Florida State names Taggart grid coach
Willie Taggart is returning to the Sunshine State, this time as head football coach at Florida State.
Taggart has agreed to become Florida State’s next coach, replacing Jimbo Fisher. Taggart told his Oregon players during a team meeting yesterday that he is leaving.
Florida State has called a news conference for this morning to introduce Taggart.
The 41-year old Bradenton native coached at South Florida for four seasons before going to Oregon. Fisher resigned Friday to accept the opening at Texas A&M.
Heupel takes reins at UCF
Central Florida didn’t take long to hire someone to lead its rejuvenated football program. UCF named Josh Heupel its new football coach, a move that comes about 72 hours after Scott Frost announced Saturday he was leaving the school to become the coach at Nebraska.
Heupel, who has been the offensive coordinator at Missouri the past two seasons, inherits a Knights program that finished 12-0 to win the American Athletic Conference title. The Knights will play Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1.
He will not coach the Knights in the bowl game but will watch in from a booth at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. UCF is working on logistics that would allow Frost to coach that game . . . .
A woman who filed a petition for a protective order against Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson is accusing him of sexually assaulting her in her apartment and says she fears for her safety.
The petition filed against Anderson on Monday alleges the Sooners’ rushing leader forced himself on the woman last month and that she remembers “feeling like (she) couldn’t get away.”
Anderson’s attorney said in a statement Tuesday that the allegations are “patently false” and that Anderson is “shocked and disturbed” by them . . . .
Florida State’s Derwin James will not play in the Dec. 27 Independence Bowl against Southern Mississippi, saying he is leaving school and will enter the NFL draft.
Man U advances in Champions
Manchester United scored two goals in 66 seconds in coming from behind to beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 and finish top of its Champions League group.
Romelu Lukaku volleyed in just his second goal since September for the 64thminute equalizer at Old Trafford. Strike partner Marcus Rashford then drove home an angled winner to complete the comeback, his first goal in 10 games . . . .
Basel advanced to the Champions League knockout rounds by beating Benfica 2-0 with Norwegian forward Mohamed Elyounoussi heading in a right cross
from Michael Lang five minutes into the match.
Juventus advanced to the round of 16, beating Olympiakos 2-0 on goals from Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi.
Hoffman has muscular dystrophy
PGA Tour player Morgan Hoffmann says he has been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and that his right pectoral muscle is nearly gone.
In a story Hoffmann wrote for The Players’ Tribune website, he says he started to notice his right pectoral deteriorating about five years ago. He saw more than 25 doctors as his weakness progressed and his swing speed decreased. He says he was diagnosed in November 2016 . . . .
Former Boston College nose guard Mike Ruth was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last night in New York, among a class that included Tennessee’s Peyton Manning and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart of Southern California . . . .
Former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, four-division world champion Erik Morales and light middleweight champion Ronald “Winky” Wright have been elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.