During the 2018 football season, the Tigers’ boasted multiple offensive players who received a huge amount of opposing defenses and media attention.
Newly transferred quarterback, Brady White, started his very first season with the Memphis Tigers, replacing former quarterback Riley Ferguson. Running back Darrell Henderson set the country on fire with his knack for creating big plays and wide receiver Damonte Coxie shined as the team’s replacement for fan favorite, Anthony Miller.
With all of those circumstances, at least one talented player was bound to be left out of the nation’s eye, junior running back Patrick Taylor Jr. This season he quietly rushed for 1,189 yards and 16 touchdowns on 208 carries, just six less carries than teammate Darrell Henderson received.
However, Taylor didn’t feed into the hype that surrounded his teammates, but instead just focused on the ways he could help his team.
“My mindset this season was to focus on everything I needed to do to make sure our team was successful,†Taylor said.
Although Taylor had to split his carries, he was the Tigers’ second leading rusher this season and averaged 80.14 rushing yards per game.
At 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, he has used his combination of size and speed to be one of the American Athletic Conference’s top running backs, despite not being the team’s starting running back.
“What makes me such a dominant running back is my ability to be a versatile runner,†Taylor said. “I’m able to use a mix of power, speed and patience when I run which allows me to continuously make plays not only this, but in many more to come.â€
In the beginning, it was not guaranteed that the Tigers’ would snag the dynamic running back following his graduation from Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas. Prior to committing to the Tigers, Taylor was set to play for the University of Colorado-Boulder, but ultimately decided the UofM was a better fit.
“The University of Colorado didn’t give me a clear plan of what position I would be playing,†Taylor said. “I took a visit to the University of Memphis and it felt like the best for my skills set and felt like more of a family-oriented team.â€
Taylor is now looking ahead to next season where he’ll be a senior and is expected to be the team’s lead back, since Henderson has decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Even with the start of next season being seven months away, Taylor is already focused on big things for himself and the team.
“I have many goals set for my senior season,†Taylor said. “I want to have another 1,000-yard rushing season, be a first team all-conference running back and be an all-American. For our team, I want us to be conference champions.â€
Taylor said he also thinks he and the team needs to prioritize finishing games. In four of the team’s six losses, the Tigers’ held a double-digit lead at some point of the game but were unable to maintain it through the final quarter.
Most recently, the Tigers’ were unable to finish off Wake Forest during the Birmingham Bowl.
“Not being able to maintain a lead definitely leaves a bad taste in our mouths,†Taylor said. “But it makes us want to work harder in the off-season so that we will be able to close out games.â€
