Spring Game notebook: Tomerlin says Taylor's capable of more
Justin Tomerlin roomed with Zac Taylor at Butler County (Kan.) Community College last year. On weekends, he'd travel three hours with Taylor to Norman, Okla., to spend time with Taylor and his family.
So Tomerlin, a tight end and defensive end who will join the Huskers this fall, feels qualified in saying the best is yet to come for Taylor, the new No. 1 quarterback at Nebraska.
"You haven't seen what he's capable of yet," said Tomerlin, who attended Saturday's Red-White Game. "I mean, the kid is such an intelligent guy. I refer to him as the professor on the field. He's so smart when it comes to making decisions."
Taylor completed 20 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in the White team's 42-14 victory.
"I can't wait until he's reached his full potential, because I don't think he's even halfway there," Tomerlin said. "People will be amazed. He's the perfect guy to be a starting quarterback at a major college. His personality ... you could sit and talk to the guy for hours."
Tomerlin described Taylor as calm and laid-back, saying he never comes across as smug or arrogant.
"In his mind, he's nothing special, nothing different than the other guy," Tomerlin said. "At a quarterback position, that's very important."
SETTLING NERVES: Taylor said words couldn't describe the feeling he had of taking the field at Memorial Stadium before Saturday's game. But he tried anyway. "I had chills, to be honest with you," Taylor said. "It was really different to stand in that tunnel and hear that tunnel walk go off. And seeing all those people out there ... it was incredible." A spring-game record 63,416 fans attended the game.
STILL PLUGGING AWAY: Taylor acknowledged he's still got a lot of work ahead of him, most notably with conditioning and improving his physical stature. But he also knows how far he's come in less than four weeks. "It's been a long road," he said. "The first week, I was real down on myself, things weren't going well. The next couple of weeks, things started picking up, and I kind of felt like I got over the hump a little bit."
FIRST AND 10, DO IT AGAIN: Last year, Nebraska converted 31 percent of its third-down plays, which ranked last in the Big 12. So coaches stressed third-down conversions throughout spring practices, and it showed Saturday. The White team, led by Taylor, was 7-of-12 on third down (58 percent) and the Red team was 9-of-20 (45 percent).
— Brian Rosenthal
So Tomerlin, a tight end and defensive end who will join the Huskers this fall, feels qualified in saying the best is yet to come for Taylor, the new No. 1 quarterback at Nebraska.
"You haven't seen what he's capable of yet," said Tomerlin, who attended Saturday's Red-White Game. "I mean, the kid is such an intelligent guy. I refer to him as the professor on the field. He's so smart when it comes to making decisions."
Taylor completed 20 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in the White team's 42-14 victory.
"I can't wait until he's reached his full potential, because I don't think he's even halfway there," Tomerlin said. "People will be amazed. He's the perfect guy to be a starting quarterback at a major college. His personality ... you could sit and talk to the guy for hours."
Tomerlin described Taylor as calm and laid-back, saying he never comes across as smug or arrogant.
"In his mind, he's nothing special, nothing different than the other guy," Tomerlin said. "At a quarterback position, that's very important."
SETTLING NERVES: Taylor said words couldn't describe the feeling he had of taking the field at Memorial Stadium before Saturday's game. But he tried anyway. "I had chills, to be honest with you," Taylor said. "It was really different to stand in that tunnel and hear that tunnel walk go off. And seeing all those people out there ... it was incredible." A spring-game record 63,416 fans attended the game.
STILL PLUGGING AWAY: Taylor acknowledged he's still got a lot of work ahead of him, most notably with conditioning and improving his physical stature. But he also knows how far he's come in less than four weeks. "It's been a long road," he said. "The first week, I was real down on myself, things weren't going well. The next couple of weeks, things started picking up, and I kind of felt like I got over the hump a little bit."
FIRST AND 10, DO IT AGAIN: Last year, Nebraska converted 31 percent of its third-down plays, which ranked last in the Big 12. So coaches stressed third-down conversions throughout spring practices, and it showed Saturday. The White team, led by Taylor, was 7-of-12 on third down (58 percent) and the Red team was 9-of-20 (45 percent).
— Brian Rosenthal
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