Healthier Bulls return After Open Week
USF (1-4; 0-1 American) vs Tulsa (2-4; 1-1 American)
Saturday, Oct. 16 • 12:00 P.M. • Tampa, Fla. • Raymond James Stadium (65,857)
SURFACE: Tifway Bermuda
TV: ESPNU: Mike Couzens (p-by-p) & Dustin Fox (analyst)Â
RADIO: 95.3 FM/620 AM WDAE
AUDIO STREAM: iHeartRadio - Bulls Unlimited1
SERIES: USF leads, 3-1
IN TAMPA: Tied, 1-1
IN TULSA: USF leads, 2-0
LAST: Tulsa won, 42-13, in Tampa in 2020
ON ESPNU: 27-14
GAME NOTES
By Joey Johnston
The open week for USF football came at a perfect time, almost perfectly dividing the season into a first half and a second half, while giving the Bulls time to rest, rehabilitate and prepare for Saturday afternoon's game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Raymond James Stadium (ESPNU, noon).
But as Bulls coach Jeff Scott said, "It's an open week, not an off week.''
Beyond the preparation for Tulsa, USF coaches sliced and diced every aspect of the season's first five games, evaluating the good and the bad, adding some wrinkles, throwing out some ineffective strategies and making sure they have the right players in the right places.
"One quality good coaches should have is enough flexibility to adjust in your schemes and not keep doing the same thing over and over (when it's not working),'' Scott said.
Here's how the open week could benefit the Bulls (1-4, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) against Tulsa (2-4, 1-1).
USF is healthier — The Bulls expect to welcome back cornerbacks T.J. Robinson and Jalen Herring from injuries, while cornerback Christian Williams probably needs at least another week before returning. That's good news for a beleaguered, short-handed secondary.
"We'll see,'' USF defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said. "We'll go with the best guys and wait and see how healthy they are. You like for them to practice. Tulsa has some wideouts who have got some juice and you can't simulate that with the scout team.
"We've got to get a feel for the game and see what guys can go out there and accomplish things for us.''
A beefed-up running game — Darrian Felix, who began the season as the first-string running back but did not play at BYU or SMU, is expected to return and give the Bulls a do-it-all option.
Jaren Mangham has more than picked up the slack in Felix's absence. He had a 26-carry, 86-yard effort at BYU and now has nine rushing touchdowns to rank fourth nationally. There are also scat-back options with Brian Battie and Kelley Joiner.
"Each of those backs has their own role,'' said USF offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. "Flex (Felix) is our most (effective) do-it-all back — he can protect (block), run routes, run inside and outside and we can insert him in a bunch of different spots. Coach (Cam) Aiken does a great job of rolling those guys in, knowing what those guys do best. Then it's a matter of getting that feel for the game and feeding the hot guy.''
Quarterback study — USF's offense received a needed jolt when true freshman Timmy McClain became the starting quarterback. He was terrific at BYU, particularly in the second half, when he helped the Bulls to a near-upset, pulling within 35-27 of the Cougars.
But at SMU — as is the case for many young players — he didn't display the same consistency. He missed on at least three passes that could have resulted in touchdowns or long gains. It could have made things different in what became a 41-17 victory for SMU.
"Timmy was maybe a little bit more calm for whatever reason at BYU and he really got in the zone,'' Weis said. "Against SMU, he missed a couple of throws that were uncharacteristic.
"I've got to do a better job of getting him ready to play. He had a great mindset this week in preparation. I certainly expect him to perform to a high standard (against Tulsa).''
Weis said McClain's missed throws at SMU were due to poor fundamentals, such as not getting his feet set and throwing off his body on the run. Those flaws were pointed out and corrected. The open week should be extra beneficial for McClain, a cerebral player who relishes film study and preparation.
Defensive options — USF's defense has been under constant pressure all season, allowing an average of 495.4 yards per game. Injuries and lack of depth were factors, but Spencer said all schemes and tendencies were studied to seek an edge.
Part of USF's defensive improvement involves offensive efficiency. If the Bulls can mount time-consuming drives and keep their defense off the field, the game will shrink and the results could improve. That was the method utilized at BYU.
"When you do the self-scout, you look at everything and you fix some things we just can't do personnel-wise,'' Spencer said. "There are things you do better. Some things you say, 'All right, we've got to toss this out for now. Right now, it's not the right thing for us.' ''
One of the biggest lessons learned so far for the Bulls?
"You can never have enough defensive players,'' Scott said. "We can't do anything about it at the moment, not until the offseason. But in the front seven, we might be recruiting our (entire) first and second teams.
"You never know. You bring in some new players and two of them tear their ACLs within the first month. You need more depth than you think you do. That will be addressed in the offseason. We're doing what we think is best right now to give us the best chance to win.''
