Junior Taylor takes care of his roommates like he takes care of
opposing cornerbacks.
The sophomore UCLA wide receiver, who lives with teammates John
Sciarra and Keith Carter, loves catching the football and cooking
Italian dinners.
“John has never taken care of himself,” Taylor said
laughingly. “Keith is learning, but John has no survival
skills.”
While Taylor may be teaching his roommates how to cook and
clean, he himself seems to have picked up a bit of on-field skills
this season. Taylor will be showing off his chops when UCLA travels
to his home state of Arizona to take on the Wildcats.
“Junior is a good cook,” Sciarra said. “He is
a well-rounded person ““ he can cook, he’s a playmaker,
and he’s a real gifted wide receiver.”
For Taylor, a native of Mesa, Ariz., the game is a chance to
play in front of throngs of friends and family.
“You are always excited for your homecoming,” junior
wide receiver Craig Bragg said. “I hope he does his
thing.”
Before landing at UCLA, Taylor was recruited by Arizona and
Arizona State, and remembers going to Sun Devil games all the time
as a kid. So, might there be some lingering resentment from the
football community he left in Arizona?
“I was recruited hard by both teams ““ especially
Arizona,” Taylor said. “Then I came out here and saw
the opportunity I had at UCLA ““ the opportunity I had not
just as a player, but as a person. So I left the state and a lot of
people were upset; I got a lot of harsh words from other
people.”
Quickly putting those harsh words aside, the 6-foot-2-inch
Taylor played in all 13 games last season as a true freshman,
starting in three games. He had 14 catches for 167 yards and four
rushes for 103 yards and a touchdown. After five games this season,
Taylor has 13 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown.
It may appear odd that Taylor had so many rushing yards last
season, but Taylor got 49 of those yards on a touchdown after a
reverse. This season, Taylor has again gotten to run the reverse,
as he did for 10 yards in UCLA’s victory against San Diego
State on UCLA’s first possession.
So what is it about Taylor and the reverse?
“I am the type of player that, when I get the ball, I need
space,” Taylor said. “Reverses let you move with more
space.”
This season, the bulk of Taylor’s yardage came against San
Diego State, when he had a breakout game. Taylor had seven catches
for a career-high 110 yards in the Bruins’ 20-10 victory
Sept. 27.
“Junior was at a high comfort level early on, and when he
was open, he caught the ball,” UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell
said after the game. “When he wasn’t open, he was able
to draw some pass interference calls.”
Taylor attributes his success this year to the hard work he put
in over the summer, when he decided he wanted to work out every day
with Bragg.
“I got to know Junior well over the summer,” Bragg
said. “I am proud of the steps he has taken.”
Wide receivers coach Jon Embree attributes Taylor’s
success to his increased confidence.
“He has improved, and he’s got to keep coming with
it,” Embree said. “One of the first things I said to
him was that he’s got to see himself as what his abilities
can be.”
When the Bruins play the Wildcats on Saturday, there will be
many familiar faces and sights to see for Taylor. There will be
Arizona sophomore half back Mike Bell, whom Taylor knows from his
high school days. There will be friends and family in the stands.
And if he has time, he may even get to visit the Native New Yorker
““ a sports bar that serves what Taylor calls “the best
hot wings.”
Obviously all these comforts of home are reassuring.
But not as reassuring as a victory.