Quarterback to Back: Three Concerns Arkansas QB Taylen Green Poses to OSU’s Defense

The Cowboys and Razorbacks each dispatched their Week 1 FCS foes with relative ease. The Cowboys scored 44 on the reigning FCS champs while the Razorbacks hung 70 on a team that went 2-9 last season. Probably apples to oranges, to be honest.

But both will take a step up in competition in Week 2, at least when it comes to the level of athlete they’ll face. And if we’re talking about Razorback athletes, the conversation has to include quarterback Taylen Green.

Let’s look at three things Green possess that pose a threat to the Cowboys’ defense this weekend. But first, here are the two QBs’ numbers side-to-side.

As the numbers indicate, there is stark contrast in style and skillset between the two quarterbacks. Bowman is the more traditional pocket passer who is tasked with distributing the ball to his playmakers and controlling the game while Green demands much more attention for his ability to take off and make a play of his own.

That leads us to the first cause for concern for the Pokes’ defense.

Green’s Got Wheels

Green is dynamic. He can beat you both through the air and on the ground, which always makes an opposing defense the Cowboy faithful a little nervy.

In his previous two years at Boise State, Green compiled 1,022 rushing yards and 19 rushing TDs to go with his 25 passing TDs and 15 interceptions. As a freshman in 2022, Green was one of just nine FBS quarterbacks to record at least 10 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns, and he was the only freshman to do so. And that was without fully taking over the starting job until Week 5.

He put those skills on display during the Razorbacks’ 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff last weekend, going 16-for-23 for 229 yards and two touchdowns while adding 88 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. He averaged nearly 15 yards per rush attempt.

“You gotta have a guy for him,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy. “When you are competing against a guy that has the ability to run, you have to take that into account in your structure of defense and the style of play. We have plenty of ways to do that because we see them quite a bit now. It’s just a matter of being disciplined and making sure somebody has responsibility for the quarterback.”

He’s Got a Revamped O-Line

Much like Bowman, Green feels pretty secure behind his line. Arkansas totally revamped its offensive line this offseason with three new starters, also by way of the transfer portal. They kept Green off the ground last weekend, allowing zero sacks, zero QB hurries and only two tackles for loss. But Arkansas coach Sam Pittman knows the real test for his O-line will come Saturday.

“… Did we have a lot of (missed assignments)? We did not up front. We didn’t have, really, pressure problems. But, they didn’t pressure us either,” said Pittman. “We didn’t have really pressure problems, but they didn’t pressure us either. We’re going to get pressured Saturday, there is no doubt in my mind.”

The Cowboys return a defense that averaged a respectable two sacks per game last season while the Hogs allowed an SEC-worst four per contest. We’ll see if Arkansas’ retooled front can hold up against OSU’s defense that returned 10 starters. Something’s gotta give, and that could go a long way in determining the outcome on Saturday.

He Has Confidence and Momentum

If there is such a thing, the Razorbacks will be riding plenty of momentum it into Stillwater. Arkansas not only got an influx of talent on offense, but the Razorbacks also brough back former head coach Bobby Petrino to call the offense. And he’s helping to fuel some of that momentum with confidence.

This week, Taylen Green spoke with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum about Arkansas’ upcoming visit to OSU and its big win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff. The one thing he could take away from the 70-0 drumming of their in-state FCS opponent is the trickled-down energy from his new OC.

Green said Petrino demands excellence from his QB and that those expectations have an effect on the rest of the offense.

“That trickles down to the O-Line, to the running backs, to the receivers, just to everybody, just having the mentality of, ‘We’re going to score every single drive,’” Green said. “Every single time the ball gets our hands, the belief and the execution that we need and that we’re going to have is ’10 out of 10.’ That’s how we practice every single day.”

To Green’s (and Petrino’s) point, they did just that in their season opener, scoring a touchdown on all 10 possessions. The offense has not been stopped. Why wouldn’t it be coming into this weekend full of confidence?