Harrison Taggart can trace BYU’s 9-0 start to a campground up Provo Canyon. The No. 6 Cougars (9-0, 6-0) broke from the rigors of their August fall camp to take in a few days in the wild to do some “team building” and everything that has followed has been beyond their wildest dreams.
“The brotherhood. You can take us all the way back to fall camp,” Taggert told BYUtv’s “GameDay” pre-game show. “All the guys were dancing, partying (BYU style), sitting around the fire and playing board games.”
The bond that began away from football has been strengthened week-by-week in BYU’s second season as a Power Four program. The Cougars stand atop the Big 12 standings with three games remaining in the regular season — Kansas, Arizona State and Houston.
“I have never been a part of something where every single person is united. Every person is close,” Taggert said. “It’s just fun and I love it. I think that’s what makes us so good. We are playing for each other because we love each other.”
Taggart signed with Oregon after a stellar prep career at Corner Canyon High in Draper. He appeared in three games for the Ducks during his 2022 redshirt year. After a transfer, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker is in his second season at BYU and leads the Cougars with 57 tackles.
BYU’s defense shut out Utah in the second half last week, but the Cougars had to rely on Will Ferrin’s foot to win the game 22-21. According to Taggart, following in Ferrin’s footsteps started long before he kicked his 44-yard field goal.
“Just like Will. He never lets his highs get too high and he never lets his lows get too low,” Taggart said. “We’ve have been doing a really good job of not letting our highs get too high or our lows get too low.”
Taggart cites how the team followed up BYU’s stunning victory against No. 13 Kansas State with a solid road win at Baylor. As elating as the ending against Oklahoma State was, the Cougars refocused to stifle Arizona a week later.
One by one, week by week, BYU has put together the kind of season that has the Big 12 championship game and College Football Playoffs among their postseason possibilities. In a matter of weeks, the Cougars have gone from camping under the stars to shooting for them.
On Saturday night when Kansas comes to Provo (8:15 p.m., ESPN) the stars will be shining through the coldest air of the season and Taggart couldn’t be happier.
“It’s what we are made for here. It’s why we are here. Everybody loves playing in the cold. Everybody loves playing at the elevation,” he said. “We didn’t play our best game against Utah and I think we are ready to play our best game on Saturday.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.