Texas Tech Football vs. USF: 5 bold predictions for Birmingham Bowl
By Zach Bigalke
2. The defense that generates more turnovers will win Birmingham Bowl
South Florida hasn’t seen quite this good a passing offense in 2017. The teams to which they lost throughout the regular season, UCF and Houston, aren’t quite as aerial-minded as the Red Raiders. It will be a matchup of a top-15 secondary against a top-15 passing offense, which should be fun for fans.
The Bulls average one and a half interceptions per game, and they could make life difficult for Nic Shimonek and the Red Raiders passing attack in the early game on the Saturday slate. Cornerbacks Deatrick Nichols and Mazzi Wilkins and safeties Devin Abraham, Jaymon Thomas, and Tajee Fullwood will have a good challenge from a Texas Tech receiving corps featuring Keke Coutee, Dylan Cantrell, and Cameron Batson.
Expect at least one pick from the Bulls. With how many passes will be thrown, South Florida could snatch two or three interceptions. But they will have a harder time keeping the ball on their end than it might initially seem. The Red Raiders defense has hardly been great at keeping teams from moving downfield and scoring points. But they have been great at generating turnovers.
The Birmingham Bowl will likely be decided on a takeaway. Whichever team manages to generate more points off turnovers is going to come away victorious. We could even see someone like Fullwood return an interception for a pick-six.