Jonathan Taylor Passes the Eye-Test Against Michigan

Wisconsin turned in a dominant performance against Michigan, and junior running back Jonathan Taylor was a big reason why.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns despite missing a chunk of the 2nd quarter due to muscle cramps in his left leg.

He’s an explosive player whose one-cut ability is reminiscent of Zeke Elliott’s during his years at Ohio State. The Wolverines were his first true test of the season and Taylor aced it, displayed dynamic play-making ability that will translate to the next level.

On the Badgers’ second drive of the game, Taylor squared up and displayed tremendous patience waiting for things to develop. As soon as he spotted the weak-side defensive end crashing inside, Taylor cut-back and turned on the burners to finish on a 72-yard touchdown.

For as impressive as his chunk runs were, Taylor looked strong, both literally and figuratively, as an interior runner. Patience and vision aside, Taylor runs behind his pads with a low center-of-gravity. He has tremendous strength in his lower half and was tough to bring down and consistently pushed the pile throughout the game. Taylor’s opening drive of the game included a conversion on 4th-and-short that was finished off by a touchdown on 3rd-and-goal.

Taylor will face off against Northwestern next week and he’ll see tough defenses in Michigan State and Ohio State during a three-week stretch in October. Taylor continues to make a strong argument as the top running back in the 2020 NFL Draft class, and a few more performances mimicking this week’s will continue to build his Heisman bid.