When North Texas and Boise State take the field in the Frisco Bowl on Saturday night, it will be a homecoming for one Boise State player.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Taylen Green, who played his high school football locally at Lewisville High School, is the starting quarterback for the Broncos.
“The atmosphere of the game’s going to be exciting,” Green told The Dallas Express in an interview. “We have a lot of dudes from Texas. Lots of [families] and high school teammates. Most of our support system is here and having them see us play in person means the world to us.
“I know a couple [of] people on the team (North Texas), so it’s going to be fun going up against people I grew up with.”
Green said about 25 to 30 of his friends and family would attend on Saturday.
The redshirt freshman was a three-star recruit and a top 100 player in the Dallas area in the class of 2021. He had offers from Boise State, Central Michigan, Illinois State, Marshall, and Missouri State.
He committed to Boise State in July 2020 for one reason.
“The culture there. The players, the program, the winning tradition,” Green said. “They work hard and prepare like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And, most importantly, just the history behind Boise State with the coaches developing players. I felt like that was the best spot for me to develop into the quarterback I want to be.”
Entering the season, Green was one of four backup quarterbacks listed behind Hank Bachmeier and had only played in two games in his true freshman season. He replaced Bachmeier during a season-opening loss to Oregon State and became the starter after Bachmeier decided to enter the transfer portal four weeks into the season.
“I just tell myself to focus on one thing at a time. One game at a time. One play at a time. Don’t do too much, just do your job and let your playmakers be playmakers because it’s a team sport,” said Green.
Through it all, Green’s been able to lean on some more experienced teammates to help guide him through the process.
“A lot of older guys have been helping me through the process, helping me lead,” he said. “That’s what’s cool about Boise State. There’s a history of players doing that.”
Green intends to keep that tradition going.
“In a couple [of] years, it’s going to be my turn to show the other freshmen and the other young cats how we do things, what our standard is, and what the level of competition is and just what we do here,” he stated.
Green has had quite the season since becoming the Broncos’ starting signal-caller. He has thrown for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns with just six interceptions, run for an additional 469 yards and eight touchdowns, and was named second-team Freshman All-America and the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the year.
But you would not know he had the season he did by talking to him. He’s much more focused on the team’s accomplishments and finishing the season on a positive note.
“I’m just always grateful and always blessed to be in the position I am. We had that little bye week and our team just reflected on our year and reflected on how much we’ve grown as a team and how much we’ve come together. We still have another game. We still have another goal to reach.”
While Green is too humble to boast about his skills, he is confident and self-aware of his playing ability. He’s a good thrower, but what sets him apart is his ability to extend plays with his legs.
“When the play breaks down, I’m able to make a play out of nothing. My running helps me, but at the same time, I feel like I can throw from the pocket and make all the throws on the field.”
He said the one game that stood out this season was the Broncos’ 20-17 win on the road against Wyoming.
“One of the coldest games I’ve ever played in,” Green said. “I was freezing… That’s when I realized, this is college football… That moment, you’re never going to forget that.”
Even though it is a homecoming, Green knows he might not have an easy task ahead of him in this game. North Texas wants to win the Frisco Bowl just as badly in front of what will be a favorable crowd for the Mean Green.
North Texas has a great running game that can help it control the tempo of the game and a few star players on defense that can make plays.
“[They’re a] very disciplined team. They’re good at what they do,” Green said of UNT. “I feel like they’re very physical in the run and pass game. We have to be on our stuff.”
Green has echoed the message his coaches and teammates have relayed all week: Play together, enjoy the moments, and win the game for the seniors.
“Continue to do what we do and just play for each other and play for the seniors because it’s their last game,” he said. “Knowing that feeling that some will go their separate ways, our team’s never going to be the same.”
A win for the Broncos would be a great end to the season, but Green knows that it will also be a good barometer for “having something to build on for next year and the offseason and know[ing] what you need to work on.”
