomer will lead the Hurricane offense from the quarterback position. In his first collegiate appearance a week ago, Boomer made the start and directed his first possession for a touchdown. He completed 13 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown. His performance was the second-most yards ever for a Tulsa freshman making their collegiate debut.

Upfront for the Hurricane, three seniors lead the way having started a combined 113 games. All-conference center Chandler Miller has started all 43 games since starting his first game of his red-shirt freshman season, while tackle Willie Wright has started 40 games and guard Tyler Bowling has started 30 consecutive contests. Junior Chris Ivy holds down the left tackle spot, while Waahid Muhammad, who also has returned from injury, will see playing time there as well. Two 300-pounders, Tiller Bucktrot and Chris Paul, have shared time at right guard this season.

The Tulsa run game is led by a pair of sophomores –– Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II. Brooks has rushed for 375 yards and four touchdowns in four games, while Taylor has tallied a team-leading 411 yards for a 4.5 average and four TDs in five games. Brooks missed last week's game with an injury, while Taylor took over the rushing load and had career highs of 152 yards and 33 carries against Houston.

Senior Justin Hobbs, who came into the season with over 2,000 career yards, leads the receiving corps. Hobbs has totaled 19 catches for 256 yards and one touchdown, while junior Keenen Johnson has a team-high 271 yards on 18 receptions, along with two touchdowns. Inside receivers Keylon Stokes and Jarion Anderson have combined for 34 receptions and 342 yards in the first 5 games.

50852 — #71 Chris Paul and #74 Chandler Miller

The tight end position features senior Chris Minter, who missed the first two games with an injury, and fellow senior Cole Neph. A main force in Tulsa's run game offense, Minter has also totaled four TDs on 10 career receptions, while Neph has caught five passes this year for 50 yards and two touchdowns.