Taylor Rank: FAU Post Game

Redshirt freshman running back Taylor Rank rushed for 101 yards in his first career start on Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Rank displayed a solid combination of speed and power against the Owls, and he has positioned himself to earn more playing time from this point on. GamecockAnthem.com caught up with the star of the show after the game, and he talked about his coming out party.

Question: How’d it feel to get out there and have such a great game in your debut in the Gamecock backfield?

Answer: It feels great. You always want to have an opportunity to go out there and play football, and today was my opportunity. I just did the best that I could with it.

Question: With the defensive struggles that Florida Atlantic had coming in, did you expect to light up the scoreboard like this?

Answer: We just go in and play every game. We prepare like we do for every other team, and we knew that it was going to be a football game and a fight, so we came ready to play.

Question: When did Coach Spurrier tell you that you were going to start tonight?

Answer: He told me Friday in the team meeting.

Question: You went from almost transferring this past year to rushing for 100 yards tonight. Can you explain what you must be feeling right now?

Answer: My freshman season, with all the injuries, was full of highs and lows. It was finally good to get settled down, get my mind straight, and finally get a home.

Question: You seemed to get more comfortable as the night went on. Would you agree with that?

Answer: It was my first college game ever, so of course to start the game I was nervous. As the game went on, I found myself settling down more and more.

Question: So have you just been waiting for your opportunity to get out there on the field?

Answer: I’ve been doing everything that I could to prepare myself for when my opportunity came, and it was finally great to get out there.

Question: When you broke the long 44 yard run early, did you think you were going to take it all the way?

Answer: I just came through the line, and my O-line did a great job tonight. Jamon Meredith, Chris White, and all those guys up front. I just came through the line, and my receivers were blocking down field, so I just ran as fast as I could until someone got me.

Question: What were your emotions like when Coach Spurrier told you on Friday that you were going to start?

Answer: Excitement and nervousness. It was mixed emotions. Of course I was happy to play, and I wanted to play, so I was greatly excited about it.

Question: How’d you feel when you were coming off the field and the crowd gave you a big ovation?

Answer: We have great fans, and we appreciate them so much. It’s just a great feeling when they show their appreciation for you.