“I wouldn’t trade him”: Arkansas QB Taylen Green has proven himself against Sam Pittman despite growing pains

FAYETTEVILLE – In his first real test as the starting quarterback for Arkansas football, Taylen Green shined in a 39-31 double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

From a yardage perspective, Green had one of the best games by a Razorback quarterback in program history, going 26-of-45 (57.8%) for 416 passing yards. Excluding sacks and tackles for loss, he added 104 rushing yards.

Green's passing performance was the fourth-highest ever by an Arkansas player and the most since Brandon Allen threw for 442 yards in the Razorbacks' 53-52 overtime win at Ole Miss in 2015.

Green was responsible for 477 total yards, the second most in program history behind Tyler Wilson's 481 yards against Texas A&M in 2011.

His 61 net rushing yards tied the most all-time for an Arkansas quarterback, and he also threw passes for at least 400 yards.

Green largely lived up to the expectations that Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino had when they sought the transfer from Boise State in the portal.

“He's playing his ass off,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Monday. “He's just a fantastic player. I wouldn't trade him. For anyone out there [who] want to act, I do not act.”

Perceptions of individual performance can change drastically with the outcome of a game. Although Green led Arkansas' offense to 648 yards, he was involved in some serious mistakes.

A pick-six in the second quarter, three sacks (including a costly one in the first overtime that turned an otherwise close field goal attempt into a 42-yard sack) and timing issues in the final period overshadowed many of Green's good performances.

Pittman said some of his issues might have been resolved if the Razorbacks had played one more game before Oklahoma State. Those issues included poor snaps between Green and center Addison Nichols.

“If you ask Taylen, he would probably say it was his fault, because that's just the way he is,” Pittman said. “But it's hard to catch that when you [6-6] and try to catch a ball that's buzzing at you below your knees. It was low and hard. We need to correct that because that, in my opinion, slowed down an offense just as much as Oklahoma State's defense did.”

More from WholeHogSports: Arkansas football lineup notes for Week 3 vs. UAB

As the game progressed, Green continued to drive the Razorbacks downfield, but they were unable to capitalize. Arkansas scored 10 points in the second half and overtime despite totaling 297 yards.

In the second overtime, Green threw short to a completely free Rodney Hill, who was charging out of the backfield on the sideline. Had he made the throw, Hill likely would have run into the end zone.

“I think he got tired too,” Pittman said, “and you could have seen that on some of the throws later and trying to escape the pressure, he might have thrown the ball away sooner.”

Green delivered one of the team's better quarterback performances despite a loss, a bitter pill to swallow for an Arkansas team that could have made national headlines with a road win against a higher-ranked opponent.

But unlike some of the narrow losses a year ago – Arkansas lost five games by just one possession in 2023 – the performance offered positives that can be built upon in the coming weeks.

One of them was Green's connection to Andrew Armstrong, in which the receiver posted 164 receiving yards, the most receiving yards by a Razorback since Treylon Burks posted 179 yards at Alabama in 2021.

“Armstrong is a really good player,” Pittman said. “Taylen is too. But there's that kind of relationship between a quarterback and his receivers: 'OK, I'm going to get free so you can throw me the ball.' I think that's what they have.”

Green's debut against a power conference opponent was promising. If he can replicate the success of his two-way strategy against the Cowboys while avoiding mistakes, Green has what it takes to lead a dynamic offense.

“We expect him to complete every pass,” Pittman said. “Guys in the NFL don't do that. But he completes a lot and some of his throws are fantastic. Like I said … I'm not going to change quarterbacks. We're averaging about 650 yards a game and he's done a really good job of knowing where to throw the football.”