Nebraska Quarterback Zac Taylor

Nebraska Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2006
Memorial Stadium
Lincoln, Neb.
Pre-Texas

Quarterback Zac Taylor
On appearing on Jeopardy!
“That was filmed last summer.  We really couldn’t talk about.  I kind of forgot about it, to be honest with you.  It was pretty neat.”

On the defense of Texas
“They have a lot of speed.  They’re going to be a tough defense.  They’ve played in some big games, so they’re not going to come in here intimidated, but I think we’re a pretty confident football team right now and we’ve played against some good defenses this season, so we’re not going to back down from anybody.”

On the speed of Texas compared to USC’s speed
“I think it’s going to be similar.  We played three of the best linebackers in the country when we played those guys (USC), and Texas has some pretty good guys back there, too.  It’s going to be tough.  They’re going to be fast, but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen already.”

On the performance of Nebraska’s offensive line in the passing game
“They’re doing a good job.  On the road, it’s tougher because it’s harder to communicate with all the noise.  We had a couple sacks last week for a lot of different reasons.  It wasn’t one guy’s fault.  It’s just a lot tougher on the road.  At home, it will be a lot easier to communicate and we can get our audibles straightened out.”

On succeeding against Texas’ defense
“Baylor got a big play on them on a play-action pass.  You just have to work the ball down the field.  They’re a smart, well-coached defense and they’re going to make plays.  We just can’t turn the ball over against them.  I think that’s the biggest thing, just not to give them extra opportunities.”

On Texas quarterback Colt McCoy
“I’ve seen him play maybe half of a game on TV, and I really liked what I saw.  He’s a great young player.  He really doesn’t play like he’s a redshirt freshman.  He plays like he’s an older guy.  He’s got a great arm and he’s a good athlete.  I don’t know how to compare myself to him, but I do know that he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the Big 12, and he’s going to be a great player as he gets older.”

On his physical condition this year compared to this point last year
“(I feel) 20 times better.  It’s not even close.  I really haven’t taken many shots.  The hardest hit I took all game (against KansasState) was the one where I didn’t run out of bounds on that bootleg run.  None of the sacks this weekend were big shots.  Guys just pulled me down.  I really haven’t taken many hits this year.”

On his performance this season
“I can definitely play better.  I’m happy with not turning the ball over in the passing game.  I’ve had a couple of fumbles.  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 year and I like that.  I’m trying to keep my team in a manageable situation.”

On the importance of this game for Nebraska’s national stature
“We want people to notice and, if you beat a team like Texas, you’ll get that kind of respect.  We feel like, if we have the successful season that we’re on track to have, people will notice us.  If we beat Texas and no one notices, no big deal.  We’re still on pace to meet all of our goals, and whatever happens, happens.  We’re very confident as a group and we know how good we are and we’re just excited to go out there and play.”

On his conference completion percentage
“I would really like it to be higher.  I’ve had the opportunity to throw the ball deep at the end of the game against K-State, and I wish I would have given guys a better opportunity to go make a play.  I just put them out of a position to go and get it.  If I could just hit on some throws like that, we’ll make bigger plays.  As long as we’re winning games, I’m not going to get too worried about it.  I would like that number to be a little bit higher.”

On wide receiver Maurice Purify
“He’s getting better and better.  He’s a gamer and he just wants to go make plays and go get the ball.  He’s a big guy and he’s tough to cover.  The good thing is that it’s going to open up things for the other guys, too.  The other guys are going to make a lot more catches, so he’s a good weapon to have.”

On the importance of Nebraska’s special teams
“It will (be a game decided by special teams).  Luckily, we have great special teams, and that’s going to help us.”

On the importance of playing at home
“I think it’s a huge advantage that we’re playing this game at home. I’m happy that we’re not going down to Austin and they have to come up to Lincoln.  Just playing last week at K-State, it wasn’t the loudest game I’ve been in, but they gave us a lot of problems in the huddle.  A lot of times, the clock was winding down and I had to speak really fast and you can’t hear well, and that’s what we need from our crowd this week.  We need this to be our loudest game we’ve ever played here, especially when Texas’ offense is in the huddle.  I think the crowd tends to quiet down naturally; they tend to wait until the play gets to the line of scrimmage, but it’s when they’re in the huddle that it (the noise) causes the most problems, so the fans can really help us out in that aspect.”

On the crowd at Nebraska
“We always have a great crowd.  They’re always loud.  This game is no different, but I think they can really help us out this game and just give Texas’ offense some problems.  I think they can really help us out.  Having been on the road the last two weeks, I’m kind of tired of that happening to me, and our crowd can really help us out with that.”

On the Texas football program
“Growing up, Texas wasn’t my favorite team, but you always had to respect the way they played.  They always had great athletes and they never are a trashy team and they never get in a whole lot of trouble, so they’re always a team that you have to respect.”

On the run defense of Texas
“They have a great run defense.  That’s one of those things that you hear about all year.  But we feel that we have a great plan and a great running game.  We’ve run the ball on a lot of teams, so I’m sure we’ll give our best shot and see how it goes.”