Craig Bohl compares Boise State’s QB to a ‘young Josh Allen’

LARAMIE -- Craig Bohl's eyebrows raised. So did his voice.

If Wyoming's ninth-year head coach was overly emphatic about one subject during his weekly press conference, it was his impressions of Boise State quarterback Taylen Green.

It's easy to see why, too.

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The 6-foot-6, 220-pound freshman has twice been named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week. After completing 24-of-30 throws for 305 yards and two touchdowns in a dominating 49-10 victory over Colorado State -- he also added a score on the ground -- Green was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week. That performance against the Rams also earned him the Manning Award Star of the Week.

Green, a Lewisville, Texas, native, is also already a two-time Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week Honorable Mention recipient.

Not too shabby, huh?

The Broncos' young signal caller is completing nearly 66% of his passes. He's thrown for 1,300 yards and seven touchdowns. He's also rolled up 294 yards on the ground and crossed the goal line six times with his legs.

Maybe that's why Bohl dropped this shocking comparison Monday afternoon.

"Green is not average or good, he is an outstanding quarterback, reminiscent of a young Josh Allen," he said. "From a guy who recruited Josh and coached Josh, a pretty bold statement on my part. But I've seen him throw the ball, flick it 68 yards. He's 6-foot-6 and he has a good completion percentage. He's unbelievably mobile and he's aggressive. His height and his leverage allows him to make plays and throws that I would not allow our quarterback to make, simply because he's so rangy he can do things that it really stresses you."

After the Broncos stumbled out of the gate with a 2-2 record, including a surprising lopsided loss at UTEP, offensive coordinator Tim Plough received his walking papers. Enter Dirk Koetter, a former head coach at Boise State, who was serving in a consultant role with the program. He stepped in, starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier stepped out, entering the NCAA Transfer Portal after spending four-plus seasons in Idaho.

Green was inserted into the lineup and the results were immediate.

In a 35-13 blowout of San Diego State inside Albertsons Stadium, the Broncos' new QB gashed the Aztecs for 105 yards on the ground on just eight attempts. That's an average of 13.1 yards per carry. Green also scored two touchdowns.

If there was one question mark about Green after that victory it was if he could actually throw the football with consistency? He completed just 5-of-10 throws for 48 yards and an interception in the win.

It didn't take long to realize Green was no one-trick pony.

In his last five outings, he has completed 78-of-117 passes for 1,097 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with two picks.

Boise State now features one of the most explosive offenses in the country, averaging a Mountain West best 30 points and 372.3 yards per outing. Only Air Force and Wyoming rush for more yards per game.

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What has been the biggest difference since Koetter started calling plays? Bohl's response was quick and precise -- Taylen Green.

"Without question," he said bluntly. "That's where it starts ... This guy came on and -- you don't have access to the tape that we do -- I mean, I'm just looking at play after play after play. You look and go, 'OK, bootleg.' I have certain rules that as a defensive guy you do. He may take the ball and throw it across his body and throw a strike on a rope where you go, 'how the hell?' First of all, 'How in the world did he see somebody?'

"Well, being 6-foot-6 makes a difference. Two, he's not like a giraffe, he's agile. Then, how in the world does he have the accuracy? I think he's completing 65%. When I said a comparison to Josh Allen; I've got damn good eyes. There's greatness with this guy. Hell, I wish Dirk would have stayed out on the golf course."

Jay Sawvel -- your thoughts?

"I wish I knew the answer," Wyoming's defensive coordinator said with a smile. "No, I mean, there's a unique skill set. There's a very unique size component to the skill set. He's a great athlete, great player."

Easton Gibbs, who leads the Cowboys with 88 tackles, including a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery, said a good start would be keeping Green in the pocket.

"You let guys like that get on the outside, with strong arms, they can hurt you," the junior linebacker said. "That's when you leave the guys out in the secondary hanging out to dry a little bit. They have to stay out there and cover a lot longer. So, I think that's going to be a big thing for us to just keep him contained. I think it's a big key to us coming out with a win."

Boise State knows all about watching tall, big-armed quarterbacks maneuver around the pocket and sling the ball from all angles. In 2016, Allen did just that in a 30-28 upset of the 13th-ranked Broncos inside War Memorial Stadium.

Allen completed 18-of-31 throws for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Jacob Hollister from 19 yards out. He connected with his favorite tight end again late in the second half on a 28-yard strike.

The dagger came with 6:42 left in regulation when Allen avoided the rush, rolled to his right, directed traffic with his left hand and eventually fired a 27-yard pass across his body before stepping out of bounds. Tanner Gentry was on the receiving end, hauling in the touchdown in the back of the end zone.

"You've got two really good football teams playing a really important game late in November," Bohl said.

The winner of the Wyoming-Boise State tilt will take over the top spot in the Mountain Division with just one regular season game remaining. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

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