The Razorbacks dropped yet another heartbreaker on Saturday night, falling 45–42 to No. 4 Texas A&M. After the loss, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino began dissecting what’s gone wrong for his struggling team, but Taylen Green’s gameplay certainly wasn’t on that list. The Boise State transfer has been one of the lone bright spots for the Hogs this season. Despite a mid-game leg injury against the Aggies, Green returned to finish strong, rushing for 85 yards and two touchdowns while nearly dragging his team to an upset win. ESPN took notice of his relentless hard work, and now the national spotlight is catching up to what Razorback fans have seen all year.

ESPN ranked Green No. 3 in the nation in QBR (90.9). For comparison, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who threw for 253 yards and two scores against Tennessee, didn’t crack the Top 10. He currently sits at No. 12 with an 82.6 QBR, despite completing over 70 percent of his passes for 1,913 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just one interception this season. Not just him; top performers like Carson Beck, Beau Pribula, CJ Carr, Dante Moore, and Sawyer Robertson all sit out of the top ten list. As Aggies reporter Robert Behrens highlighted on X, “Arkansas QB Taylen Green is now No. 3 in the country in QBR, according to ESPN.” 

The 6-foot-6, 224-pound quarterback has developed into one of the SEC’s most dynamic playmakers. His combination of size, speed is reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick’s style during his peak NFL years. When the pocket collapses, he rarely panics. Or even under heavy pressure, Green has shown the ability to extend plays and keep drives alive, something few college QBs do as well as he does.

Currently, Green ranks 4th in the SEC for 275.7 passing yards per game, and his 14 touchdowns so far tie him for the second position in the league behind Simpson. But his 84 rushing yards per game with 7 touchdowns are the most among all QBs in the league. That’s what differentiates him from Simpson and the rest of the QBs.

Green’s rushing ability is also making a lot of NFL first-pick buzz. A few days back, Greg McElroy pointed out how he could become a first-round pick because of his dual-threat game. “I’ve talked to several scouts, and they’re kind of enamored with this young man’s skillset. Now, is he a traditional quarterback? Probably not. But 6-foot-6, 235 with major wheels? He’s gone over 21.5 miles per hour on the field this year. He’s a one-man wrecking crew for Arkansas,” McElroy said. There’s a growing belief inside league circles that Green could hear his name called inside the top 60 picks in next year’s draft.

For now, Green’s OL needs to buckle up if they want to come up strong against Auburn next week.

Offensive line woes almost cost Arkansas as Taylen Green battles through pressure

Arkansas landed its fifth straight loss of the season against the Aggies last week and now sits at 2-5 in the league with 0-3 in the SEC. Now, for most of the night, their offensive line was protecting Taylen Green well, but in a crucial moment, with 7 minutes remaining in the game, the Hogs were trailing with a 45-35 score, and the Aggies sacked Green.

That’s right, he was sacked by Cashius Howell and Dayon Haynes, which resulted in a 20-yard loss. Even Bobby Petrino couldn’t hold back his disappointment: “We gave up some protection things late in the game that really hurt us. The negative plays by Taylen—he’s got to throw the ball away. He’s got to get out of the pocket.”

Despite injury and OL struggles, Green was in his best form, adding 85 yards and two rushing TDs in the game. The best part was that Arkansas put up 527 yards of total offense against the Aggies despite the loss, but their defense couldn’t record a single sack or turnover, which gave them momentum. Now, let’s wait and see how their team shows up against the Tigers.