USF Football: Blake Barnett looks to stay hot against Tulsa

USF football puts their undefeated record on the line in Week 7 when they take to the road to face Tulsa. Here’s how to watch the AAC showdown on Friday night.

USF enters Week 7 as one of three teams in the American Athletic Conference still sporting an unbeaten record midway through the season. The Bulls, further, are one of just 11 teams left in the FBS without a loss on their record.

Blake Barnett has helped everyone cope with the loss of dynamic quarterback Quinton Flowers. Barnett has averaged more than 260 passing yards per game as the Bulls started unbeaten. The offense gets plenty of help from a stout defense, especially a front seven that ranks in the top 15 nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss.

Tulsa, on the other hand, currently sits 1-4 in the standings after their losing streak was extended to four games in last week’s loss to Houston. The Golden Hurricane are averaging one fewer touchdown scored than allowed per game, and they give up more than three turnovers each time they take the field.

Add it all up, and it looks on paper like a mismatch. But conference games are always a tricky endeavor, and Tulsa will be keen on regaining some momentum in the AAC race. Can the Golden Hurricane surprise the country and knock off the No. 23 team in the country? Here’s how you can watch the Friday night game between USF and Tulsa:

Date: Friday, Oct. 12
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Venue: Chapman Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Tulsa, first and foremost, has to avoid turning the ball over. The Golden Hurricane, as one of the most penalized teams in the country, also need to reduce the number of yellow flags they incur over the course of the game. It will be an uphill slog to win even if they do limit their mistakes, but Tulsa will have no chance at pulling off the upset if they keep shooting themselves in the foot.

On the road, USF needs to get Tulsa off the field early and often when the Bulls are playing defense. South Florida ranks outside the top 100 nationally in rushing defense, while Tulsa ranks 37th in the country in rushing offense. This is the one positional battle where the Bulls do not have a decided advantage, and it is the one place that USF needs to make sure they are not beat.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: USF -7
Over/Under: 61.5

Prediction

South Florida has hardly looked like a world-beater for much of the season, even though they do have two Power Five takedowns on their unblemished record. Charlie Strong’s team will get to the midpoint of their season still perfect in the standings, though they will struggle for a while before pulling away to beat the spread and take the total points over the betting line.

Final Score: South Florida 41, Tulsa 28