Utah State's Taggart leaves field in an ambulance; in concussion protocol and has a neck injury

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah State linebacker Harrison Taggart was taken off the field in an ambulance after getting injured making a tackle in the second quarter on Saturday’s 33-0 loss at No. 17 Utah.

“Harrison is the heartbeat of our program. There isn’t anyone that’s more vibrant and has more influence,” Utah State Coach Bronco Mendenhall said.

Taggart raised his arm and index finger as he entered the ambulance. The emergency vehicle took Taggart, who already had five tackles in the game, to the University of Utah Hospital on campus.

“It definitely hit when we seen him go down and was carried off the field. That’s our brother,” defensive back Chapman Lewis said. “But we wanted to boss up for him ... after he let his brothers know that he’s OK and go back to work.”

Mendenhall admitted the injury had a profound effect.

“Yeah, I’m not sure I was very effective, to be honest. I have kids as well, right? So, yeah, the game is going, but I’m kind of still thinking about him,” Mendenhall said as he wiped away tears.

Utah State officials said he was in concussion protocol and has a neck injury. No update was given after the game.

Taggart, the team’s leading tackler, leaned in to tackle Utah running back Daniel Bray and the side of his head hit Bray’s knee. His body went limp but he moved his legs and his arms slightly.

Players on both teams knelt as the medical team waved off a cart and an ambulance soon arrived. The Aggies, who trailed 16-0 at the time, surrounded their team captain as he was loaded on a stretcher.

Taggart started his college career at Oregon and previously played at BYU and California before he recorded 13 tackles in the first two games of the season for the Aggies.

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