| Personal Info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | September 12, 1985 | |
| Place of Birth | St. Louis, Missouri | |
| Height | 6' 3" | |
| Weight | 215 pounds | |
| Player Information | ||
| Position | Quarterback | |
| Number | 13 | |
| School | Georgia Institute of Technology | |
| Teams Played For | ||
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 2004–2007 | |
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 2008 | |
| Stockholm Mean Machines | 2009 | |
Taylor Bennett (born September 12, 1985 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former college football quarterback for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. He began his collegiate career at Georgia Tech. He majored in International Affairs at Georgia Tech. He later enrolled as a graduate student majoring in Information Systems Security at Louisiana Tech in the fall of 2008.[1]
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Taylor Bennett attended Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri from 2000-2004.
Bennett was selected as the Yellow Jackets' backup quarterback before the 2004 game against the Maryland Terrapins.[2] Prior to the 2007 season, he started in two games; in 2005 against the Connecticut Huskies when Reggie Ball had viral meningitis,[3][4] and in the 2007 Gator Bowl against the West Virginia Mountaineers when Reggie Ball was academically ineligible to play.[5] At the Connecticut game, Bennett became only the second quarterback in NCAA history to complete a pass for a touchdown in his first ever collegiate play from scrimmage. The only other quarterback to do this was former Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart. In May 2007, Bennett was given a Spring Team honorable mention by The Sporting News in recognition of his outstanding performance in spring practice.
Bennett had a mediocre showing in Georgia Tech's 2007 season, finishing 7-6, 4-4 ACC, including a loss to Fresno State. After the 2007 season, Paul Johnson was named as Georgia Tech's new head coach. Many believed that Bennett would not fit well into Johnson's option offense, and in February 2008 Bennett announced that he planned to transfer to another school for the 2008 season.[6] On April 28, it was announced that Bennett would transfer to Louisiana Tech, and the NCAA would allow him to play in the 2008 season rather than sitting out a season as most transfers are required to do.[7]
Bennett won the starting job for the Bulldogs during 2008 fall camp. He led his new team to a victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference in the 2008 season opener. Unfortunately, this proved to be the highlight of Bennett's season with the Bulldogs. Over the first five games of the season Bennett completed only 39 percent of his passes. He threw 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and led the team to a 2-3 record. After a disappointing loss to Hawaii, in which Bennett threw 2 interceptions, head coach Derek Dooley announced that sophomore Ross Jenkins would start the next game against Idaho.[8] Bennett saw little action for the rest of the season. He went 5 for 11 in only 2 games for no touchdowns and 1 interception.[9]
During the 2009 season Bennett was the starting quarterback for the Stockholm Mean Machines in Stockholm, Sweden. A season that ended with the clubs 11th national championship.
Taylor finished his season in the EFL playing for the Stockholm Mean Machine with a 6-2 record although the team finished 14-3. The team went on to win the national championship, thus qualifying for the Euro-Championship tournament. Taylor finished the season with 1756 yards passing, 26 Touchdowns, and just 1 interception.
| Preceded by Reggie Ball |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Starting Quarterback 2007 |
Succeeded by Josh Nesbitt |