Former Boise State starter, now in SEC, has career day in front of national TV audience

It’s safe to say that former Boise State quarterback Taylen Green has landed on his feet.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound redshirt junior earned the starting job at Arkansas after transferring, and he had a career day Saturday afternoon in front of a national television audience. Green helped the Razorbacks push No. 16 Oklahoma State to the brink in front of 52,202 fans at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in a double-overtime loss.

Green completed a 26-of-45 passes for a career-high 416 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, as Arkansas fell 39-31 to the Cowboys. He also had 18 carries for 61 yards.

Arkansas led 21-7 at halftime and had a yardage advantage of 351 to 77 before the Cowboys scored 32 second-half points to escape with a win. Green was sacked three times and hurried 10 times.

“It is tough, but I have to do a better job of getting the ball out,” Green said in a postgame press conference. “Coach (Bobby) Petrino talked to me about getting my hips up and fading more, so that is something we are going to work on in practice.”

Green entered last season as Boise State’s starter but struggled, and eventually lost the starting job to Maddux Madsen. After Madsen got injured in his first start, at home vs. New Mexico, Green had the job again — and he led the Broncos to a Mountain West championship when they beat UNLV 44-20 in the title game.

Green had 316 yards of total offense and four TDs in that game — two passing, two rushing — and decided to transfer shortly after, landing in Fayetteville.

Arkansas opened the season with a 70-0 route of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with Green going 16-for-23 passing for 229 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing six times for 88 yards and two more scores. The performance marked just the third time since 1997 that an Arkansas quarterback both passed for and ran for multiple touchdowns in a game.