Hawaii couldn’t stop Arizona freshman tailback J.J. Taylor last week. Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez tried Monday to slow down the Taylor hype train.
“It’s one game,” Rodriguez said. “Let’s not anoint (him) or put too much pressure on a guy and expect him to get 150 yards on every team.”
Taylor rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown against the Rainbow Warriors in his first extensive action as a collegian. Rodriguez doesn’t want him to get a big head, but that doesn’t seem like much of a concern. Teammates and coaches describe Taylor as quiet and humble. Loquacious quarterback Brandon Dawkins urged his new backfield mate to talk louder after they shared the stage at the postgame news conference late Saturday night.
“That’s his makeup,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a quiet, tough, competitive guy. A lot of fun to coach.”
And a lot of fun to watch.
Rodriguez joined everyone who witnessed Arizona’s 47-28 victory over Hawaii in marveling at Taylor’s array of running maneuvers. “He hit that circle button about four or five times,” Rodriguez said – a reference to the spin move in the PlayStation version of the “Madden” video game.
In terms of skill and talent, Taylor reminds Rodriguez of former West Virginia star Noel Devine. Devine played for Rodriguez as a freshman in 2007. Devine finished his Mountaineers career with 4,315 rushing yards.
“Noel probably had one of the most unbelievable (high school) highlight tapes you’d ever see,” Rodriguez said. “He would have three or four guys in a 2-yard box area, and none of them could even touch him. He was that quick and that explosive.
“J.J. has a lot of (those) same qualities. Noel was probably a little faster, but J.J. is so light on his feet. He’s like a butterfly.”
It didn’t take Arizona’s defensive players long to realize Taylor had some special skills. Senior linebacker Michael Barton recalled trying to cover him during a one-on-one drill early in training camp.
“He shook me up and caught a beautiful pass,” Barton said. “That’s when we started really paying attention: This guy’s going to be good.
“I think a lot of people underestimated him because he’s small, because he’s a freshman. But he’s shown that doesn’t matter, like a lot of guys have before him. He runs hard. He works hard.”
Taylor is listed at 5-foot-6, 170 pounds. Although Rodriguez has sought bigger, longer players at other spots, he doesn’t view Taylor’s lack of size as a liability for his position.
“He’s not tall, but he’s not small,” Rodriguez said. “He’s put together. He’s strong. We’re not trying to have him go dunk a basketball. You’ve just got to run, catch and block.”
Whatever Taylor lacks in size, he makes up for in acumen. He’s unusually advanced for a freshman. The coaching staff hasn’t put any restrictions on the graduate of Centennial High in Corona, California. “That’s very rare,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez attributes Taylor’s short learning curve to his love of football. You have to love it to put in the time and effort to be great at it.
“He has probably learned as quickly as any true freshman I’ve ever had,” Rodriguez said, “and I’ve had some really good ones play throughout the years.”
Taylor definitely has earned more playing time. How much remains to be seen.
Starter Nick Wilson exited the Hawaii game in the first quarter because of an injury to his left foot or ankle. He wore a walking boot during the second half. His status for the Pac-12 opener against No. 9 Washington on Saturday is unclear.
Redshirt junior Zach Green notched career highs with nine carries and 35 yards in relief of Taylor against Hawaii. Rodriguez said junior Tyrell Johnson would practice almost exclusively at running back after starting the season as a slot receiver. Johnson scored on a 24-yard end-around against the Rainbow Warriors.
Zero-tolerance policy
Arizona’s tailback depth worsened when Rodriguez dismissed sophomore Orlando Bradford from the program last week. Rodriguez discussed that decision Monday.
“We have a rule,” he said. “You put your hands on a woman, you’re done. That’s it. If you did it, if you put your hands on a woman in any way, shape or form, you’re done. Next.”
Bradford faces multiple felony domestic-violence charges after a series of incidents last week that led to his arrest and removal from the program.
Extra points
- Rodriguez described Washington as “one of the best teams in the country” and “maybe the most talented in our league” with “a whole bunch of dudes” who will go on to play in the NFL. The Huskies are 3-0.
- Rodriguez praised Dawkins for his decision-making and decisiveness against Hawaii. Rodriguez gave no indication as to who would start at quarterback against Washington. Dawkins started the past two games while Week 1 starter Anu Solomon recovered from a knee injury.
- Rodriguez said redshirt freshman Cody Creason played “pretty well” at right tackle and that “the game didn’t seem too big for him.” Creason found out he’d be making his first career start just minutes before kickoff when it was determined Gerhard de Beer couldn’t go because of an undisclosed injury.
- Rodriguez said freshman Isaiah Hayes had been practicing at safety and cornerback and got moved to the latter spot when starter Dane Cruikshank got hurt.
- Rodriguez is hopeful that safety Tellas Jones will return for Washington. Jones has missed the past 2½ games because of an ankle injury. He suited up and participated in warmups before the Hawaii game.
- Arizona’s game at UCLA on Oct. 1 will kick off at one of three starting times: 5:30, 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. The time and TV assignment will be announced Sunday or Monday.
