Houston @ South Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2013 ) South Florida 23, Houston 35

South Florida might have a new quarterback against Houston on Saturday, hoping a change might spark its offense similar to the visiting Cougars' recent resurgence. Bulls coach Willie Taggart said starter Mike White, who had four turnovers in last week's loss at Cincinnati, Steven Bench and freshman Quinton Flowers would compete during practice for the starting nod. "I'm not necessarily looking for a thrower or a runner, I'm looking for a competitor that's gonna do whatever it takes to help this football team win," Taggart said during an early-week teleconference.

The Cougars have won back-to-back games since Greg Ward Jr. replaced John O'Korn at starter. Ward has thrown for 572 yards, rushed for 148 yards and recorded four total touchdowns since moving from receiver to quarterback. Houston will greet South Florida's struggling offense with one of the nation's top defenses.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNews. LINE: Houston -8.5.

ABOUT HOUSTON (4-3, 2-1 American): The Cougars, who haven't played since beating Temple on Oct. 17, are third nationally with 23 takeaways and 10th in scoring defense (17.9 points). Houston will be without cornerback William Jackson (ejection) for the first half and Turon Walker will start in his place. Kenneth Farrow, Ryan Jackson and Ward have combined for 967 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (3-5, 2-2): White has completed 48.8 percent of his passes for 1,182 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight starts while Bench went 9-of-14 for 147 yards and two scores in relief against Cincinnati. Andre Davis, who needs 59 yards to become the first Bull with 2,000 career receiving yards, will miss the first half after getting ejected late against Cincinnati. Freshman Marlon Mack leads the AAC with 97.6 rushing yards and eight touchdowns but the Bulls ranked 106th out of 125 teams with119 rushing yards.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Houston, which has 14 interceptions this season, has forced a turnover in 30 consecutive games - the second-longest active streak behind Mississippi's 31.

2. South Florida LB Nigel Harris leads the nation with five forced fumbles while the Bulls are tied for second with 12 fumble recoveries.

3. Davis missed four games earlier this season with an injury but has returned to average six catches for 118.3 yards and 1.7 touchdowns in the past three games.

PREDICTION: Houston 26, South Florida 13