Preview: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. #23 / 24 USF Bulls
Who: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. #23 / 24 USF Bulls
What: Birmingham Bowl
When: Saturday, December 23rd, 2017
Where: Legion Field, Birmingham Alabama
Why: Postseason Bowl Game
The bowl game season has been much criticized and scrutinized for having little to no meaning. This year, in a rare occasion, the Birmingham Bowl will feature it’s 2016 champion, returning to defend their title. The #23 / 24 University of South Florida Bulls have been named the home team, hosting the Texas Tech Red Raiders on historic Legion Field.
USF finished the 2016 season with a program record 11-1 record. This year’s team features an extra blemish in the loss column, handed to them by the American Athletic Conference champions, UCF, in the de-facto East division title game. In a season shortened by Hurricane Irma, the 2017 Bulls come to Birmingham with a 9-2 record and a group of seniors hungry to go out with a bang. This is the second straight season that USF has finished in the top 25 of the two major polls. They have been ranked every week in over a year, with one exception, dropping out of the AP Poll for a week after losing to Houston.
Texas Tech is 6-6 and barely bowl eligible, needing a win in their final game of the season against Texas to get to six wins. The Red Raiders finished their Big 12 conference run with a 3-6 record.
USF Offense
USF has the 14th best scoring offense in the nation, averaging more than 38 points per game. They’re led by senior quarterback, Quinton Flowers, who has broken a bunch of records at USF in his four year career. In his last outing against #10 / 12 UCF, Flowers finished with 503 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. On the ground, he rushed for 102 more yards and another score.
The strength of the Bulls’ offense has been the running game, which ranks 8th in the country. Flowers is the top rusher for USF, averaging more than 88 yards per game with ten touchdowns this season. Running backs, Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson, split carries out of the backfield, averaging nearly 80 and 68 yards per game, respectively. As a team, USF has rushed for nearly 3,000 yards.
The Bulls have the 54th best passing offense in the country, averaging 243 yards per game. Flowers has passed for 2,600 yards, 746 of which went to his favorite target, receiver, Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Texas Tech Defense
The Red Raiders rank 94th in scoring defense, allowing more than 31 points per game. They’re 53rd against the run and 124th against the pass. Allowing a total of 434 yards per game, their defense is 99th in the nation.
Defensive back, Justus Parker, leads the team with four interceptions, tying him for fourth, nationally. Defensive linemen, Eli Howard an Tony Jones have 5.5 and 4 sacks, respectively, accounting for half of the team’s total. With 93 total tackles, linebacker, Dakota Allen, leads the team in the category. Defensive back, Jah’Shawn Johnson has 89 tackles and Jordyn Brooks has 85, rounding out the top three. Despite their low team rankings on defense, they are 11th in turnover margin (tie), gaining 274 while losing just 16.
Texas Tech Offense
The other side of the ball is a different story for Texas Tech. They rank 26th in scoring offense, averaging better than 34 points per game. They are 96th in rushing, just 141 yards per game. Throwing the ball is what the Red Raiders do well. They rank 11th in passing offense, with 326 yards per game.
Senior quarterback, Nic Shimonek, did not start in the final game of the season against Texas, but did come in to get the win. It’s unknown who will start against the Bulls, but Shimonek’s 3,547 passing yards and 30 touchdowns should be taken into strong consideration. Wide receiver, Keke Coutee, has been the go to guy in the passing game, racking up 1,242 yards and nine touchdowns. Dylan Cantrell is next, with 790 yards and six scores.
USF Defense
USF ranks 35th in scoring defense, allowing over 22 points per game, and 28th in total defense, allowing 342 yards per game. They’re 8th against the run and 54th against the pass. Their passing numbers are somewhat deceptive, though. Like Texas Tech, they are a leader in turnover margin, ranked 14th, nationally. Defensive back, Devin Abraham, has four picks on the season. Fellow defensive backs, Mazzi Wilkins and Deatrick Nichols contributed three apiece. Abraham is tied for 24th nationally, while Wilkins and Nichols are tied for 64th. As a team, they have the sixth highest interception total, with 18. Bruce Hector’s seven sacks ranks him 40th in the nation.
Expectations
Both teams will score points. USF having the slightly better defense will probably be able to keep the game tilted in their favor. Texas Tech will have their quarterback issue figured out by game time. The game should be high scoring, with totals in the 30s.
Summary
Despite the disparity in records, Texas Tech is actually a three point favorite in the game. ESPN’s FPI gives the Red Raiders a 51.6% chance of winning. Kickoff is at noon, central time, 12/23. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.