Alan Dell: Big wins for USF, UF marred by off-field issues

TAMPA

Soon after USF defeated Syracuse, Bulls head football coach Willie Taggart had a simple message for his players: Make good decisions, do the right thing.

It took less than 24 hours before that piece of advice was sent to the shredder by Bulls offensive lineman Benjamin Knox.

Even Taggart, who just secured the biggest victory in his three years at USF last Saturday, was blindsided.

He didn't get 24 hours to enjoy the decisive 45-24 win, but at the same time he was thankful.

This one could've been a catastrophe.

Knox allegedly shot a gun at the side of a dormitory building where he lives on campus and then an open gun case with a box of rounds was found near his car, according to a police report.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

The reserve offensive lineman has been suspended from all activities at USF, the school said in a statement, adding: "this type of behavior is not consistent with the values of our institution and will not be tolerated."

Two victories followed by two troubling incidents haunt Taggart.

He didn't have to deal with those types of issues when quarterbacking Manatee to two state title games in the mid-1990s.

It's a reminder that coaching major college football is more than Xs and Os.

On Sept. 6, Elkino Watson, a former player who finished his USF career in 2014, was killed during a fight outside a night club in Ybor City hours after the Bulls had beaten FAMU.

Taggart had to make the call to Watson's parents.

Taggart has become a father figure for USF quarterback Quinton Flowers, whose father and brother were murdered in senseless shootings and who lost his mother to cancer.

"Quinton is starting to take over this football team. Guys are willing and ready to follow him," Taggart said. "Each week he has played, he has gotten better. He is calmer and he is confident and when he is playing better, the guys around him are playing better."

Things were also in turmoil in Gainesville when Florida head coach Jim McElwain learned Sunday his starting quarterback Will Grier would be lost for the season for taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Grier will be replaced by Treon Harris, who was suspended one game this year for violating team rules and briefly last year as well due to sexual assault allegations that were later dropped after the accuser withdrew her complaint.

Every college football coach would love to have their players stay home Saturday nights. It's safer, but safe?

Remember when coaches used to say if you are out after midnight nothing good can happen?

This was a week when Taggart and his staff, which includes former Manatee High legendary coach Joe Kinnan and Danny Hope, should've been in a celebratory mood.

Marlon Mack ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns and Flowers threw for a career-high 259 yards and two TDs without a pick.

After the game, Taggart walked around Raymond James Stadium shaking hands with fans. He had a right to feel good. His team looks for real.

Sunday's news hit him like a sledge hammer. A few critics even called for his firing as if he is supposed to follow every player around 24/7.

Remember all the guys who got arrested when Urban Meyer was winning two national titles at Florida?

You can't lock the players in a room so you just hope the guys on your football team make the right decisions.

It's what upset Taggart so much, especially coming so soon after the Watson tragedy.

Taggart is well liked by his players and this thing could be turning around. USF had five scoring drives of 75 yards or more Saturday after having only four prior to the game. It was the Bulls' most points scored since 2012. They finally got their receivers involved, which is a big plus.

"Not only did they catch the ball, they did an unbelievable job of blocking on the perimeter to allow some of those screens and runs that Marlon had," Taggart said.

"It all started last Sunday in practice. I didn't see a ball on the ground and then it continued throughout the week. I told the guys we were going to let it rip."

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Alan Dell: Big wins for USF, UF marred by off-field issues ."