Charles Huff and the Tigers return to action tonight for another Thursday night conference game. Memphis beat East Carolina in overtime in its first Thursday night game this season, and it will look to go 2-0 in the primetime spot. South Florida enters the game 6-3, but its coming off its third loss in conference play against the Pirates. Like the Tigers, the Bulls had to bring in a new head coach during the offseason, and they hired Ohio State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline. Hartline brought in a ton of big-time transfers and had a top 60 portal class and the top class in the American. While he had a splashy offseason, the regular season hasn’t gone the way some though it would. The Bulls have already lost three conference games, and the offense has struggled for most of the year. USF ranks No. 8 in scoring offense and last in total yards per game, and it is only averaging 25.9 points per game. Starting quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. is listed as questionable for tonight’s game after missing last week’s matchup against East Carolina. If he can’t go, the Bulls will turn to backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek. As a team, USF has thrown for only seven touchdowns, but it hasn’t thrown an interception all year. The Bulls have rushed for over 1,300 yards and picked up 17 touchdowns on the ground. The defense has been the strength of the team, and they’re allowing only 15.1 points per game and 312.7 yards per game. Here’s how to watch the Tigers’ game tonight against USF: TV: ESPN Stream: WatchUnlimited Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis Time: 7:00 p.m. CT Line: Memphis -3.5 Total: 49.5 What to watch for in Memphis’ game tonight against the Bulls: The Tigers have dominated this season, leading 10-4 all-time, and they have won five straight. Huff said the Bulls will be one of the toughest teams they’ve faced this year during his weekly press conference, and it will be interesting to see what challenges they present. Thursday night American games have been wild this season to say the least, and it could be an extremely tight game if that trend continues. The Thursday night American games started in week 3, and it started with North Texas beating Tulsa on the road in double-overtime. Two weeks later, UTSA came from behind to beat USF. In week seven, UAB came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat ECU by 13 points in overtime, and in week eight, Memphis was dominated in the first half before bouncing back in the second half to beat the Pirates in OT. In week 9, the Mean Green were double-digit favorites, but they walked away with only a seven-point victory. Last week, FAU pulled a massive upset and dropped 60 points on UTSA. It’s clear that you can expect the unexpected in these Thursday night games. One thing that is working in the Tigers’ favor is the extended rest. Huff’s team is coming off an open date, while the Bulls played last Friday night. Memphis also played one of their most complete games of the year in its last outing against Army. The Tigers recorded 554 yards of offense and held the Black Knights to 22 points. If Memphis puts together another showing similar to that, it should leave Tampa with another victory.
