As he entered the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex's third-floor press room Monday, Willie Taggart was whistling the theme from Sixties era sit-com "The Andy Griffith Show."
A little over a week earlier, Taggart's Oregon football team suffered a dispiriting 38-3 loss to rival Washington. The defeated dropped the Ducks' record to 5-5, and put postseason hopes further in peril. But you'd never have guessed that from Taggart's demeanor Monday.
On Sunday, a day before his press conference with local media, Taggart's Ducks returned to practice from their much-needed bye week. Quarterback Justin Herbert "had a good practice" as he continued rehabbing from a fractured collar bone, and linebacker Troy Dye was back in action after suffering an Achilles strain at UW, Taggart confirmed Monday.