Taylor aims to improve completion percentage
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
His completion rate has fallen of late and he admits he’s simply misfired at times.
It’s not as if Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor is slumping miserably — after all, he ranks ninth nationally in pass efficiency — but he hasn’t necessarily been hitting on all cylinders in Big 12 play.
If this all seems like nit-picking, well, if there were ever a week to nit-pick on Taylor this might be it as fifth-ranked Texas comes to Lincoln on Saturday hitting on all cylinders, Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said Tuesday.
“I can definitely play better,” Taylor said. “I’m happy with not turning the ball over in the passing game. I’ve had a couple of fumbles, but I’m satisfied with not making terrible throws.
“I’m missing some throws, which is really disappointing. But I’ve only thrown two interceptions this season. I like that because I’m trying to keep my team in a manageable situation.”
Taylor, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior, actually has 17th-ranked Nebraska in an enviable situation, with a record of 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12 North Division, good for a one-game lead over Missouri.
On the season, Taylor has completed 107 of 164 passes (65.2 percent) for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns. His completion percentage is 10 points higher than last season.
This is where we begin to nit-pick. After completing 70.7 percent of his passes in four nonconference games, Taylor has completed 58.6 percent in consecutive wins against Kansas, Iowa State and Kansas State.
Asked about the 58.6 rate, Taylor said, “I’d like it to be higher. We got the opportunity to throw the ball deep a couple times (last week) against K-State, and I wish I would’ve given guys a better opportunity to go make a play. If I can just hit on a couple throws like that, we’ll get bigger plays, and percentages will jump up.
“As long as we’re winning games 21-3, I’m not going to get too worried about it.”
Nebraska has leaned hard on its vastly improved running game this season compared with 2005, alleviating pressure on Taylor. However, rushing yards probably will be more difficult to come by against Texas, also 6-1 and 3-0, meaning the Huskers might need to achieve greater balance offensively.
“There hasn’t been a game this year where we’ve had to rely on passing to win the game,” Taylor said. “We just do whatever’s working.”
The Longhorns’ defense, with seven returning starters from last year, ranks 11th nationally overall and second against the run, allowing only 47.7 rushing yards per game. They’ve recorded 24 sacks to rank fifth, with an average of 3.6 per game.
Taylor said it will be imperative to avoid turnovers; Texas ranks second nationally in turnover margin (plus-1.43).
“They’ve got a lot of speed,” Taylor said. “They’ve got a tough defense. Everybody knows that. They’ve played some big games, so they’re not going to come in here intimidated. But I think we’re a pretty confident team right now, and we’ve played against some good defenses so far this season.
“We’re not going to back down from anybody.”
Taylor said he feels “20 times” better physically than last season at this time, as his pounding has been reduced by improved offensive line play. He has been sacked 10 times, compared with 38 times a year ago.
Following two road games, Taylor looks forward to returning to his home field, where calling audibles should be much easier than it has been on the road. He said he was having problems getting plays communicated in the huddle at K-State. In fact, Taylor issued a plea Tuesday for escalating crowd noise Saturday when Texas steps into its offensive huddle.
“We need this to be the loudest game we have ever played here,” he said.
Texas will be the most talented team Nebraska has played since losing 28-10 on Sept. 16 at Southern California. The Huskers struggled offensively against the Trojans, rushing for 68 yards on 36 attempts. Taylor was 9-for-17 passing for 143 yards.
In effect, the game at Southern California was Nebraska’s first this season in the national spotlight. This week’s game is the second — another chance for the Huskers to garner widespread respect that’s been lacking nationally in recent years.
“Obviously, we want people to notice us,” Taylor said. “If you beat a team like Texas, you’ll get that kind of respect. But we feel like if we have the successful season that we’re on track to have, people are going to notice us. … We’re confident as a group. We know how good we are. We’re just excited to get out there and play.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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