Sam Pittman expresses accuracy concerns for Taylen Green following scrimmage
Scrimmages serve as some of the most crucial practices during fall camp and one of the few times that players and coaches are able to simulate game-like scenarios. And on Thursday, Arkansas had their second of fall camp as they gear up for Week 1.
Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green has become the center of attention for the Razorbacks in his short time in Fayetteville, and following Thursday’s scrimmage, head coach Sam Pittman was asked to assess his performance.
“I thought he played well, wasn’t as accurate with the ball as what he had been. His protection wasn’t as good either, so that has something to do with it,” Pittman said. “Landon Jackson was a beast out there today, really played well, d-line overall played well.”
Jackson is a game-breaking player on the defensive line that can make things challenging for any quarterback. Even physically imposing, dual-threat quarterbacks like Green. Who stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 230 pounds.
With Boise State, Green got it done with his arm and legs for the Broncos. Appearing in 28 games with 22 starts where he threw for 3,657 yards and 24 touchdowns, also running for 905 yards and 17 scores on the ground. Serving as a potentially dangerous weapon through the air and on the ground for new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino in his return to the program.
“But again, Bobby didn’t run him as much this time as he did a little bit more last week, but he played well. He just wasn’t quite as accurate as what he was the week before,” Pittman explained.
Green completed 61.4% of his passes as a redshirt freshman at Boise State and 57.1% of his attempts last season, with accuracy never seeming like a significant flaw in his game.
The redshirt junior from Lewisville, Texas has a few more weeks to polish his game up before his first career start with the Razorbacks, which should allow him to ease into a new scheme and offense as Arkansas hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7:30 p.m. ET on August 29 in a matchup airing on ESPN.
Taylen Green praises what Bobby Petrino’s brought to Arkansas
Green himself also opened up about the impact that Petrino has had on him. Bringing plenty of knowledge table following various head coach and offensive coordinator stops at the college and NFL levels throughout his career.
“I would say that he has an answer to the test. Any questions that you got, that we got, he has the answers like that. Just doesn’t wait. He’ll pull up clips, ‘Pull up 2009 …’ And it’s that exact play and we’re like wow,” Green said. So I mean any questions that we have, or any questions that a receiver has, or tight end has, you know he has the answers,” Green said. “Then we have full trust in him and we do it and it works. So that’s what I love.”