Don't forget about Adrian Taylor
BY DAVID UBBEN
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Published: October 29, 2009
NORMAN — It takes a lot to stand out on Oklahoma’s defensive line.
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More Info
Kansas St. at OU
→When: 6 p.m. Saturday
→Where: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman
→TV: FSN (Cox 37)
→Radio: KRXO-FM 107.7
Defensive tackle
Gerald McCoy probably won’t have to wait more than a handful of picks before hearing his name called in the NFL Draft. Defensive end
Jeremy Beal has seven sacks, enough to land him in the nation’s top 10. Defensive end
Auston English has earned
All-Big 12 honors twice.
Adrian Taylor is the 290-pound "Velvet Teddy Bear” who can’t stop listening to slow jams. The junior defensive tackle is also playing the best football of his career, putting his status as the only unheralded member of the dominant Oklahoma defensive line in jeopardy.
"He’s played at a higher level really all this year,” said coach
Bob Stoops. "Maybe people are just noticing it, but I think he’s playing at a better level than last year.”
Taylor made it tough not to notice against
Kansas. The junior spent plenty of his Saturday in the Kansas backfield, and in the first quarter, sent his roommate, Beal, a gift.
With Kansas at Oklahoma’s 25-yard line, down 7-0, Taylor ran through a Kansas offensive lineman and slapped away KU quarterback
Todd Reesing’s pass, which fluttered into Beal’s raised hands a few yards downfield. Later in the half, he sacked the elusive quarterback to bring his total for the season to two and a half.
"Now, teams have to put the double team on GK, but they’ve got to figure out how to deal with Adrian, too,” said defensive end
Frank Alexander. "We know they’re going to get a push up the middle, and the quarterback’s going to get washed out to us. That makes our job 10 times easier.”
OU has 25 sacks on the year, fifth-most in college football. Though Taylor lines up next to a future first-round pick who draws constant double teams and preaches technique to Taylor in practice, McCoy isn’t the only one deserving of some credit.
"Gerald gets a lot of credit for a lot of things,” Stoops said. "He doesn’t need to take credit for Adrian playing better. Gerald’s a pretty special guy, but Adrian’s holding his own.”
Now, the
Sooners’ "other” defensive tackle is the one collecting plenty of postgame pats on the back.
"It’s a change for me. I don’t go out there thinking like, ‘Oh man, I want them to know my number,’” Taylor said. "But I’m not gonna lie, it feels good to be able to hear, ‘Oh look, that’s Adrian Taylor right there.’ Or, ‘Nice job on that tackle.’ It’s just a different feeling that I’d like to get used to.”
He might get a chance on Saturday. Only six teams have more rush attempts than
Kansas State, but for the Wildcats to have success, they’ll have to get past Taylor and McCoy.
"How hard would it be for a team to gameplan for two guys? Not to mention the defensive ends we have,” Taylor said. "That’s what I’m trying to get to. Everybody gameplans for Gerald, so why can’t Adrian Taylor step up and be that guy?”
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