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ASU: Will be looked upon to provide more big plays in 2002...could be right in the thick of things at wideout with Shaun McDonald and Daryl Lightfoot...has great hands. 2001: Played in 10 games, starting one...had 10 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns...finished fifth on the team in total yards receiving...had a season-long 40 yard reception against Stanford...threw one pass for 23 yards and a touchdown versus Oregon State, becoming the first ASU non-quarterback to throw a TD pass since 1996...was leading punt returner on team with 18 attempts for 157 yards...finished fifth in the Pac-10 in punt return average at 8.7 yards per return...had Sun Devil season-long 62 yard return against Oregon State. 2000: Played in 10 games...accumulated 487 all-purpose yards...had 13 receptions for 169 yards...also carried the ball six times for 23 yards...returned 24 punts for 161 yards and seven kickoffs for 134 yards...had a season-best 27-yard kickoff return vs. Oregon...his biggest ground total of the year came vs. Colorado State when he carried the ball four times for 32 yards...had two catches for 27 yards vs. UCLA...also hauled in a pair of receptions for 13 yards against California...had his longest reception of the season with a 45-yarder from Jeff Krohn vs. Washington...turned in three grabs for 51 yards vs. Washington State, including a 24-yard catch...also broke loose for a season-best 47-yard punt return vs. the Cougars. 1999: Suspended for season for violating team rules...redshirted. 1998: Played in all 11 games as a true freshman...saw his first action as a Sun Devil in the season opener against Washington...posted one solo tackle on special teams, the first of his career, in the ASU's 34-15 win over North Texas...ended the season with four special teams' tackles...returned punts and kickoffs in place of the injured J.R. Redmond in the Sun Devils' 55-22 rout of California...had five punt returns for 73 yards and four kickoff returns for 106 yards...had a 41-yard kickoff return from the goal line, his career long, in the third quarter...averaged 9.6 yards on 11 punt returns with a long of 21 yards...returned nine kickoffs for a 23.9-yard average.
HIGH SCHOOL: A 1997 graduate of Tempe High School...was The Arizona Republic 4A Player of the Year in 1996 and made all-East Valley first-team offense by The Tribune ... was also the Offensive Player of the Year and the Class 4A Player of the Year by the editors of Phoenix Metro, Tucson and Flagstaff Football magazines ... also won the Henry Stanton Award, given to the state's best receiver and was the Phoenix Metro Player of the Year and the Tempe City Player of the Year ... had 75 receptions for 1,298 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1996, leading Tempe High to the state championship in Sun Devil Stadium ... also had three rushing touchdowns, two kick returns for scores, two fumble returns for touchdowns and five interceptions ... holds 19 Tempe High records and also played safety ... had nine receptions for 203 yards in a state playoff semifinal victory over Tucson Sabino and his seven-yard touchdown catch in overtime was the gamewinner against Glendale Ironwood in the championship game ... his school records include 166 career receptions (also a Metro Phoenix record) for 2,724 yards, 47 touchdowns and 17 interceptions ... his 16 touchdown catches and 1,298 yards in 1996 were single-season marks ... he set a school mark with 226 yards receiving in one game...was a candidate for the Gatorade Circle of Champions regional and national Player-of-the-Year Awards ... was No. 79 on SuperPrep's 1997 Far West Top 100 ... was rated as the No. 3 wide receiver in the West by PrepStar Magazine and was a first-team All-America by that publication... coached by Tim McBurney.
PERSONAL: Expects to earn his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies in December of 2002 ... parents are Dennis and Cythnia Cheathum...full name is Justin A. Taplin.
CAREER HIGHS: Receptions: 3, twice, last at Washington State (10/21/00). Receiving Yards: 57, vs. Washington (10/14/00). TDs Receiving: 1, twice, last at UCLA (12/1/01). Punt Returns: 10, vs. Washington (10/14/00). Punt Return Yards: 84, vs. Oregon State (10/20/01). Longest Punt Return: 62, vs. Oregon State (10/20/01). Kickoff Returns: 4, vs. California (11/7/98). Kickoff Return Yards: 106, vs. California (11/7/98). Longest Kickoff Return: 41, vs. California (11/7/98).
Taplin's Career Statistics
Rushing
Year G/GS Att. Net Avg. TD Lg. Avg./G
2000 10/0 6 23 3.8 0 12 2.3
Receiving
Year G/GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD Long Avg./G
2000 10/0 13 169 13.0 0 45 16.9
2001 10/1 10 151 15.1 2 40 15.1
Career 31/1 23 320 13.9 2 45 10.3
Punt Returns
Year G/GS No. Yds. Avg. TD Long
1998 11/0 11 106 9.6 0 27
2000 10/0 24 161 6.7 0 47
2001 10/1 18 157 8.7 0 62
Career 31/1 53 424 8.0 0 62
Kickoff Returns
G/GS No. Yds. Avg. TD Long
1998 11/0 9 215 23.9 0 41
2000 10/0 7 134 19.1 0 27
Career 31/1 16 349 21.8 0 41
Taplin's Game-by-Game Statistics
2001
Opp. Rec. Yds. TD Long
San Diego State 2 22 0 16
at Stanford 2 48 1 40
San Jose State -DNP-
La-Lafayette 0 0 0 0
at USC 0 0 0 0
Oregon State 0 0 0 0*
Washington 0 0 0 0
at Oregon 2 21 0 14
Washington State 1 22 0 22
Arizona 0 0 0 0
at UCLA 3 38 1 18
* also threw for a touchdown
2000
Opp. Rec. Yds. TD Long
at San Diego State 1 7 0 7
Colorado State 0 0 0 0
Utah State 0 0 0 0
at UCLA 2 27 0 20
California 2 13 0 12
Washington 3 57 0 45
at Washington State 3 51 0 24
Oregon 2 14 0 10
USC -DNP-
at Stanford -DNP-
at Arizona 0 0 0 0
vs. Boston College 0 0 0 0
