1995 lookback: Taylor, linemen met NU standards
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BY KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
His coaches and his teammates called Aaron Taylor the perfect option-offense lineman.
At 6-foot-1, 305 pounds, Taylor was not the sparkle in the eyes of the NFL scouts. He was overlooked by dozens of college recruiters when he came out of Wichita Falls, Texas.
But he was perfect for the Nebraska offense in 1995, 1996 and 1997. He was the first Husker to be named All-American at two positions — guard and center.
He won the Outland Award in 1997, was a semifinalist for the Lombardi that year and named the Offensive Lineman of the year in 1997.
But it was his all-conference play as a sophomore in 1995 that opened the eyes of Husker foes and national media.
“People would line up across from us — me, Aaron Graham at center, Steve Ott at right guard, Eric Anderson at right tackle and Chris Dishman at left tackle — and we were big, but not physically impressive,” Taylor said. “Most defensive lines were taller and a lot were bigger.
“But after a few snaps, we’d pop them in the mouth a few times and you could see them kind of puzzled,” he said. “I guess it was lower center of gravity and our momentum.
“And we’d do that in the second quarter and the third quarter and Fred Pollack, Adam Treu, Josh Heskew would come in and do the same thing in the fourth quarter.”
Behind that line, the Huskers rolled to almost 400 yards a game rushing and 556 yards of offense per game. The 1995 national champs scored an average of 52.4 points a game and outscored opponents by an average of 39 points a game.
“There was never a doubt that we would win and win impressively,” said Taylor. “We knew that the opposition we saw on Tuesdays and Wednesdays was going to be the best we faced all year.”
Strangely, the 1995 offensive line was the question mark for the team coming off the 1994 national championship.
1994 starters Brendan Stai, Joel Wilks, Zach Wiegert and Rob Zatechka all graduated, and only Graham returned.
“We had two sophomores, Anderson and I, and we were supposed to line up and play like the 1994 team did,” Taylor said.
“It was some pressure, not because everybody thought we couldn’t do what that great Pipeline did in 1994, but because we wanted to live up to their expectations,” Taylor said. “They set the standard. We wanted to take that challenge and establish our own.”
The problem was that the new offensive line had to prove itself against one of the best college defenses of all time a couple of days every week.
“They were incredible with the Peter brothers, Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom, those linebackers and the backs who were working on the blitz all the time,” Taylor said. “It got pretty heated. I got into a big fight one practice with Jason Peter.
“But we walked off the field, arm in arm, and promised that if we squared off again, it would be for less than three minutes.”
Taylor said the confirmation that the new 1995 offensive line could play up to standards was the season opener on an August Thursday night at Oklahoma State.
“We ran for 513 yards our first time out, and we thought that was pretty good,” Taylor said. The next week, NU rushed for 552 yards against Michigan State.
“We knew we could win the line of scrimmage, and then with Tommie Frazier, Lawrence Phillips, Ahman Green, Damon Benning and all those other guys, we would get yards and we would get touchdowns,” he said.
Now, Taylor, father of Caitlin, 7, is hoping to get customers.
Taylor, former teammate Scott Frost and a host of shareholders who are former Huskers are preparing for the opening of the Scarlet and Cream Letter Club in Omaha.
The upscale sports-theme restaurant-bar at 168th and Dodge streets is expected to open in February.
Taylor, who sold insurance for five years after a short pro career with the Chicago Bears, said the plan is to offer local celebrities as well as a gathering place for sports fans.
He said if the plan works, there could be franchising in the future. “We’re giving this project the same work ethic we gave football at Nebraska,” he said.
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
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