Tigers’ Taylor gives updates on injury
Patrick Taylor knew something was wrong when he went down in the fourth quarter of Memphis' season-opening win over Ole Miss. The senior running back just didn't think it was serious.
“I thought it was like a small thing when I initially walked off the field,” Taylor said Wednesday. “After the game, I thought it was a small thing and then we went to go get an MRI and an X-ray and it turned out to be a big thing.”
The big thing was an unspecified foot injury that caused him to miss the next eight games.
That plan could change against Houston next week.
““I think we're finally at that point where it's time,” Memphis football coach Mike Norvell said Tuesday. “He felt good after Sunday, had a good day today, (we're) really pushing him hard right now. I want to see him rolling.”
In his first comments to reporters since the injury, Taylor said his comfort and confidence have grown after practicing the last two weeks in full team drills while wearing a green non-contact jersey.
He said he didn't want to rush his return until he felt 100 percent comfortable in what he could do on the field.
“It's been 8-9 weeks of me not being able to do much so I'm just trying to get my confidence back and get my first step back and I'm just taking it one day at a time,” Taylor.
Taylor ran for 1,122 yards and 16 touchdowns last season splitting carries with Darrell Henderson. He elected to return for his senior year despite receiving the same grade as teammate Tony Pollard, a fourth-round pick by the Cowboys, from the NFL'S draft advisory board.
After starting three games the past two seasons, he took the starting role against Ole Miss with 128 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries before he was hurt
His recovery also gave him a frontrow seat to Kenneth Gainwell's emergence. Gainwell has 1,067 rushing yards — sixth-best in the country — and is second in the country with 1,521 all-purpose yards.
Earlier this season, Gainwell said that Taylor tells him to “be great” before every game. Taylor got similar encouragement from Gainwell during his rehab and he was thrilled watching the freshman receive national attention each week.
“It's exciting,” he said, “He deserves all that's coming his way and I try to be the best leader I can and best coach I can on the sidelines when he's out there doing his thing.”
With the No. 19 Tigers (8-1, 4-1) off
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this week, Taylor has more time to practice and feel comfortable before the Tigers fly to Houston.
Norvell said that when Taylor does
return, he expects to ease him back similar to how the Tigers limited defensive back Chris Claybrooks in his season debut at Temple.
His return also comes as the Tigers enter a pivotal three-game stretch after their biggest win of the season against previously unbeaten SMU. If Memphis wins out, it will host the AAC championship
on Dec. 7 where the winner could be in position for a bid to the Cotton Bowl. Taylor's impending return also adds a boost to an offense that scored a season-high 54 points against SMU and has been playing its best during this current three-game winning streak.
“We've done what we've done and we've had him in Week 1 but we're playing
the way we're playing and then you can bring a guy like that back and add him into this offense. It's going to cause a lot of issues for opposing defenses,” quarterback Brady White said.
You can reach Tigers football beat writer Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com