Husker Football Notes, 9/27: Taylor leads revamped offense
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Last year’s Big 12 Conference opener was somewhat of an eye-opening, coming out party for Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor. He completed 36 of 55 passes for a school-record 431 yards in a double-overtime victory over Iowa State.
Taylor enters this year’s first Big 12 game considerably more established.
Going into Saturday night’s game against Kansas, Taylor has completed 70.8 percent of his passes, and his 178.26 pass-efficiency rating ranks third nationally. He has 872 yards passing, eight touchdowns and two interceptions in four games.
“The offensive line is giving me a lot of time to see the open guys, and guys are getting open,” Taylor said. “It’s just a matter of me not missing open guys. I think I’m doing a little bit better of not forcing balls. Last year, I threw some bad balls that got picked early in the season. I’ve been doing a better job of making smarter throws than I did at this point last year.”
Compare Taylor’s numbers to what he did in three pre-conference games last season — a 45-percent completion percentage for 399 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.
“It’s not even the same team,” Taylor said. “It was tough to see this kind of progress at this point last year.”
Nebraska ranks 10th nationally in rushing offense (224.25) after finishing last season ranked 107th (96.0). The Huskers have 14 rushing touchdowns, after having only 10 all of last season. Overall, Nebraska is sixth nationally in offense (472.50) after finishing 96th last year (320.33).
Also, Nebraska is converting third downs at a rate of 57 percent, compared to 33 percent last season and 31 percent in 2004.
Taylor, who was sacked 38 times last season, has been sacked only twice in four games. Backup Joe Ganz has been sacked once.
CORNISH WATCH: Kansas running back Jon Cornish was one of two Jayhawks to run for more than 100 yards in last year’s 40-15 victory over Nebraska. That included a 72-yard touchdown run, a play in which Nebraska starting linebacker Corey McKeon didn’t participate. “Well, he looked fast from the sideline,” McKeon quipped Tuesday. “He’s a great back. You watch him on film, he’s very quick, he knows how to read holes. On the plus side for us, we have a very tough front seven and it’s going to be difficult to beat us on the run.” Nebraska ranks eighth in the Big 12 and 49th nationally (111 yards) in stopping the run. Said Bill Callahan about Cornish: “He’s a threat. There’s no question about it. He’s a guy you really have to zone in on and look to defend.”
TRY AGAIN: Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said Kansas, which had 428 yards of total offense last year against the Blackshirts, is “doing a lot of the same stuff” on offense. “They created a lot of problems for us last year,” Cosgrove said. “We had times where we didn’t take care of our responsibilities, so those are the things we are working hard on this week to make sure we don’t have the same mistakes.”
REBUILDING ‘D’: Kansas returns only three starters from last year’s stout defense that held Nebraska to 138 total yards. But Callahan said the Jayhawks are strong along the defensive line, and that tackles James McClinton and Wayne Wilder set the tone for a solid front seven. “They are emotional leaders,” Callahan said. “They’re hard-nosed guys, they’re tough guys. They provide a lot of plays for them, whether it’s against the run or against the pass.”
PASSING ON RUNNING: Taylor ran three times Saturday night against Troy — about three more times than Taylor would prefer to run the football. “I prefer to stay in the pocket as long as possible and throw the ball down field,” he said. Taylor noted he should’ve checked down to running back Marlon Lucky on a couple of the plays when he took off running. “There were a couple of times Marlon squeaked open, and I wasn’t looking in his area,” Taylor said. “If I was more aware of that, we probably could’ve gotten more yardage than the 2 or 3 yards that I got (running).”
LEAVE IT TO LUCKY: Taylor may not like running the football, but he certainly has a strong appreciation for those who do. Taylor had words of praise for sophomore Marlon Lucky, who ran for a career-best 156 yards on 10 carries against Troy. “He did a good job of hitting the creases,” Taylor said. “The holes were there. It’s not easy to see for everybody, but watching on film, he was real smooth in his running. He accelerated and made guys miss. Some guys at the angle on him early on, and he just outran them to the end zone.” In 51 rushing attempts this season, Lucky has had no runs for negative yardage.
ETC.: Running back Cody Glenn (hamstring), linebacker Steve Octavien (muscle twinge) and linebacker/tight end Clayton Sievers (hamstring) were held out of Tuesday’s practice. ... In their 18-game winning streak against Kansas in Lincoln, the Huskers have outscored KU by an average score of 42.7-8.1. ... Nebraska is 9-1 in Big 12 Conference openers.
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