This year different as Willie Taggart begins second season as University of South Florida head football coach

TAMPA -- Willie Taggart's hiring at the University of South Florida ignited a frenzy that appeared to have no ending.

Shortly after he was named head football coach in December 2012, celebrations seemed to erupt all around him. He was given the key to the city of Palmetto, was feted in a special homecoming at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, and Bulls fans starving for a turnaround looked to him as a savior.

Then there was the video that went viral with him driving the bus that was going to take the program to the mountain top with Jon Gruden, Joe Maddon and Dick Vitale among other sports celebrities aboard.

Taggart went along with everything. The former Manatee High quarterback great hoped all the fanfare would boost the confidence of his players.

On USF's first offensive play of the season against McNeese State, Marcus Shaw broke loose on an 80-yard touchdown gallop, and Taggart seemed like a prophet.

But before you could catch your breath, the tires went flat on the bus, and the Bulls suffered a 53-21 drubbing. USF went on to finish 2-10.

This year is different.

There are no parades and no celebrations. There is just work and grit. And there is Western Carolina, the Bulls opening game opponent.

Taggart says that's the only team his Bulls were thinking or talking about prior to fall practice, which began on Monday.

Call it a reality check.

Taggart knew his 2013 squad had deficiencies but still didn't expect a two-win season.

After a few practices last year, Taggart saw a team that was slow, physically weak compared to football standards and lacked discipline.

This year's team is not the same. The players are bigger, stronger and disciplined and feeling confident because of the work they put in.

He expects them to be better and believes a lot hinges on that first game even against a Western Carolina team that was also 2-10 last year but against a much weaker schedule.

Taggart is taking nothing for granted, and no one can blame him.

"For us to go out and stub our toe against McNeese State was probably the worst thing that could have happened to a football team that is trying to get over the stigma of failure," Taggart said. "I think our football team pretty much overlooked McNeese State. I really felt like that set the tone for the rest of our season."

USF has 16 starters returning, including 10 off what was one of the worst offenses in college football. They will be joined by freshmen, who are part of what was rated the best recruiting class in the American Athletic Conference.

Taggart is planning to utilize an offense Bulls fans are not accustomed to since their program was launched in 1997 and became Division IA in 2001.

It's similar to the one he helped run at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh, now the San Francisco 49ers head coach. The goal is to run the ball down an opponent's throat with big offensive linemen and use the tight end a lot.

His linemen last year were too small and not strong enough to succeed in this offense. Shaw showed some flashes of success, but when he was injured the run game basically evaporated.

Michael Pierre, slated to be the starting running back this year, cannot play because of a neck and spinal cord injury diagnosed after spring ball.

But unlike last season there is no panic. Incoming freshmen Marlon Mack from Booker and D'Ernest Johnson from Immokalee are talented enough to make up for the loss.

Mike White appears to be the starting quarterback, but Taggart says the sophomore is being challenged by junior Steven Bench and he hasn't decided who will be under center in the first game.

"It's a job for anybody to take just like at every position," Taggart said. "We were not confident with what we were doing (at quarterback) last year. Steven and Mike didn't have spring ball and to throw those guys in there and ask them to win games for us is hard and we couldn't run the football. But they are putting in the work to be better and both have gotten stronger."

Looking spindly last year, the 6-foot-4 White added 25 pounds and is now 211 pounds.

A lot of the success on offense will depend on veteran center Austin Reiter from Lakewood Ranch. The 6-3 senior put on 21 pounds and is now at 296.

"Yeah there is a chip on my shoulder after the past two seasons. (But) If we play our game there is nothing stopping us," Reiter said. "I knew coming out of the season last year I was about 275 pounds and I knew going into this off season I had to do something personal for myself. When you see that kind of dedication out of everybody, not just the Oline, you feel more confidence with the guys you play with on the field."

This story was originally published August 5, 2014 at 12:01 AM with the headline "This year different as Willie Taggart begins second season as University of South Florida head football coach."