Jonathan Taylor is back and he’s up to his old Jonathan Taylor antics. Taylor, who opened up the season as a hopeful for the Heisman trophy this season, was awarded his first title of the season.
This morning the star sophomore running back was awarded the title of Big Ten Offensive player of the week. This comes after Taylor’s best performance as a Badger to date, in which he ran for 253 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 45–14 win over New Mexico.
Taylor, who was already a Heisman hopeful last season, is no stranger to the offensive player of the week status after receiving the title twice during his freshman season as a Badger in 2017. The title is well deserved after Taylor’s performance against New Mexico Sept. 8.
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It is clear the Badger’s opponents have taken advantage of having months of offseason to watch tapes and prepare for Taylor’s antics, but he still found holes and broke through tackles to gain needed yards throughout the game.
It must be noted that some credit should go to the Badgers offensive line for giving Taylor time to find a whole, but it is clear that Taylor does not stress out in situations where the hole takes a minute to appear. He has a patience and determination out on the field that allows him to take off down the field.
For many plays on Saturday, once Taylor got started it took the New Mexico defense some time to stop him, which allowed for some huge runs. Many of his runs sparked an excitement in not only the team but the Badger fans that packed Camp Randall as well. Taylor remained focused on getting better in post-game interviews on Sept. 8, admitting that he still had lots to work on in the coming season.
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“That was a good thing to have a career day. But at the same time, you have to look at the film and correct things,” Taylor said.
If Taylor continues to set his sights on beating his best record, he should be well on his way to another phenomenal season with the Badgers. As the Badgers prepare to take on BYU at home on Sept. 15, Taylor knows what he has to work on, and it is expected that Camp Randall will be a madhouse once again as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Taylor and the 2 –0 Badgers play their third home game of the season.
