He was a teenager there, still finding his way, still learning to be what he would be. He was a college student, a book in one hand and a ball in the other. He left as a man. A guy who had been a player, an assistant, a head coach, the molder of the program. And now, Willie Taggart has come full circle. Now, he is the opposition. Taggart, the head coach at USF, has the world on a string…
Can the University of Florida find enough offensive sizzle to get past FSU? The Gators’ offense is stuck in a ditch, isn’t it? Twenty against FAU. Twenty-four against South Carolina. Nine against Vandy. It’s a testament to the Florida defense that it is a once-beaten team. Florida hasn’t scored more than 28 since the Ole Miss game. Florida’s offense has looked, frankly, like a boxer on the ropes for a month. FSU has too many playmakers for that to continue.…
Florida State Coach Jimbo Fisher could not have been happy at halftime of FSU’s game with the South Florida Bulls. They were being outplayed by USF. The Seminoles went on to win the game, 34-14, but they were fortunate to enter the locker room at the half tied with the Bulls at 7-7. USF’s defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half except for one 76-yard burst by Dalvin Cook. Florida State Quarterback Everett Golson completed one pass.…
Rumor du jour is that there will be another candidate getting into the wide-open countywide Hillsborough County District 6 seat, but it’s not a Republican taking on Jim Norman. The rumor that percolated over the Labor Day weekend is that John Dicks, the 62-year-old former Plant City mayor and commissioner, is contemplating entering the Democratic primary, which already includes Thomas Scott, Brian Willis and Pat Kemp. Plant has been dormant in local politics since losing the Democratic primary race for…
University of South Florida football coach Willie Taggart has declared Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood off-limits for his team after the fatal stabbing of a former player. Former USF defensive lineman Elkino Watson, 23, died Sunday. Police said the stabbing happened after a fight early Sunday near a Ybor City nightclub. On Monday’s American Athletic Conference teleconference, Taggert said his players will “have to find other places to go have fun” instead of going to the historic entertainment district. “We’ve done…
As the new head coach at Florida A&M University, Alex Wood knew going in that he would have a tough job. Inheriting a squad that went 3-9 the past two seasons indicates there is nowhere to go but up. Halfway into his first game his team had a grand total of one first down against the University of South Florida Bulls. FAMU was down only 16-0 at half, but it went downhill from there with USF rolling to a 51-3…