FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
KLMNO COLLEGE FOOTBALL Adapting comes easily to Hokies’ Taylor
Emerging linebacker learned to make the best of change at a young age, and he has used that ability to become a stable presence on Virginia Tech’s defense BY MARK GIANNOTTO
blacksburg, va. — Virginia Tech linebacker Bruce Taylor still wonders how his life would have turned out had he not moved away froma small town in South Georgia, where “if I wasn’t related to you, I knew you.” Would he still be in Blacks-
burg, tied for the team lead in tackles as a redshirt sophomore, with the second-most tackles for loss in the ACC through five games? “I don’t know,” Taylor admits.
“Imight be playing for Georgia.” These sorts of questions have
existed throughout the 20-year- old’s life, but instead of allowing them to derail his career, Taylor has simply adapted and forged ahead. For the first six years of Tay-
lor’s life, his father, Bruce Taylor Sr., was in prison for robbery. Taylor’s mother, Marcia Walker, and his grandmother raised him, and at age 10 he became theman of the house when his two older brothersmoved out. When Taylor was in sixth
grade, his mother got married and moved the family from Hinesville,Ga., to South Carolina for a new job. The decision did not sit well with Taylor, who was upset he had to leave all his friends and did not reactwell to a new authority figure “coming in and taking all the attention away fromme.” Said Walker: “I think the fact
that himand his stepfather butt- ed heads pretty much made him into who he is. Football was an outlet for him. I’m sure he took out some of his frustrations on the field. That’s why he took a defensive position.” Coming into this spring, Tay-
lor was supposed to be a reserve linebacker again, getting spot duty behind redshirt junior Barquell Rivers, one of the de- fense’s few returning starters. But Rivers tore his quad last March, giving Taylor his opening. He hasn’t looked back. Defensive coordinator Bud
JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST Bruce Taylor became a starter because linebacker Barquell Rivers injured a quadriceps muscle in the offseason.Now flourishing, Taylor is cautiously compared toHokies greats.
Foster named Taylor his unit’s best player during training camp after the 6-foot-2, 246-pounder showed up in the best shape since he arrived on campus. Taylor did have a shaky season opener against Boise State, a game inwhich hewas flagged for a costly late-hit penalty and had a missed tackle that allowed a long Broncos touchdown run, but otherwise “he’s done every- thing I’ve asked if you take out two or three plays,” said Foster, who is also Taylor’s position coach. “Obviously every game has been a learning experience, but that’s the best type of experi- ence.” Only recently hasTaylor begun
to consider just howhe hasmade such a quick transition to the
starting lineup. He thinks back to the people and events that shaped his childhood. “I can definitely see a relation-
ship there. Things happen in life, things change, you gotta be able to adjust,” said Taylor, who said he has re-established a relation- ship with his father and consid- ers him a friend. “Barquell got hurt and I came in, so the whole defense had to adjust to a differ- ent linebacker. We’re doing the same things as far as executing on the field, but it’s just different. Different personality, what you’re gonna get from that per- son, it’s just a little different.” Taylor, though, has led the
team in tackles three times al- ready, and he has proved adept when Foster dials up a linebacker
blitz, collecting three sacks and 91/2
stops behind the line of
scrimmage. In some ways, Tay- lor’s emergence has made Riv- ers’s injury an afterthought. “Bruce came in like he was the
guy already,” said sophomore Lyndell Gibson, Taylor’s friend and a starting outside linebacker the past two seasons. “There hasn’t been any change from the plays beingmade at the [middle] linebacker spot.” By his own admission, Taylor
is a “game speed guy,” like when he chased down North Carolina State quarterbackRussellWilson from behind to prevent a first down in last Saturday’s 41-30 Hokies victory. He says the last time he ran the 40-yard dash, he was clocked in the 4.85-second
In ACC, Virginia is caught in a speed trap
Florida State made Cavaliers pay for missed tackles
BY STEVE YANDA
charlottesville — Superior speed makes opponents commit uncharacteristicmiscues, and so itwas last Saturday that Virginia sophomore cornerback Devin Wallace found himself facedown on the ground as Florida State tailback Jermaine Thomas evad- ed his tackle attempt and burst 70 yards for a touchdown. So it was that the Cavaliers
missed five tackles that day that accounted for 172 Seminoles rushing yards, dropped three would-be interceptions and eventually lost by 20 points. While Virginia possesses
some swift runners, it also un- derstands it often will be at a disadvantage when it comes to overall teamspeed inACCgames this season. And based on its performance in the face of such circumstances last weekend, the team spent the past few days at practice shoring up elements of its game that can help negate its limitations. “There are players on each of
the [ACC] teams that are left [on Virginia’s schedule] that have comparable speed” to Florida State, Cavaliers CoachMike Lon-
don said. “You have to teach angles. You have to teach, you know, techniques. You’ve got to filmstudy better, because you’ve got to try to create an edge for yourself that just speed alone won’t beat you with.” On Saturday, Virginia will
travel to Atlanta to take on a Georgia Tech squad that oper- ates out of a triple-option offense and ranks No. 6 in the nation in rushing offense (298.2 yards per game). Virginia’s coaches spoke often
this week about the importance of the Cavaliers maintaining their defensive assignments to guard against the YellowJackets’ quickness,which defensive coor- dinator Jim Reid said is compa- rable to that of Florida State. According to Reid, the Cava-
liers do not possess a player capable of accurately simulating the speed of Georgia Tech senior quarterback Joshua Nesbitt — the conference’s No. 2 rusher — so they’ve been using multiple scout team players to imitate Nesbitt during drills against Vir- ginia’s defense and having those players start ahead ofwhere they typically would begin a play. “The margin for error when
you’re playing against a fast team, the gaps that you have to close quickly, the decisions that you have to make, you have to make those things quickly,” Lon- don said. “You have to do things
quickly.” And correctly. Coaches attrib-
uted Virginia’s slew of missed tackles against Florida State to poor technique, an unwelcome trait when pursuing fast oppo- nents. Cavaliers defenders were throwing their bodies toward ballcarriers, diving at legs with their heads parallel to the ground. That’s how Wallace ap-
proached Thomas on what be- came the 70-yard touchdown run. And that’s how junior strong safety Rodney McLeod approached another Seminoles tailback on a first-quarter play in which McLeod injured his head and neck. McLeod sat out the remainder of the game. London and Reid said they
had not seen their defenders previously use that tackling style this season, though that may have been because two of the team’s first three opponents were division I-AA squads. In those contests, it was the
Cavaliers who held the speed advantage. Virginia did, howev- er, perform well against a fast Southern California squad in a 17-14 loss Sept. 11. Florida State “is a fast team,
but that’s the nature of ACC play,” fifth-year senior quarter- back Marc Verica said after the loss. “A lot of defenses that we’ll face this year will have that kind of team speed. USC was a pretty
Virginia at Georgia Tech
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta. TV: ESPNU.
fast defense, too.We just have to be able to adjust to that, and we have to play fast, too.We can’t let fast defenses dictate the tempo of how we’re going to play.” Proper tackling form and
wrapping up ballcarriers will be paramount againstNesbitt and a Georgia Tech offense that rushed for 362 yards in a 34-9 win over Virginia last season. Georgia Tech does not offer as
incendiary a defensive line as did the Seminoles, but Virginia’s offensive line will strive tomake improvements in the aftermath of giving up six sacks to the Seminoles. Junior centerAnthonyMihota
said that against fast defenders, offensive linemenmust be sound in their footwork and take acute angles to engage their opponents andmake their blocks. There is no room for hesita-
tion,Mihota said, when it comes to initiating contactwith a quick defensive lineman or linebacker. “You respect the speed, but
you don’t shy fromit or you don’t run from it,” London said. “You can only do what you do and do it with the talent that you have. And I like our talent.”
yandas@washpost.com
WEEKEND TELEVISION AND RADIO
SATURDAY HOCKEY
Noon 7 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Boston » Versus NewJersey atWashington » Comcast SportsNet, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)
MLB PLAYOFFS 5 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
SOCCER 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Texas » TBS,WTNT (570 AM) Minnesota at NewYork Yankees » TBS,WTNT (570 AM) San Jose at D.C. United » Comcast SportsNet Plus; Spanish WDCN (87.7 FM)
PRESEASON NBA 9:30 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix » TNT
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Noon
Noon Noon Noon Noon Noon Noon
3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
Central Michigan at Virginia Tech » ESPNU,WJFK (106.7 FM) Baylor vs. Texas Tech » Comcast SportsNet
Boston College at North Carolina State » WDCA (Channel 20) Illinois at Penn State » ESPN2 Indiana at Ohio State » ESPN
Minnesota atWisconsin » Big Ten Network Syracuse at South Florida » MASN
Virginia at Georgia Tech » ESPNU, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)
Alabama at South Carolina » WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13) Clemson at North Carolina » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2)
3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Michigan State at Michigan » ESPN
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame » WRC (Channel 4),WBAL (Channel 11) UCLA at California » Comcast SportsNet Plus UNLV atWest Virginia » MASN
3:30 p.m. Wyoming at Texas Christian » CBS College Sports
6:30 p.m. Navy atWake Forest » WZAA (1050 AM),WBAL (1090 AM), WNAV (1430 AM), WTRI (1520 AM)
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
8 p.m. 8 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Liberty (same-day-tape) » MASN Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt » ESPNU Oregon State at Arizona » Versus Auburn at Kentucky » ESPN2
Louisiana State at Florida » ESPN, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)
Purdue at Northwestern » Big Ten Network
Florida State at Miami » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2) Mississippi State at Houston » CBS College Sports
10:30 p.m. Hawaii at Fresno State » ESPN 10:30 p.m. San Jose State at Nevada » ESPNU
GOLF
12:30 p.m. Champions Tour, Senior Players Championship » Golf Channel 3 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
PGA Tour, McGladrey Classic » Golf Channel LPGA Tour, Navistar Classic » Golf Channel
AUTO RACING 4:30 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series,
CampingWorld.com 300 » ESPN2
SUNDAY NFL
1 p.m. 1 p.m.
4 p.m. 4 p.m.
8:15 p.m.
Green Bay atWashington » WTTG (Channel 5), WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)
Denver at Baltimore » WJZ (Channel 13) NewOrleans at Arizona » WBFF (Channel 45)
Tennessee at Dallas » WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13)
Philadelphia at San Francisco » WRC (Channel 4),WBAL (Channel 11), WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)
MLB PLAYOFFS 1 p.m.
4:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m.
GOLF
12:30 p.m. Champions Tour, Senior Players Championship » Golf Channel 3 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
PGA Tour, McGladrey Classic » Golf Channel LPGA Tour, Navistar Classic » Golf Channel)
AUTO RACING 3 p.m.
NASCAR Sprint Cup, Pepsi Max 400 » ESPN
Tampa Bay at Texas » TBS, radio TBA San Francisco at Atlanta » TBS, radio TBA Philadelphia at Cincinnati » TNT, radio TBA Minnesota at NewYork Yankees » TBS, radio TBA
range. But the only numbers that truly define Taylor are tackles — he had 544 his final three years at Myrtle Beach High while playing through an arm fracture, two shoulder surgeries and appendi- citis at various times. Recently, at Foster’s behest,
Taylor has frequently found him- self in the film room comparing his tape to that of former Virgin- ia Tech linebackers Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall when they were first thrust into theHokies’ start- ing lineup. It’s the coach’s way of showing
Taylor what he expects on the field, while also reassuring him that mistakes happened to the great ones as well. The lesson is to continue moving forward, something Taylor knows well.
Virginia Tech vs. CentralMichigan
When: Saturday, noon. Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va. TV: ESPNU.
“It’s frustrating because early
in the season, those plays I could havemade were big plays for the team,” Taylor said. “But it’s also exciting because theymessed up, too. If I can really focus now and get all that little stuff taken care of, making those stupid fresh- man, sophomore mistakes, I can just ball out my last two years. I didn’t come here to just be another name, I want to make a name formyself.”
giannottom@washpost.com
Dormant rivalry is close to a jump-start atRFK
Howard, Morehouse near agreement on annual matchup
BY JONATHAN O’CONNELL The college football rivalry be-
tween Howard and Morehouse, whichbeganin1923buthasbeen dormant formore than a decade, is close to being resurrected. Officials from both of the his-
torically black schools are near- ing an agreement to play each other annually at RFK Stadium, beginningnext year.Howardand Morehouse, an all-male school in Atlanta, played regularly in the 1980s and 1990s but last met in 1997, when the Bison handed the Maroon Tigers, then coached by former Redskins quarterback DougWilliams, a 52-0 beating at Howard’sGreene Stadium. Students and alumni fromthe
two schools know one another well.The1995matchup,helddur- ing Howard’s homecoming cele- bration,wasmovedtoRFKStadi- um to accommodate more fans and drew nearly 12,000 specta- tors. “People always come out of the woodwork for that game,” said Edward Hill Jr., Howard’s longtime sports information di- rector.
But despite the rivalry, the two
schools have notmet since.How- ard plays at the division I-AA level, whileMorehouse is a Divi- sionIIprogram. Morehouse Athletic Director
Andre Pattillo called the game “something that Morehouse as well as Howard and the alumni fromboth institutions have been anxiously awaiting.” He said he felt strongly it would take place once scheduling issues were re- solved. “We’ve talked about this over the last three or four years but itdidn’tmaterialize,but I feel likewe have a great opportunity,” he said. The District hopes to leverage
therivalryintoaweekend’sworth of events for alumni fromaround the country. At its boardmeeting Tuesday, the Washington Con- vention and Sports Authority agreedtoapromotionaldealwith Career Sports & Entertainment, an Atlanta firmthatmarkets the BankofAmericaAtlantaFootball Classic. “It’s about more than just a
footballgame; it’sacultural expe- rience,” said Erik A.Moses,man- aging director of the authority’s sports division. “So there will be ancillary experiences that we ha- ven’t determined just yet, but they will include the entire fami- ly.”
oconnellj@washpost.com
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