In Iowa State’s 24-10 victory over Baylor on Saturday night, backup quarterback Jerome Tiller stepped in for an injured Austen Arnaud to pass for 48 yards while running for 80 yards and a touchdown.
CycloneFanatic.com caught up with Tiller after the game.
CF: Were you prepared for the fact that you might have to play in the second half? JT: No, I was on the sidelines when they said ‘Jerome warm up.’ I said ‘yes sir.’ I do what I am told. When I got on the field, I treated it just like practice.
CF: You didn’t know that Austen (Arnaud) was hurt? JT: I didn’t know if he was hurt. They didn’t let me know anything. They just told me to warm up and get in. I did what I was told, went in and helped the team. That was the first thing that I did.
CF: Did you talk to Austen after the game? JT: I told him good job. We did the celebration in the locker room. I showered and came up here as soon as possible.
CF: Was your touchdown run a designed run? JT: Yeah, it was a designed run.
CF: Were you nervous when they told you to get into the game? JT: No. It feels just like practice. You don’t notice the fans. You don’t notice anything. You do it over and over so many times, it just feels natural. I have played in recent games so it wasn’t that different.
CF: You played the most tonight though. Do you feel more comfortable with your offensive line and everybody else? JT: Oh yes. They know what they are doing. They helped me out. If I miss any calls, they correct me and vice versa. The chemistry was good and we didn’t have a problem. We came out and executed as much as possible.
