Taylen Green got job done late against Auburn

FAYETTEVILLE — Quarterback Taylen Green missed a series with cramps on Saturday, but then returned to lead the Razorbacks to a 24-14 win over Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Green was 12 of 27 passing against Auburn for 151 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He did lead the team in rushing with 18 carries for 80 yards. He missed a series when Malachi Singleton replaced him as Green was suffering from cramps. Many assumed that Sam Pittman and Bobby Petrino replaced Green due to him struggling, but Pittman explained after the game that wasn’t the case.

“Well, we didn’t bench him,” Pittman said. “He had cramps. He was cramping up and then him getting some fluids in him and coming back, it shows a lot about what we know about the kid from summer workouts and all that, you know what I mean? That’s who we see. And offensive line-wise, running backs, wideouts, Taylen, to go down, that was a big, big drive in the game. For them guys to execute and get it all done. A great, great, call by coach Petrino, to get down there and get it in was awesome.”

For the season, Green has completed 65 of 121 passes for 957 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has rushed 59 times for 325 yards and four touchdowns. Once he returned the Hogs broke a 7-7 tie while he led them on three scoring drives in a row,

“I think Taylen’s got to be better — and he’ll tell you that — but we’ve got to be better around him,” Pittman said Monday. “Our protection game is not very good right now, and it’s not necessarily getting beat 1-on-1. It’s, again, not blocking the five most dangerous in a five-man protection. Not holding up at tight end when they’re in protection, and not blocking well at running back when they’re in protection. 

“If you’re Taylen Green, you’re back there expecting that these guys are blocked. So probably the most concerning part of offensive football from Saturday was the way that we did not protect the quarterback. As we all know who played the game, at some point you’re going to try to do too much because you’re feeling like, ‘We’ve got to make a big play, because we’re not just consistently driving the ball down the field.’

“So with all that said, Taylen’s got to make good decisions, but at the same time, we’ve got to get a lot better around him, especially in protections, for us to hit on all cylinders. Which, let’s say this, I believe that we’re capable and I believe that we will. But we’ve got to get better there, and I think we’ll be a much better offense at that point.”

The first drive was a 9-play, 75-yard one that ended with a third-and-19 pass from Green to wide receiver Isaiah Sategna for a 58-yard touchdown that put the Hogs up 14-7 with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter.

Safety TJ Metcalf intercepted a tipped pass on Auburn’s next possession. Green and the Hogs then got a 43-yard field goal from Kyle Ramsey for a 17-7 lead with 12:04 remaining in the game.

After Auburn cut the lead to 17-14 on its next possession, Green and the offense put on a sustained 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with running back Ja’Quinden Jackson powering in from the 1-yard line for the game’s final score. A pass interference call on a third-and-10 play moved the ball to the Arkansas 40 to keep the drive alive. After that, the Hogs covered the next 60 yards all on the ground.

During the game, Green did try to hurdle an Auburn tackler. Is that something Pittman is concerned might result in an injury?

“I think there’s a fine line with him,” Pittman said. “I tried to, I guess, run over a guy with his feet in the chest. Or I don’t know what it was. He tried to hurdle a guy that was standing 6-foo tall (chuckles). I don’t know how you say it. And then he’ll slide at times. We really haven’t talked to him about, ‘He’s got to get down’ and all that. We have talked to him about (if) someone’s got him, not trying to stand up and get plenty by No. 2 and 3 (tacklers) coming around. 

“We don’t want to put limitations on him, I guess, but we need him to stay healthy. So there’s fine lines in there I guess.”

Green had a few throws that left the receivers vulnerable including once when Andrew Armstrong got knocked to the ground hard causing him to sit out a few plays. Can better timing prevent that?

“It is,” Pittman said. “You’re 100% on. The timing’s got to be better on that. I think when the protection gets better, the timing will be better as well. I don’t know as much as, I think we’ll get the ball out of our hands faster, too. I don’t know as much, we didn’t feel like it was as much route running as just the timing and the pressure in his face to get the ball off.”

Pittman also was asked what the offensive line is doing that isn’t giving Green more time?

“Well one, the offensive line is responsible for five-man protection,” Pittman said. “And we’ve got to block the five guys that are coming. And if they bring six, we’ve got to block the first five. We’re not doing that. OK, so that’s one. Two, we have to communicate better to get our backs on the sixth guy in six-man protection. We had way too many missed assignments on that. So, to answer your question, for the most part, it’s not we’re getting our butt whipped. We’re not doing what we’re coached, assignment-wise, and the kids are trying their tail off. I’m not giving an excuse. It was really loud out there, but some of these things are based off that we should certainly pick up, and we did not.”

In addition, a couple of snaps were off and Green did a good job of avoiding a fumble on those.

“The one that went on the ground was, he was moving to his left and he snapped it right,” Pittman said of center Addison Nichols. “It’s not so much, we’re snapping the ball too hard, we’re snapping it too fast. I mean, it’s coming back there like a Nolan Ryan fastball. And if you’re off a little bit, the ball’s hard to catch. And if he’s low, I mean, Taylen’s 6-a bunch, 6-6, 6-7. So, look, if you don’t do something full speed — and we’ve got to get this fixed as well — but if you don’t do something full speed, then you’ve rarely never done it. In other words, if I’m going to be going full speed in a game, and I haven’t been able to because of my ankle in practice, you’ve snapped, but you haven’t snapped what a game’s like. I think Addison’s doing a good job. We’ll get it fixed. We have to get it fixed, but I think it’ll be better this week because he’ll be able to go full speed on that ankle.”

Jackson, who leads the team in rushing with 472 yards and eight touchdowns on 69 carries revealed what he said to Green during Saturday’s game to try and help settle him down.

“I’ll be having to tell him, ‘Calm down, bro. You’re too jittery. Just calm down and play,’” Jackson said. “When the plays need to be made, he’s going to make the play. I know I have all the confidence in him. Sometimes you don’t make the plays, sometimes you do. Football, it’s not perfect.

“Basically, playing quarterback is one of the hardest positions on the field. You’re not always going to be perfect. He’s that guy, but he’s going to continue to get better week in and week out. Today was his first SEC game, mine too — well I played against Florida at Utah. But it’s the first game, first conference game. We still can grow from this game.”

Sategna, who caught the long touchdown pass from Green, praised his quarterback.

“Taylen, he’s a gamer,” Sategna said. “Whenever we needed him most, he was there. He’s going to make big plays in the throwing game and with his legs.”

Arkansas and Texas A&M will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday with the game shown on ESPN.