even Leavitt had some terrible losses

[bullwark]

The Sun Bowl loss was not because of a lack of effort, it was due to a poor game plan, i.e. coaching.

[Brad]

Can we at least wait until Taggart or his successor wins a game worth talking about before we compare his worst with the worst of the best coach in USF football history?

 

I mean, he hasn't won any games on the level of Leavitt.  Much like Holtz, save for the season with Leavitt's players.

 

And while I tried to avoid this thread, it's hard not too.  Grouper, if you really think that Sun Bowl game had anything riding on it, well, nevermind.  It was a vacation game.  Leavitt was always open about that.

[Gismo]

The Sun Bowl loss was not because of a lack of effort, it was due to a poor game plan, i.e. coaching.

The story I heard is that the players were hungover.

[puc86]

It's beyond funny that critics of leavitt would complain about a bowl preformance against Oregon (in a season we got to #2 in the nation) when it has now takes us 25 games to get the 6 needed to even be bowl eligible in a typical 12 game season.

[Rocky Style]

Leavitt had big wins a legit defense and I didn't feel like I was wasting my money on people who don't care every week.

[puc86]

Even better at our current average of 2.5 wins per year it would take us 3.5 years to get the 9 wins we had that season.

[SANJAY]

It's beyond funny that critics of leavitt would complain about a bowl preformance against Oregon (in a season we got to #2 in the nation) when it has now takes us 25 games to get the 6 needed to even be bowl eligible in a typical 12 game season.

Many have to justify their prior calls for his job by belittling his accomplishments then and again now, believing that the team's wins had little to do with him but the losses were solely on him.

Others believed he had plateaud not realizing that every year he was here he had players recruited at a lower level due to the fast rise of the program from 1-AA, to CUSA to BE. And some are ignorant.

[Leviathan]

Leavitt brought more excitement for the fans and was able to win some notable games, but he couldn't win consistently against the Big East.

 

 

There were some ugly losses against average Big East teams during Leavitt's reign. 

[USF_Grouper]

Grouper, if you really think that Sun Bowl game had anything riding on it, well, nevermind.  It was a vacation game.  Leavitt was always open about that.

 

I didn't realize that. I think extremely highly of Leavit. Leavit could have been our Bobby Bowden. No coach we have considered since him he didn't see USF as a stepping stone to the next level or quite place to spend his last few seasons.

 

That being said the comment was Leavit coached teams never mailed it in, never gave up. That is simply untrue. Oregon game was but one example - Army game was another great example. If, as you say, he considered it more of a vacation then that is inexcusable. If what you say is true then that is why we should have fired him!

[Brad]

You need to think.

 

The Sun Bowl had no ramifications, none more than the Meineke, International or PapaJohns.

 

The benefit was the extra practices. 

 

NOTHING rode on those games, you should know.

 

And as hard as he grinded those players, he was smart enough to know to back off when it didn't matter.