Heart counts for a lot

We were lost. In disarray. A once-proud program relegated to the middle of their own division. We had just lost to CU to end the 2004 season. That cold November day in Lincoln was seen as the end of an era by many. Sure, the 7-7 record two years prior wasnt a happy memory, but it sure beat 5-6. It beat a losing season and staying home for the bowl season.

After the avalanche of criticism following the firing of a loyal soldier the previous year, the inaugural campaign of the Bill Callahan era had just closed with a streak-shattering loss to our most hated opponent. As I rode home from Memorial stadium with my despondent dad and brother, I reflected on how far the once-mighty had fallen, and wondered how both the fans and team would respond............. Who was to blame? Pederson? Callahan? Joe Dailey? In a search for comfort from the harsh reality it now faced, Husker Nation directed it's rage at any target it could.

Freed from the time investment that for the previous 35 years at Nebraska had gone to bowl practices, the new staff threw itself into assembling the first recruiting class that they could call their own. Their efforts were well-rewarded, as they assembled a class that was, according to many experts, the number one class in the country. It was loaded with talent at the skill positions. Marlon Lucky, the flashy tailback out of LA paired with a QB named Harrison Beck to grab both the headlines of the local papers as well as our imaginations. They were the golden boys, the backfield that would lead us back to the promised land of BCS bowls and Sears trophies.

Further down the list, an afterthought of sorts, was some JUCO quarterback, a hayseed from the enemy territory of Norman who was regarded as little more than another arm in case of emergency. Even his name lent itself to being quickly forgotten: Zac Taylor. He wasn't much to look at, a two or three star recruit with a few other offers from smaller schools like Troy and Memphis. Taylor himself said it best a couple of years later: "I'm not the most physically imposing guy, I don't really stand out on campus." We were more obsessed with the Florida kid's potential than this guy. Most of us failed to realize that the kid was an All-American in the JUCO ranks. Besides, we all knew that Callahan stocked quarterbacks like Kurt Warner did groceries.

But then the spring game came. Turns out the son of a Sooner was a little bit better than we all had anticipated. Taylor put on a performance that would make any stat freak drool: 20 for 27, 357 yards and 3 TDs. That got our attention. But we explained it away, knowing that blitzing wasn't allowed and that Dailey had put up gaudy numbers in his spring game too. Optimism wasn't high on our list after the past couple seasons. Besides, we figured it was just a matter of time before Beck, the heir apparent who was to arrive in the fall, established himself as our QB of the present and future.

After fall camp started, word started leaking out that the Taylor kid was a leader. His toughness was admired, and teammates gravitated toward him. As the 2005 season progressed, it became apparent that he would need that toughness. His offensive line was overmatched, his recievers often times out of sync, his running game anemic, especially by Nebraska standards. Over the span of 12 games, he was sacked 38 times. But in all that time he spent on his back, never once did he complain. Never once did he call out his lack of protection or anything else. And time and time again, he got up. Hit after bone-crunching hit, he peeled himself off the turf and came back for more. In the Oklahoma game alone, he was sacked 9 times. But still not a peep.

And Husker Nation noticed. We rallied behind him, falling for the tough-as-nails kid who was leading our program through transition. Over the last three games, Taylor threw for 779 yards, 7 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. In a game few expected them to win after a mid-season rough patch, Taylor took them into Boulder and came out with a rout of the Buffs. In the bowl game against Michigan, he completed only 14 passes, but time and time again stood in the pocket and faced down Wolverine rushers, taking a severe beating but delievering 3 touchdowns, the game winner with 4:29 to play.

We all know what happened the next year. With a rejuvenated running game and recievers who knew how to make plays, Taylor led the Huskers back to the top of the North, into the Big 12 Title game against his old man's old team, the OU Sooners. Even won Big 12 Player of the Year. But the fairy tale ending wasn't to be. In both the conference title game and the bowl loss to Auburn, he completed just 50% of his passes and had a 1-2 TD to INT ratio. You could see the losses weighed on his heart. He wanted it so badly, not just for himself, but for the program. The weight of an entire state was on his shoulders, and he felt like he had let them down. What he didnt realize is that he gave us the greatest gift he could of: hope. Hope for a resurgence of our program, hope that a national title isnt as far away as we thought, hope that for all of the screwups that had taken place in the past couple of years, that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. And hope, like Andy Dufrense tells Red in the Shawshank Redemption, is a good thing. Perhaps the best of things.

I only write about this today because it's April, and that means that the NFL Draft is coming up quickly. This time of year, we always hear words like freak and athleticism thrown around. A kid who can run a 4.3 second forty is infinitely more worthy of drafting than someone with a 4.4. Upside potential counts for more than prior performance. Pundits this year will debate, who should be the number one pick? Will Zac Taylor be drafted? Apparently that Conference POY award doesnt count for much. Some say he could be a late-rounds pick. Others say he'll get a free agent contract of some kind. They say his arm isn't strong enough, his legs not fast enough. But he has heart. He may not have Jamarcus Russell's arm, he may not have Brady Quinn's hype, but Zac Taylor has heart. And Heart counts for a lot.