Lane Taylor steps up for O-line
By Brandon Chatmon
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2
Published: November 4, 2009
STILLWATER — Before the season began, not much was expected from Lane Taylor.
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OSU at Iowa State
→When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
→Where: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa
→TV: ABC (Cox 8)
→Radio: KXXY-FM 96.1
Oklahoma State had two offensive guard positions to fill, yet the redshirt freshman was rarely, if ever, mentioned as a possibility at either slot.
"If you took a poll, I guarantee nobody would have thought he would be starting this year,” senior offensive tackle
Brady Bond said.
After the
Cowboys played musical chairs at the right guard position during the preseason and in the first few weeks of their non-conference schedule, offensive line coach
Joe Wickline challenged Taylor to step up and inserted him in the lineup against Rice.
"It was real surprising,” Taylor said. "I got moved up to second string for the
Georgia game, and before I knew it I was in there playing. It was a surreal experience.”
He responded well, cementing his spot in the starting lineup and helping the Cowboys’ offensive line gain the continuity it had been searching for.
"Wick moved him up and he’s been amazing,” Bond said. "He’s grading out high, he’s pretty reliable and when we make the calls, I know he’ll be there.”
That’s not to say Taylor is approaching all-conference status. He’s still young and still learning. Fortunately he’s lining up alongside a couple of three-year starters in center
Andrew Lewis and Bond.
"Sometimes I’m in there and I ask (Andrew) Lewis what I need to do,” Taylor said with a chuckle. "It’s real helpful (to play with the seniors). If I ever have a question, they have an answer to it.”
Said Wickline: "He’s doing a nice job. You can tell he was a guy who is learning every week. When you bring things up, he has a clear understanding. Once he understands it, he puts it to bed, it’s not a situation that comes up again.”
Taylor, a 6-foot-2, 301-pounder from
Arlington (Texas) Martin High School, is the lone underclassman on OSU’s starting offensive line. Next year, he won’t have any seniors to turn to. It will be his line mates turning to him, as Taylor transitions from the young pup on an experienced line to the graybeard expected to anchor the Cowboys’ front in 2010.
"He’ll be a great player,” Bond said. "Fortunately for Oklahoma State, they have another three years with him.
"He’ll be a great foundation for next year’s offensive line.”
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We'll be starting with a relatively untested and young line (ask the Swooners how that's working out for them), a rookie QB with neither current backups Cake nor Weeden having hardly ANY playing experience, a stable of new running backs (who knows what Hunter is going to do) and some somewhat experienced, yet young receivers.
Looks like the Cowboys are going to have their progress drop a little as the rebuilding begins.
That's why OSU needs to win out their season and enjoy the glory of this one.
Still, the future is so much brighter now than it was in the past.
It's ALWAYS a great day to be a Cowboy!