Roper discusses Taylor's development, lack of carries
Saturday, October 18, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Football, Scott Carter
Sophomore running back Kelvin Taylor has received limited carries of late. (Photo: Tim Casey)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Why isn't sophomore running back Kelvin Taylor getting more carries?
That's one of the most-asked questions I've gotten from Florida fans the past couple of weeks.
Taylor has seen limited action recently, including only two rushes in Saturday's loss to LSU. Taylor started in place of injured running back Matt Jones but gave way early to true freshman Brandon Powell.
Taylor missed a blocking assignment on a third-and-4 on Florida's first drive. As he tried to recover and pick up a blitzing linebacker, Taylor ran into quarterback Jeff Driskel, causing Driskel to throw a wobbly pass to the ground toward an open Latroy Pittman.
Gators offensive coordinator Kurt Roper was asked this week about Taylor's lack of use and the third-down play.
“Kelvin has do a better job of recognizing the Sam [linebacker] is coming and get over there faster and manage that,” Roper said. “We feel like we had a chance to convert a third down right there.”
While a talented runner -- Taylor had rushed for 508 yards as a true freshman, including 12 carries for 74 yards against Missouri, which visits The Swamp on Saturday -- he has struggled as an all-around back.
As the son of former Gators/NFL star Fred Taylor and the state of Florida's all-time leading prep rusher, Taylor joined the Gators as one of those celebrated recruits fans expect to become an instant star.
It rarely works out that way. While Taylor is clearly talented, he is a much different type of running back than his father, who checked in at 6-foot-1 and around 225 pounds. Kelvin is listed at 5-10, 209 pounds.
Fred Taylor rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 1997 and then went on to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' all-time leading rusher. Kelvin Taylor is a college sophomore 17 games into his career.
Roper is confident Taylor can be a factor as the season progresses.
"He is really good with the ball in his hands," Roper said. "There's no doubt about that. He's a guy that when you hand it to him, does a good job. But you've got to be able to manage the rest of the package."
As for perhaps the most-asked question about Taylor this week -- why didn't he get the carry instead of the 5-9, 177-pound Powell on first-and-goal from LSU's 2 late in the game? -- Roper answered that, too.
"Brandon Powell is a little lighter, physical guy. Tough guy," Roper said. "Felt really good with the ball in his hands. Had been playing a lot of football and been in that series and made some plays. That was the decision that we made at that point to put it in his hands. We felt pretty confident we knew what we were going to get schematically, and it was what we felt our best thought was at that point.
"Then the next down, we did, we obviously put a lead blocker in there and tried to run the quarterback to get our numbers right and put a heavier guy in there on second down and do that. But what we had felt like is we could number up, is the best way I can say it, on the scheme right there."
