Quarterback Zac Taylor

Nebraska Weekly Press Conference
Pregame vs. Louisiana Tech
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006 

Zac Taylor
Senior, Quarterback

On preparing to play their first game<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

“I’ve been ready to play someone else since about Aug. 3.  It’s great to go against our defense, but they’re good, so you get tired of going against them all the time.  We’re ready to go against someone else.”

 

On accomplishments during preseason camp

“I think we’ve worked as hard as we can.  Hopefully, I’ll continue to improve every week. I’m glad we have three more days of practice, though.  We’re still going to make improvements until Thursday afternoon.  I think everyone worked hard and got to where they needed to be for this first game.”

 

On his completion percentage goal

“Over 60 percent is what we shoot for.  I try to get over 65 percent.  I think that’s a good goal, and I’ve worked hard to make that happen.”

 

On his confidence coming into this year compared to last year

“I’m a lot more comfortable coming into this year.  Last year, I was definitely a bit more nervous.  I was definitely worried about the first game last year.  We have a lot of seniors back from last year, so we’re more confident.  There’s a lot more nervousness hanging around the locker room this year as opposed to last year.”

                                                            

On last year’s early challenges

“It was tough to find my rhythm last year.  The games are a lot different from practice.  We have 12 games under our belt, so that’s going to help us a lot.  I think the team will jell better than we did last year.”

 

On the offensive line

“It’s different than it was last year.  They are communicating well.  All those guys played last year, so they’ve seen every blitz that you can see out there.  The offensive line will be prepared for everything you can throw at us.”

 

On trying to get rid of the ball quicker

“It’s important to give guys a chance.  We’ve done a lot different drills to find soft spots in the pocket and elude the rush to help the offensive line.  The receivers have done a good job to find the hot routes when they blitz, so we’ve made improvements in those areas.”

 

On the unknown in the first game of the season

“We don’t know for sure what they’ll throw at us.  Last year, they were an aggressive defense that forced a lot of turnovers.  They have a really aggressive style of play.  We’ve been watching their film.  We don’t think they’ll change much.”

 

On Nebraska's I-backs

“All four of them have shown flashes.  All of them have done well with picking up blitzes.  They’ve worked hardest on that.  In practices and scrimmages, they’ve all had great runs.  They’ve all shown that they can be that No. 1 guy, and they’ve all worked hard to be that No. 1 guy.  We’ll use all four Saturday.  They’re all really interchangeable.  It’s a nice change.  Sometimes, they’ll run you over.  Other times, they’ll put a move on you and make you miss.  It will be interesting to see how coach uses them on Saturday.”

 

On Nebraska's new Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex

“The facility is very impressive, even more than I expected.  I expected a lot, but when I first walked in, it exceeded anything I could’ve imagined.  The facility is huge for recruiting.  I can’t imagine any of them have better facilities than what we have here.”