Tusculum's Taylor ready for ETSU homecoming

Opposing coaches often downplay when they come back to a former school. Not Billy Taylor. The Tusculum coach bled Blue and Gold for decades as a linebacker, team captain and later defensive coordinator at East Tennessee State. Taylor was on the ETSU staff when the university dropped football in 2003 and when it returned in 2015. "It's going to be an emotional thing. I dedicated my adult life to ETSU football," Taylor said. "I lived through so many ups and downs as a player and a coach there. Being there when the program was dropped, when the program was brought back. Whenever we played our last game in 2023, I thought that would be the last time I'd be in Greene Stadium. To be on the other side of the field, it's going to be very strange." There are hundreds of games that Taylor can recount, but four in his recent most recent tenure as Bucs defensive coordinator stand out. First, there was the first game in 2017 when the Bucs opened Greene Stadium with a 28-7 win over Limestone. "The very first home game in William B. Greene Stadium with Coach (Carl) Torbush after being at Science Hill in 2015-16, that was a great thrill," Taylor said. "There was the whole process of it being built. The plaque when you first walk in has Coach Torbush's name on it, and my name is blessed to be on that. There are so many great memories made there." Others were the Bucs' 45-43 win over rival Western Carolina in three overtimes, beating Furman with a safety in 2018 and ETSU scoring two touchdowns in the final 90 seconds to pull off a 32-31 comeback win over Kennesaw State in the FCS playoffs. Taylor added it's more about the players and those he coached with. "They're all family in my book," Taylor said. He still feels that way 26 miles down the road at Tusculum. His Pioneers are coming off a 42-7 win over Bluefield State in the season opener. They led 42-0 at halftime and the Blues didn't score until three seconds left in the game. Still, he wasn't quite as confident going into the game. "We have such a young team. I was probably as nervous going into that game as any I've ever coached," he said. "There were so many unknowns with three true freshmen on the offensive line, so many new starters on defense. The world with college football and the portal hasn't been kind to us. But, I feel good about our team right now." Classy as always, Taylor obviously didn't run up the score when he had a chance to. Tusculum, which runs a triple option offense, only attempted four passes in the game as Taylor instructed the team's offensive coordinator to not throw the ball in the second half. ETSU coach Will Healy talked about what Taylor means to the Bucs program. "He's a legend. I know how much this game means for him," Healy said. "Obviously from a defensive perspective, he had some great performances here on the defensive side of the ball. He's loved, and he's got guys on his staff like Teddy Gaines who did a lot of great things here. We have a tremendous amount of respect for them."