As Boise State’s offense evolves, will quarterback Taylen Green’s legs get more use?
With opposing defenses focused on taking away his rushing ability, Boise State quarterback Taylen Green is playing this season with a simple rule in mind: “When in doubt, hand it out.”
It has resulted in a dip in rushing production for the redshirt sophomore from Lewisville, Texas, who averaged 6.2 carries and 45.1 yards per game last season. He is averaging 5.3 carries and 34.3 yards through three games in 2023, with a chunk of that coming on scrambles and not designed runs.
But the way the coaches see it, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“It depends on how the defense is playing,” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said. “If they’re putting numbers on the perimeter to take away Taylen’s opportunities, then it takes numbers away from the other part of the play. It all depends on what the defense’s game plan is and what they want to take away. ... That’s from week to week. We will find our opportunities to continue to have Taylen as a run number in the game.”
Whatever defenses are doing, there has been plenty of space for sophomore running back Ashton Jeanty to work his magic — both on the ground and as a receiver. He ranks sixth in the nation with an average of 146 all-purpose yards per game. Jeanty, who has 236 yards receiving and 202 rushing, also leads the Broncos with six touchdowns this season.
“You can’t go wrong just handing the ball off, because we’ve got really talented backs and they’ll make a guy miss just like I’ll make a guy miss,” Green said. “So it’s like a win-win situation.”
Green said he is focused on “every single read and every single zone read, and everything I do, I’m taking a mental picture of it, and just putting it in the bank, so next time, if I have that same look, I know what to do.”
Green had four games last season in which he ran for 90 or more yards, including a 105-yard rushing outing against San Diego State in his starting debut, a 35-13 victory. The Broncos rushed for 316 yards as a team against the Aztecs, with Jeanty going for 82 yards on just 12 carries. Starter George Holani, who has missed the past two games with an injury, led the way with 131 yards in that game.
With more than a dozen starts under his belt now, Green doesn’t have the element of surprise on his side anymore. He totaled 586 yards and 10 touchdowns on 81 carries last season.
All of it has left offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan pondering alternative ways to get Green’s legs going, including an inside run game.
“It’s something on our mind. In general, you know, in between the tackles, you’re going to take a little bit of pounding, right, so you’ve got to manage that as well,” Hamdan said. “You’re not looking to go 12 times a game ... and just run the guy in between the tackles and take those hits. So we’ve got to pick our spots. He picked his spots in that last game a couple times and did a nice job with his legs.”
An increase in his efficiency as a passer would help free things up for Green, too. He completed just 48.7 and 47.4 percent of his passes, respectively, in losses to Washington and UCF, but he hit at a clip of 62.1 percent in the win over North Dakota last week.
“The more we grow with the passing game, it’s going to be hard to stop both,” tight end Riley Smith said. “So as we grow as a team, and keep getting better and more consistent through the air and on the ground, there’s really going to be no right answer for the defense.
“ ... I’m excited to see Taylen grow all over the field, whether it’s running the ball or throwing the ball.”
BOISE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium (35,000, grass), San Diego
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Justin Walters)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 1-2; San Diego State 2-2
Series: The series is tied 4-4. Boise State won last year’s meeting 35-13 in Boise.
Vegas line: Boise State by 6.5
Weather: High of 74 degrees, 6% chance of rain, 10 mph wind
