BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Charlie Strong is facing a familiar opponent in his first bowl with South Florida.
The former Texas coach leads the 23rd-ranked Bulls (9-2) into the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday against Texas Tech (6-6), the Longhorns' Big 12 Conference rival. Strong isn't banking too much on that familiarity, however.
"It's just totally two different teams," said Strong, who was 2-1 against the Red Raiders with the Longhorns. "You look at last year: They had a quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) who was a first-round draft pick. In three years at Texas, we had some really good games, and Kliff (Kingsbury) has done a very good job with that team.
"It's a very explosive offense, can score at any time, very aggressive on defense."
Texas Tech's Kingsbury said there's a different look from those Texas teams because of personnel, including a dual-threat quarterback.
"I don't see too much carry over outside the fact that coach Strong's teams are always well coached and play very hard," Kingsbury said.
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Strong is trying to finish his first season at South Florida by helping the Bulls reach double-digit wins and finish in the Top 25 for the second straight year.
Both defenses will be tasked with defending dangerous quarterbacks, though they have different styles.
South Florida's Quinton Flowers is a running and passing threat while Texas Tech's Nic Shimonek is a prolific passer. Kingsbury said it's hard to find a scout teamer to simulate a player like Flowers.
"The quickness and athleticism that Quinton brings is a different animal," Kingsbury said. "He's like a very dynamic wide receiver who's a very athletic passer back there, trying to corral him."
The Red Raiders became bowl eligible with a comeback win over the Longhorns, who led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter. Strong said he didn't watch the game except while studying Texas Tech film.
"It was a really good football game," he said.