UCLA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: WALK-ON LB GETS WAKE-UP CALL.Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL Staff Writer UCLA's practices, which begin at 9 a.m., are a chance for Christian Taylor Christian Taylor may refer to:
At the Air Force Academy, Taylor was required to wake at 4:30 a.m. each weekday. From then on, his day was planned out for him. Chores, basic training, school, practice, homework, bed -- nothing in between. So Taylor gave up his full ride for the uncertainty of walking on at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , where he had two siblings attending. Taylor sat out the 2004 season because of transfer rules, but made use of his time by winning the school's defensive scout team In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team or practice squad, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured (or starting) players. player of the year. That performance, combined with a solid fall camp, earned him a scholarship heading into last season. He played in all 12 games, finishing strong. He made his first start in the last game of the regular season, against USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , making six tackles. Then he was one of the many bright spots in the Sun Bowl win against Northwestern, leading the team with a career-high 12 tackles. He had 43 tackles on the season. Taylor, who currently holds the starting spot at middle linebacker, wasn't expected to be more than a contributing reserve when he walked on at UCLA. By the time he sat out a year, the Bruins brought in a top recruit at his position in Reggie Carter Reginald "Reggie" Carter (born October 10, 1957 in New York City, New York; died December 24, 1999) was an American basketball player. He played collegiately for the St. John's University. . ``That's college football,'' Taylor said. ``But I knew myself that I wanted that job, and I was going to outwork everybody to get it.'' Taylor continues to fend off Carter for a spot that is key to the team's success. UCLA graduated all three starting linebackers from a group that already had its struggles. ``Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, is known as a laid-back place,'' said Taylor, who grew up in Northern California. ``That's something we're trying to change inside of football. We're not going to be soft this year. We're going to be aggressive and come after some people.'' Injury updates: Center Robert Chai and offensive guard Chris Joseph, both coming back from knee injuries, were given the day off to ``give them a chance to recuperate re·cu·per·ate v. To return to health or strength; recover. a bit,'' coach Karl Dorrell said. Cornerback Rodney Van (concussion), tight end Ryan Moya (hamstring), defensive end Bruce Davis (groin), safety Robert Kibble kibble baked dough that is crushed or cracked. Prepared usually by extruding and then heating-drying the dough. Used as dry food for dogs and cats. (multiple sclerosis flare-up) and defensive end Nicola Dragovic (hamstring) missed another day of practice. Looking out: Justin Medlock was one of 30 national candidates named to make the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award watch list. matthew.kredell@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 |
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