TAT: Malzahn Returns to Fayetteville

This article originally appeared on October 28, 2013 on The Arkansas Traveler website, uatrav.com.

The Arkansas football team placed a large emphasis on fundamentals during its first bye week after playing in each of the first eight weeks of the college football season, head coach Bret Bielema said at his weekly Monday press conference.

He also said that several players were able to get healthy and would see expanded roles against No. 11 Auburn Saturday.

“D’Arthur Cowan has had a great week,” Bielema said. “He had his best practice on Thursday.”

Cowan, who missed the first six games of the season with a broken foot, has played in the last two games. The sophomore wide receiver has only one reception for nine yards, but Bielema said he would see action in the punt and kickoff return game, as well as receiver, Saturday.

Sophomore offensive tackle Grady Ollison, sophomore wide receiver Keon Hatcher and junior linebacker Martrell Spaight are completely healthy and will receive more playing time, too, Bielema said.

The Tigers coming to Fayetteville means Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn will be back in the state where he made a name for himself in the high school coaching ranks. He was also the offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2006 and head coach at Arkansas State in 2012.

“I really don’t know Gus,” Bielema said. “I know the history. I might have shaken his hand on two different occasions.”

Although Malzahn and Bielema don’t know each other very well, they have made the headlines together during their first seasons as head coaches in the Southeastern Conference.

About a week and a half ago, members of Bielema’s coaching staff noticed that the Auburn film sent to Arkansas did not match the television tape.

They noticed the Tigers lining up in the swinging gate formation on extra points on the television tape, but that was not in the tape sent from the Auburn staff.

“The SEC office will handle it,” Bielema said. “I’m sure it’s just a glitch. Gus stands for everything right.”

During SEC media days, Malzahn and Bielema fired verbal shots at each other, with Malzahn defending his hurry-up spread offense and Bielema speaking out against it.

Bielema clarified his argument Monday and said that his complaint isn’t about the spread offensive, but that his problem was with the “pace of the game” affecting player health.

Despite these conflicts, Bielema said that this game isn’t about the coaches. Instead, he said it is completely about how the players perform on the field.

However, Bielema said that he knows how Malzahn will feel. In his first year as head coach at Wisconsin, his Badgers were 9-1 heading into their Big Ten finale against Iowa, Bielema’s alma mater.

“A lot of things were built up in the media,” Bielema said, “but it’s been my experience, as a head coach, that it really lessens as game time gets closer. It’s right after the game that it means a lot.”

The game is scheduled to kickoff at 5 p.m. and will air nationally on ESPN2.