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Tulsa hopes to carry momentum on the road at USF

Tulsa RB Anthony Watkins runs the ball against Ohio State earlier this season.
Tulsa RB Anthony Watkins runs the ball against Ohio State earlier this season. (AP Images)

The persistence of Anthony Watkins is inspiring.

That was proven last Saturday night in his amazing, tackle-breaking 44-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter in Tulsa's 35-29 win over Memphis.

More of those types of runs will help the rest of the season, starting with Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff at South Florida in Tampa.

The replay of Watkins's run, which has been a big hit on social media, shows a runner who won't be denied. The run left his teammates in awe.

For Watkins, who transferred from Missouri last year after barely getting to play as a freshman, it has been about persistence here at TU as well. He didn't play a lot last year while being behind a talented group of runners on the depth chart.

But the more Watkins plays, the more he impresses.

"I kept working in the fall and the spring. I told myself that I won't be defeated," Watkins said about waiting for playing time. "People will know who I am. Just leave everything in God's hands, and he'll take care of the rest."

A 5-foot-11, 207-pound sophomore from Fort Worth South Hills HS, Watkins was a 4-star recruit by ESPN coming out of high school, and was a 3-star recruit by Rivals.

Before this season, Watkins had 21 yards on seven carries for TU in eight games. At Mizzou in 2019, Watkins had 19 yards on six carries while playing in one game.

Watkins has taken advantage of his playing time this season, ranking second for TU with 282 yards on 34 carries for a whopping 8.3 yards per carry in five games, averaging 56.4 yards per game. He rushed for 68 yards on nine carries against Memphis. His best game was 115 yards on seven carries in Tulsa's win over Arkansas State, which included a 75-yarder for a TD.

Tulsa's running game, with the exception of the Houston loss two weeks ago, has been solid. Shamari Brooks has returned after his knee injury before last seasons' season opener to lead TU with 416 yards and a 4.8 yards per carry.

This is the second consecutive season Tulsa (2-4, 1-1 AAC) has had to play at USF (1-4, 0-1) . Tulsa trounced the Bulls 42-13 last season on Oct. 23.

USF has played a mostly difficult schedule so far, so their record may or may not reflect what type of team the Bulls have. USF is coming off a 1-8 season where they had no major college wins, and finished 4-8 in 2019.

Losses at undefeated, currently ranked No. 23 SMU (35-17) last week, at No. 15 BYU (35-27), at currently ranked No. 22 North Carolina State (45-0), and at home to No 13 Florida (42-20) are not games that they would be expected to win unless they were really good. The 38-17 win over FCS Florida A&M doesn't say much, either.

Playing Tulsa at home may be the best indicator of the season as to how good the Bulls will be this season. A win over Tulsa would get USF going in the right direction. A loss would probably mean another losing record.

For Tulsa, a win over USF would make the Golden Hurricane 3-4, 2-1 in AAC play and put TU only one game away from standing at .500. A loss would leave TU at 2-5, 1-2 and would be demoralizing. This is the type of road game they can't afford to lose.

A banged up Tulsa team will have to do without standout safety Kendarin Ray, who is likely lost for the season with a significant leg injury suffered against Memphis.

Tulsa's defense will have to defend dual-threat Timmy McClain. The 6-1, 196-pound freshman is just as likely to run as throw. He has taken over the last few games at quarterback, while playing in every game, with mixed results.

McClain passed for a career high 223 yards, completing 14 of 22 passes last week at SMU. He rushed 13 times for 25 yards.

It seems like McClain is capable but hasn't done anything yet to cause nightmares for opposing defenses. Against BYU the previous week, he rushed 15 times for 55 yards, while completing 17 of 24 passes for 186 yards.

In McClain's last three games against FBS schools, he has no touchdown passes, no touchdown runs, but also has no interceptions.

He is capable of a breakout performance, but hasn't done that so far. Not terrible, but not great, either.

The rest of the offense is that way also. Nobody has put up attention-getting statistics.

Tulsa will have to play well to win at Raymond James Stadium, and can't afford too many mistakes.

But make no mistake. This game is there for Tulsa's taking. There is no reason for Tulsa to lose at USF. It is time to take care of business and come home with a win.

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