Taylor, how healthy are you coming into this fall?
Uh, you guys will find out September 3rd. (Laughs)
How anxious are you to just kinda put all these injury questions to rest, I mean, you gotta be pretty tired of answering them...
Yeah, I'm very anxious since January, ever since the Spring since I got reinjured in the Spring, and I just can't wait for September 3rd.
Taylor, what was the biggest thing you learned as a starting quarterback
Um, pretty much everything, through how to play, and like how to call a football game, and just leadership and how to develop all that, and just how to take on the uh, take on like the players, and pretty much just everything.
How much more comfortable are you at that #1 position, now that it's yours? (second half of question interrupted)
A lot more comfortable. Because it takes pretty much the whole season for me to learn (...something...) the actual quarterback position at the college level.
A lot of people have mentioned, a lot of teammates have said how you improved as leader. Can you kinda talk about the evolution of where you were, and (something)?
Well pretty much, just, I became a leader pretty much all of a sudden, became leaders together as a team leadership thing, pretty much and every one of us has stepped up, and I think for a team to become really good everyone on the team has to step up and become a leader on the team.
A similar question you addressed us in the Spring about, maybe being a little uncomfortable as a young guy in that bunch of seniors last year, how hard was that, to kinda step in and replace a guy that had started the year before?
I thought it was pretty hard just because I was a new kid pretty much on the block, just kinda cause I was running the scout team offense the year before that, and then ah, coming as a redshirt freshman, I was pretty much playing quarterback for like three weeks or so, and then coming on and playing quarterback and then pretty much taking on the leadership role, which the starting QB Zac Lee was the year before that, and he was pretty much the leader on the team, and it was pretty hard to try to take the leadership role over him.
You think that added an obstacle at all, in your development or (something)
Uhm, I say it did, I didn't really want to take over Zac's leadership role.
How much easier is it now with some of those guys moving on?
Yeah, it's a lot easier now. Pretty much some of the seniors have left, Zac Lee and like pretty much four or five kids on the offense and defense, been a lot easier for me.
What have been your focal points this offseason on your, just, game?
Um, just watching film and throwing to my receivers, and developing chemistry with the team.
(Skipping on a bit now - Taylor is asked about watching film last year and says there's more balance in the Big 10)
Do they (Big 10) do the same things you say in the Big 12?
Pretty much football is all the same, but they all mix it up just a little bit.
What kind of challenges, does it present to not only the team but a quarterback, when you go against defenses you haven't faced before?
Well, football's football, and all the defenses are the same, so.
(Taylor talks about not taking so many heights on himself and lasting through the whole season. He says he's gained 5 pounds and it'll help him a lot in absorbing hits. He's asked about what he's seen from Bubba so far, and Taylor says he is pretty much like a linebacker).
Taylor, you were kinda a mystery man to the public last year, we didn't see you much at times. Do you have any regrets about how you kinda started off last year?
I have no regrets at all about how I started off the season, really didn't talk to the media very much. As a freshman, it's kinda hard to come in and talk to the media, you don't really know what to expect. A lot of freshman really don't play that young and coming in and trying to talk to the media, and trying to like, play a huge game, and I think it - it was pretty good for me.
You plan on coming in every Monday, media day?
As much as I can.
How is the offense a better fit for you, can you kinda elaborate on that?
It's a more upbeat offense, that's it.
How about coach Beck? how different is it and what does he bring?
It's a lot different, it's more upbeat with him, and he's an awesome coach and I think he'll do really good as an offensive coordinator at Nebraska.
Taylor, Will Compton says the goal is to obviously win a Big Ten championship; he also says the goal is to win a National Title. Do you guys talk openly about that?
Throughout the team we do, as a team goal we want to win a Big Ten championship of course, and especially for being, we're the first Nebraska team in the Big Ten, that'd be nice, and then hopefully to win the National Championship.
Any motto this year?
Pretty much just compete, and do our best, and just stuff like that.
(Taylor talks about how the injury since the Missouri game "killed everything in me".)
What young guys impressed you?
Jamal Turner, Kenny Bell, a lot of the running backs have been doing very well.
When would you say you are 100%
You'll find out Sept. 3rd.
Are you 100% right now?
I don't know. (Laughs)
