Holy Cross 38, Howard Bison 7: Taggart on target in HC's debut

WORCESTER, MA — Sure, Ryan Taggart was excited before Holy Cross' season opener, but that was probably the third-best adjective he'd use to describe his pregame emotions.
“Nervous and anxious were 1 and 2,” he said.

Taggart, who is succeeding record-setting quarterback Dominic Randolph, made his starting debut yesterday and, as it turned out, the senior didn't have too much to worry about. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Crusaders to a 38-7 victory over Howard University at Fitton Field.

“Overall, he had a good day,” Holy Cross coach Tom Gilmore said. “We did make some mistakes, and he was a little off on a couple of plays, but hey, first-game jitters. When he settled down, he was starting to hit the throws a lot better.”

• SLIDESHOW: Holy Cross vs. Howard football





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HOWARD VS. HOLY CROSS - FOOTBALL GAME NOTES

Complete Game Notes

THE GAME
This is a non-conference, FCS matchup between the Bison of Howard University from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Crusaders of Holy Cross from the Patriot League. This is the season opener for both teams.

THE COACHES
Howard University is coached by Carey Bailey (University of Tennessee, ‘92), who is in his fourth season. Holy Cross is coached by Tom Gilmore (Pennsylvania, ’86), who is in his seventh season at the helm.

THE SERIES
This is the first meeting between the two institutions.

MEDIA
The game will be video streamed live over Crusader Vision for a fee of $8.95. Details on how to purchase the game can be obtained by visiting www. GoHolyCross.com. The game can also be heard over the Internet free of charge by also going to the website.

New leaders at Holy Cross

Practice is over on this hot August evening, and Holy Cross’s trio of quarterbacks walks across the field. They’ve been told that someone wants to ask them some questions, and they already know the subject matter. Dominic Randolph, the most prolific passer in Holy Cross history, is gone. These three are left. And as they move as a group to another session of inquiries about pressure, expectations, and big shoes, they do what they’ve done all offseason.

They laugh. “Within the team and the organization, it’s just jokes,’’ senior Ryan Taggart said. “Anything outside of that, the student body, the fans, I think that’s different. I think they’re lost; you know: ‘What’s happening?’ “I think on the team, everyone thinks it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s football. It’s the way it is. People leave.’’

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