Taylen Green passed for four touchdowns and rushed for one more, and Arkansas pulled away for a 56-14 win over Arkansas State in the first-ever showdown between the in-state programs Saturday afternoon in Little Rock, Ark.
Green completed 17 of 26 passes for 239 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for Arkansas (2-0). He also rushed nine times for 151 yards and a score.
Jaylen Raynor completed 21 of 33 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Arkansas State (1-1). Raynor led the Red Wolves with 38 rushing yards.
A sellout crowd of 54,959 fans attended the historic game at War Memorial Stadium, a neutral site that drew supporters from both programs. It marked the biggest crowd at the stadium since 2014, when Arkansas played Georgia.
The Razorbacks jumped to a 28-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Mike Washington Jr. opened the scoring with a 53-yard touchdown run in the game’s first minute. It was the second play from scrimmage for the Razorbacks.
Green got in on the action during Arkansas’ next drive. He hit Raylen Sharpe for a 37-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 in the first five minutes.
Arkansas State responded moments later to pull within 14-7. Chauncy Cobb took a kickoff return 98 yards for a touchdown.
The Razorbacks wrapped the first quarter with a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a 64-yard scramble by Green and a 7-yard score by Braylen Russell.
Arkansas State cut the deficit to 28-14 with 3:44 remaining in the first half. Raynor connected with Cameron Ambrose for a 2-yard touchdown.
The Razorbacks finished the game with 21 unanswered points to coast to the victory.
Rohan Jones notched the first touchdown of the second half when he hauled in a 33-yard touchdown with 11:20 remaining in the third quarter.
Next, Green found O’Mega Blake for a 14-yard touchdown with 3:46 left in the third quarter to increase the Razorbacks’ lead to 49-14.
K.J. Jackson finished the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run with 6:16 to play.
