Florida Atlantic fires Taggart after three seasons

Florida Atlantic fired manager Willie Taggart hours aft the squad finished the play astatine 5-7, the schoolhouse announced Saturday.

FAU had a accidental to get vessel eligible but fell 32-31 successful overtime to Western Kentucky, which won connected a two-point conversion.

"I'm disappointed that we mislaid and I hatred that for our players," Taggart said aft the game. "They played truthful hard and we had opportunities determination and we didn't instrumentality vantage of it."

Taggart went 15-18 successful 3 seasons astatine Florida Atlantic, reaching the Montgomery Bowl successful 2020, his archetypal season, earlier consecutive 5-7 campaigns. He antecedently served arsenic manager astatine Florida State but was fired earlier the extremity of his 2nd season. Taggart besides coached Oregon, South Florida and Western Kentucky, his alma mater.

"It was a hard decision, arsenic we person tremendous respect for Willie Taggart," FAU diversion manager Brian White said successful a statement. "He has represented FAU with people and character. However, the deficiency of on-field occurrence needed to beryllium addressed arsenic we look toward the future."

White said a nationalist hunt for a caller manager volition statesman immediately.

Taggart is 71-80 successful 10 seasons arsenic an FBS coach. Taggart took implicit astatine FAU from Lane Kiffin, who guided the Owls to Conference USA titles successful 2017 and 2019 earlier leaving for Ole Miss.