Tulsa @ South Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 18, 2014 ) South Florida 38, Tulsa 30

South Florida must avoid looking ahead to a huge Black Friday showdown when they host struggling Tulsa on Thursday night in an American Athletic Conference contest. The No. 20 Bulls rebounded from their first loss with a 37-20 victory at Connecticut on Nov. 4 and face unbeaten rival Central Florida on Nov. 24 in a matchup that would decide who goes to the AAC Championship Game from the East Division if Tulsa does not pull another upset.

“I told them it's a single-game elimination now,” USF’s Charlie Strong, who will coach his 100th college game (61-38), told reporters after the Bulls enjoyed a week off. “Each game is a championship game. We just have to be prepared to go and play.” South Florida senior quarterback Quinton Flowers registered a school-record 516 yards of total offense last time out against UConn and needs one rushing touchdown to become the sixth FBS player with 60 passing TDs and 40 on the ground in a career. While Tulsa has dropped seven of eight games, the Golden Hurricane’s only victory in that stretch was a rout of Houston - the team that ended South Florida’s school-record 12-game win streak. Tulsa has been off since Nov. 3 when it lost to Memphis 41-14 and will lean on senior running back D’Angelo Brewer, who needs 153 yards to become the school’s all-time leading rusher.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: USF -22

ABOUT TULSA (2-8, 1-5 AAC): Brewer, who has rushed for 1,099 yards and eight TDs this season, should get most of the carries Thursday with his freshman backup Shamari Brooks (687 yards) out for the season with a broken collarbone. Freshman quarterback Luke Skipper has started the last five games while completing 56 percent of his passes with three scoring strikes to go along with four interceptions and coach Philip Montgomery told reporters “he is growing.” Skipper’s top target is junior wide receiver Justin Hobbs (46 catches, 743 yards), who has averaged 98 yards receiving the last three contests.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (8-1, 5-1): Flowers (15 TD passes, four interceptions) threw for 385 yards while rushing for another 131 against UConn and needs 357 to pass Matt Grothe (10,875) for the school record in total offense. “I just don’t think he gets all the credit that he deserves,” Strong told reporters after the win at Connecticut. “. … It’s kind of like it gets hidden because everyone expects that from him all the time.” Seniors Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson have combined for 1,531 rushing yards and senior receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling boasts 338 of his team-best 720 receiving yards in the last two games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. South Florida LB Auggie Sanchez has recorded 364 career tackles and needs four to pass Kawika Mitchell for the school record.

2. Brewer has rushed for 3,499 yards in his career and needs 111 to pass former USF star Marlon Mack as the AAC’s all-time rusher.

3. The Bulls, who are second in the nation with 17 interceptions this season, won the only other meeting in 2014 at Tulsa 38-30.

PREDICTION: South Florida 48, Tulsa 17