HILLTOPPER FOCUS: ESPN’s McMurphy reports South Florida, Taggart to Miami Beach Bowl – likely against WKU
Published 10:24 am Thursday, December 3, 2015
- South Florida coach Willie Taggart walks on the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported Thursday via sources that South Florida – led by former Western Kentucky player and coach Willie Taggart – will play in the Miami Beach Bowl.
McMurphy’s most likely opponent for Taggart and the Bulls? WKU.
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The juiciest of matchups for the Hilltoppers in terms of storylines could come to fruition in the bowl game, which takes place at 1:30 p.m. CST Dec. 21 at Marlins Park in Miami.
McMurphy’s report is about as concrete as it can be. His employer, ESPN, owns the broadcast rights to the bowl.
The Miami Beach Bowl’s official Twitter account posted Wednesday that it will make its official matchup announcement Sunday afternoon.
“That would be cool,” Taggart told The Tampa Tribune’s Joey Johnston on Thursday of the possibility of playing WKU. “That would give you guys (reporters) something to write about. Really, though, we’re just happy to be in a bowl game and we’d be happy to go anywhere.”
After going 7-21 over his first two-plus seasons at USF after leaving WKU, Taggart has the Bulls rolling with seven wins in their last eight games this season.
South Florida has won its last three games by a combined 153-53, including a convincing home win over No. 21 Temple, and fell just shy of reaching the American Athletic Conference title game.
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Taggart went 16-20 in his three seasons at WKU but led the Tops to back-to-back 7-5 campaigns after a 2-10 effort in 2010.
WKU reached its first bowl game in Taggart’s last season in 2012, but fell in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl after Taggart had left for South Florida.
Taggart’s jersey is retired at WKU from his time as a quarterback under former Tops coach Jack Harbaugh. He was the offensive coordinator on WKU’s 2002 Division I-AA national championship team.
Taggart told the Daily News in an interview in August that he still follows WKU and his remaining former players, including quarterback Brandon Doughty, and that it’s gratifying to see the “program where we all knew it could be.”
At that time, Taggart was still trying to get his South Florida team to that point.
“I see a team that’s starting to care about each other like the way that team at Western does,” Taggart said. “That’s a big part of it.”
The Miami Beach Bowl is WKU’s game of preference because of its pre-Christmas date. The Tops’ other most likely destination is the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26.
— Zach Greenwell
