Following yet another sluggish start to the season that featured a blowout loss to Maryland, it seemed that Willie Taggart’s short stay in Tampa was sure to be coming to an end. USF had begun Year 3 under Taggart with a 1-3 record — with three straight losses under its belt — and the head coach’s mark of 7-21 since joining the program turned into a heavy cloud hanging over his head.
But a few weeks later, and that 1-3 record quickly turned into 4-3. Fast-forward to December, and that 4-3 mark shaped up to be an 8-4 (6-2 American) record and a second-place finish in the AAC East Division, not to mention the program’s first bowl appearance since 2010.
To the surprise of many, USF has won seven of its last eight games, outscoring opponents 303-157 during that stretch. That also includes wins over then-No. 22 Temple, the conference preseason favorite Cincinnati, and in-state rival UCF by an average of 33.3 points — and all three came back-to-back-to-back to end the regular season.
Click here to check out the rest of the story over at Today’s U.
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