Photo by: Romeo T Guzman for Tulsa Athletics
TULSA FOOTBALL NOTES: USF GAME
10/19/2020 8:00:00 AM | Football
Tulsa Plays at USF Friday Night on ESPN
GAME #3
TULSA (1-1, 1-0 AAC) vs. USF (1-4, 0-3 AAC)
Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 • 6:30 p.m. (CT) / 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Raymond James Stadium (65,857), Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
FOR FULL GAME NOTES PACKAGE, CLICK HERE
TULSA 1-1, 1-0 The American
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery
(Tarleton State '95)
6th year at Tulsa
Career Record: 26-38 (6 years)
TU Record: same
USF 1-4, 0-3 The American
Head Coach: Jeff Scott
(Clemson '03)
1st year at USF
Career Record: 1-4 (1 year
USF Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• Tulsa is in its 121st season of football.
• This is only Tulsa's third game in the last 6 weeks … Tulsa opened the season on Sept. 19, then had a cancellation before an Oct. 3 game, and then has been idle the past 2 weeks … this contest is USF's 6th in the last 7 weeks and its fourth straight week with a game.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,269 undergraduate students … Tulsa's overall enrollment is 4,380, while USF's enrollment is 50,577.
• Tulsa has had 4 of its first 6 games cancelled or postponed … 3 of those were non-conference contests this year, including Toledo (Sept. 5), Northwestern State (Sept. 19) and Arkansas State (Sept. 26).
• Tulsa's home game against Cincinnati scheduled for Oct. 17 has been postponed until Dec. 5, due to COVID-19 cases at Cincinnati.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the 4th meeting between Tulsa and USF.
• USF leads the series 3-0, including a 2-0 record in Tulsa.
• The first game came in 2014 as USF claimed a 38-30 win in Tulsa.
• The Bulls were ranked in each of the last two meetings … #23 USF won 27-20 in 2017 and #23 USF won 25-24 in 2018.
• The Bulls have a 5.3-win margin in the 3 games … USF has averaged 30.0 points and Tulsa 24.7 in the previous 3 contests.
TAKING DOWN A TOP-15 TEAM . . .
• Tulsa's 34-26 win over #11 UCF was the first for the Hurricane against a ranked opponent since handing #24 Hawaii a 62-35 loss in the 2010 Hawaii Bowl.
• It was the first win over a top-15 opponent since Tulsa defeated No. 15 Texas A&M 35-34 in Sept. 1991.
• Before that, it was 1971 that Tulsa defeated a higher ranked team with a 21-20 win over #7 Arkansas.
• The win also snapped a 21-game home winning streak for the Knights … the last team to defeat UCF on its home field was the 2016 Tulsa team on Nov. 19, 2016 by a score of 35-20.
FWAA NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK . . .
• For its 34-26 win at #11-ranked UCF, Tulsa was named the FWAA/Reveal Suits National Team of the Week.
• Trailing 16-0 and 23-5, Tulsa came back from that 18-point deficit and outscored the UCF Knights 29-3 over the final 30:53 of the game.
• Tulsa scored on a 48-yard pass play at the 0:53 of the 2nd quarter, going 88 yards in 4 plays and taking 0:41 off the clock.
• The Hurricane added a 34-yard TD toss in the first 0:11 of the 3rd quarter on a one-play 34-yard drive in just 0:06.
• Tulsa took its first lead, 31-26, at the 12:56 mark of the 4th period, capping a 5-play, 61-yard drive … Zack Long's 34-yard field goal with 1:30 remaining in the game gave Tulsa it's 8-point lead.
COMEBACKS . . .
• Tulsa's 18-point comeback win over UCF is the 13th come-from-behind win for the Hurricane under Coach Montgomery since his arrival in 2015.
• The 18 points is the second largest comeback in that time span, behind overcoming a 31-0 deficit against Fresno State in 2016 for a 48-41 win.
• Tulsa had two comeback wins last year, including an 11-point comeback against UCF.
AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS . . .
• Tulsa leads the nation in tackles for lost yards with a 12.0 average per game, totaling 24 TFLs for -79 yards.
• Junior linebacker Zaven Collins ranks second nationally for TFLs with 7.5 for -35 yards for a 3.8 average per game … Collins is also second for QB sacks with 3 for -16 yards.
• Tulsa also ranks ninth nationally for sacks per game with 7 for -27 yards, an average of 3.5 sacks per game.
• Tulsa is ranked seventh for first downs defense (21.0 pg), 10th for team pass efficiency defense (114.1), 19th for scoring defense (21.0 ppg) and 20th for fumbles recovered (3).
• The Hurricane is also ranked 28th for total defense (372.0 ypg) and 29th for rushing defense (138.0 ypg).
DEFENSE STEPS UP . . .
• In Tulsa's first two games, the Hurricane defense has had strong performances – holding the opposition to 21.0 points, 138.0 rushing yards and 372.0 total yards per game, while forcing 5 turnovers, totaling 24 TFLs for -79 yards and 10 pass break-ups.
• In the season opener, Tulsa faced one of the nation's top returning offenses with the nation's leading returning rusher Chuba Hubbard … OSU averaged 453.9 yards last year and returned all of its skill position players in 2020.
• Tulsa limited the OSU offense to 289 yards, including 151 on the ground and 138 passing yards.
• The Hurricane had 14 TFLs for -56 yards and 6 sacks for -24 yards, while also forcing one fumble and intercepting one pass.
• In the next game, Tulsa faced UCF's nation-leading offense that came into the game averaging 50.0 points, 646.0 total yards and 233.5 rushing yards.
• Tulsa held UCF to 24 points, 191 total yards and 108.5 rushing yards less than their season average.
TOUGH LEAGUE . . .
• Since Tulsa joined the American Athletic Conference in 2014, Tulsa has faced 10 league teams nationally ranked in seven years (1-10).
• Previously, in nine years as a member of Conference USA, Tulsa faced just two ranked teams (0-2).
• Before that, Tulsa faced five Western Athletic Conference foes while in that league for nine seasons (1-4).
• Since the 2018 season, Tulsa has lost to four ranked AAC teams by a total of 19 points (4.7 ppg), while defeating one (UCF) by eight points. … two of those losses were by one point –– #23 USF in 2018 on a FG with :02 on the clock, and #25 Memphis in 2019 when Tulsa missed a 29-yard FG in the final :02.
• The other two losses were a 6-point OT loss at #24 SMU in 2019 and an 11-point loss at #21 Cincinnati last year.
Players Mentioned
Linebacker
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