USF (1-9; 0-6 American) at TULSA (3-7; 1-5 American)
Saturday, Nov. 18 • 9:00 P.M. • H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000) • Tulsa, Okla.
SURFACE: Field Turf
TV: ESPN2: Roy Philpott (PXP), Andre Ware (Analyst) & Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
RADIO: 102.5 FM/102.5 HD 2
AUDIO STREAM: TuneIn - Bulls Unlimited 1
SERIES: USF leads, 3-2; STREAK: Tulsa last 2
IN TAMPA: Tulsa leads, 2-1
IN TULSA: USF leads, 2-0
LAST YEAR: Tulsa won, 32-31, in Tampa
ROAD GAMES: USF lost last 17
AAC GAMES: USF lost last 11
USF GAME NOTES (PDF)
TULSA, Okla. — Friday night's forecast: Brrrrr!
If the predictions are accurate, when the USF Bulls (1-9, 0-6 AAC) kick off the ESPN2 national telecast against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-7, 1-5 AAC), temperatures will be in the 20s and it may well be the coldest game in the program's 26-season history.
It has been below freezing in two USF games — 28-degree kickoff temperature in a 35-23 defeat at Cincinnati in 2018 and 29 degrees in a 13-7 defeat at West Virginia in 2008.
The weather could mean everything.
Or nothing at all.
Obviously, it's a different look for a Florida-based team mostly accustomed to suffocating humidity, but it's also a mind over matter proposition.
There's the enduring memory of USF linebacker DeDe Lattimore doing his warmups shirtless at Rutgers (kickoff temperature: 33 degrees) at Rutgers in the 2013 finale.
"It depends on your mindset,'' said true freshman quarterback Byrum Brown, who gets his first start in relief of injured Katravis Marsh (who was starting for the injured Gerry Bohanon). "If all you can think about is, 'Man, it's cold,' then you'll probably feel the cold. If you're thinking about competing and playing football, you'll play ball. We need the mindset that we're going to Tulsa to win a game, whatever the conditions.''
USF interim head coach Daniel Da Prato, who was once an assistant at Montana State and endured games with temperatures as low as -10, has downplayed talk of the Tulsa weather.
"We don't worry about things we can't control and whatever Mother Nature does, Mother Nature is going to do,'' Da Prato said. "I brought it up to the team. I talked about what it (temperature) could be — one time — and told them we'll have whatever they need to wear on the sidelines.
"We're going to be out there for three hours. They (Tulsa) have to live in it every day. We're going to be out there for three hours to win a football game. We'll have the stuff for them to wear. We talked about it one time. Go out there and play ball. That's the end of that.''
Bulls running back Brian Battie, a Sarasota native, conceded he'd be looking for sideline heaters when he's not in the game.
"We have a lot of Florida guys on our team,'' Battie said. "We're not really used to the cold like that. I've never been in a temperature that low before — period. Never seen snow. But we're all willing to accept the challenge. I just have to concentrate on gripping the ball well. You've always got to be conscious of your ball security.''
Bulls linebacker D.J. Gordon, a Plant City native, transferred to USF after three seasons at the University of Minnesota.
"When it's cold in Florida, you know it's probably a temporary thing,'' Gordon said. "Up north, it's like that every day … for months. You just have to be tough and push through it.
"The biggest thing is going to be your mindset. It better be a strong mindset. In the NFL, if you want to play at the highest level, you know you're going to play in all kinds of weather. So, it's about having a strong mindset, a strong will, and not letting it affect you. Everybody knows it's going to be cold out there. You just have to do your thing and play the game you love.''
Trivia Time
When USF won its coldest game, the temperature was 35 degrees at kickoff. Who was the opponent? (Answer below).
Brown To Get First Start
When USF began its fall camp, true freshman Byrum Brown was the fourth-string quarterback. He was 17 years old. His college football future seemed well in the distance.
With Katravis Marsh now out for the season with a neck injury, Brown has been elevated to starter for Friday night's game as the Bulls (1-9, 0-6 American Athletic Conference) travel to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-7, 1-5). Two months after his 18th birthday, Brown will make his first collegiate start on an ESPN2 stand-alone national telecast.
By all accounts, the occasion won't overwhelm Brown.
"It's always next man up, but this particular man, Byrum Brown, is going to be ready,'' USF offensive coordinator Travis Trickett said. "From the moment he stepped foot on this campus, he has been preparing himself to play. Now he has an opportunity and he's going to be ready.''
Brown, a 6-foot-3, 206-pound product of Rolesville High School (just outside of Raleigh, N.C.), has impressed USF coaches with his hard-working approach and leadership skills after enrolling early and participating in spring football. As a three-star recruit, he was one of three finalists for North Carolina's Mr. Football Award as a senior, when he passed for 3,703 yards, 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
"He has been a leader since he got here,'' USF interim head coach Daniel Da Prato said. "He does things the way you want them done. He steps up, takes charge, puts his best foot forward, always.
"He has the arm, the physical skills, the athleticism and the mentality to be really successful. I'm excited to see him take advantage of his chance.''
Brown was thrust into the lineup when Marsh went down last Saturday against SMU. He went 2-for-3 passing for 24 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown to tight end Jayson Littlejohn.
"I'm excited for this opportunity, but it really hasn't set in yet,'' Brown said. "It probably won't set in until I'm actually there, warming up on the field. At that point, it's all about my preparation and I'm confident in that. It goes back to spring ball, fall camp and everything else. I've been trying to work and prepare the whole time. My coaches and teammates believe in me. I've been taught the right way. At that point, it's all about getting it to the playmakers. I can make plays on me feet if I have to, but my main focus is getting into the hands of our really talented guys and letting them do their thing.''
When fall camp was under way, Gerry Bohanon was selected as USF's starting quarterback over incumbent Timmy McClain, who immediately transferred to UCF. Bohanon suffered a season-ending shoulder injury Oct. 15 against Tulane and Marsh started the next three games.
Now it's Brown's turn — with redshirt freshman Ryan Bolduc, from Sarasota Cardinal Mooney High School, serving as the backup.
"Quarterback is a natural leadership position,'' Da Prato said. "You're the one speaking in the huddle and the locker room. The one thing about great leaders is they lead all the time. From the moment Byrum got here, he was doing that. And people noticed. People saw that. So that has done nothing but instill confidence in everyone around Byrum. The way he carries himself is only going to help him in this situation.
"Byrum has been preparing to play the game and he has prepared the right way. Now it's an opportunity for him to show how his preparation from the moment he got here until now can help us win a football game on Friday night.''
USF freshman quarterback making his first start on the road?
It has happened before — in unforgettable fashion. In 2009, after an injury to four-year starter Matt Grothe, freshman B.J. Daniels led the Bulls to a 17-7 upset against the No. 18-ranked Florida State Seminoles in his hometown of Tallahassee.
"I would just tell Byrum to relax, have fun and enjoy this opportunity,'' said Daniels, now the assistant director of development for the Bulls Club, who was part of USF's coaching staff when Brown was recruited. "You're playing the game you've been playing since you were a kid. Just let your skills and talents come out.
"I think USF is a program built for freshman quarterbacks. Look at Marquel Blackwell, Matt Grothe, Quinton Flowers, myself. We all got a shot to play right away and for the most part, we did pretty well. I'm impressed with Byrum Brown's skills and his composure. He's a real talent and he has everyone's backing, several guys he can lean on.''
One of them is Bohanon, who aspires to become a coach. Bohanon and Brown have been inseparable in recent weeks. Bohanon has been passing along advice and tips. Brown has essentially been hanging on every word.
"Byrum is like a sponge,'' Trickett said. "He really wants to do well. He's a phenomenal kid who brightens up every room he walks into. The kids love him. He always has great energy and work ethic.
"I want to make sure he stays relaxed because he is very analytical. He wants to please. Pressure can burst pipes. But it can also make diamonds. That's the way he's approaching it. He's young, with a great future ahead of him, and you know he's going about this the right way.''
Brown said he believes his upbringing has successfully molded him for challenges. He was raised to respect everyone and adjust to difficult circumstances.
"I have bad days just like anybody else, but the key is to limit it to just a section of the day, not your whole day,'' Brown said. "It's up to you to determine whether or not it's a bad day overall. It's about having the right attitude and never giving up.
"Katravis Marsh taught me that. He has been encouraging me all season. GB (Bohanon) is working with me every day. He tells me I have this opportunity and now it's time to take advantage of it. I will be the guy out there playing, but I feel like I have the quarterback room and my whole team behind me. I feel like I'm ready for this moment.''
Looking Ahead
USF will play host to the UCF Knights (8-2, 5-1 AAC) on Saturday, Nov. 26 in the final "War On I-4'' rivalry game (at least for a while) because UCF is scheduled to join the Big 12 Conference next season.
If it defeats Navy (3-7, 3-4 AAC) on Saturday, the Knights will be playing for the AAC championship and a likely spot in a New Year's Six bowl game. The Knights are paced by quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, who leads UCF in passing (2,015 yards) and rushing (708 yards, nine touchdowns), along with running back Isaiah Bowser (557 yards, 13 touchdowns).
UCF leads the series 7-6 with five straight victories. USF's last win against UCF was 48-31 on Nov. 6, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium.
Trivia Answer
USF won 48-37 at Pittsburgh on Nov. 24, 2007. Kickoff temperature was 35 degrees. (For further point of reference, the Bulls are 1-6 all-time when kickoff temperatures are 40 degrees or colder).
