Like it is

Winning kept turbulent '06 season on rails

Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain celebrates with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn after Arkansas beat No. 2 Auburn 27-10 in a college football game on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006 in Auburn, Ala. Malzahn coached Mustain in high school. (AP Photo/Todd J. Van Emst)
Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain celebrates with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn after Arkansas beat No. 2 Auburn 27-10 in a college football game on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006 in Auburn, Ala. Malzahn coached Mustain in high school. (AP Photo/Todd J. Van Emst)

It was the most tumultuous season in Arkansas Razorbacks football history.

In some ways, 2006 seems so much longer ago than 11 years, but that was the year of the cold war that included head coach Houston Nutt and assistants Reggie Herring and Mike Markuson on one side, and assistant Gus Malzahn, quarterback Mitch Mustain and wide receiver Damian Williams on the other.

There is no sense in revisiting the off-field events that resulted in a fractured fan base and what should have been a run for the books for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville football program. Perhaps 11 years isn't enough time for all the healing.

There was some irony in that season because it ended with a loss in the Capital One Bowl to Wisconsin and the Badgers' coach, Bret Bielema. Malzahn is now the head coach of the Auburn Tigers, who the Hogs beat that year on their way to a 10-game winning streak, and that game came in at No. 21 on the SEC Silver Anniversary list.

Auburn was ranked No. 2 in the country on the morning of Oct. 7 for a game that CBS had moved to an 11 a.m. kickoff as part of a doubleheader.

Arkansas was unranked but had won three in a row since losing to Southern Cal 50-14 (more irony since that is where Mustain and Williams would transfer to). The victories included a two-overtime victory over Alabama 24-23, so the Plains were overflowing with excitement.

By then, the whispers were in full force that Nutt was not happy with the play calling of Malzahn, and Malzahn was not happy that every game plan was given back to him with far fewer passing plays.

That day, the offense may have been vanilla, but it was good enough as Darren McFadden rushed for 145 yards and had a 64-yard touchdown run; Felix Jones went for 104 yards and a touchdown; and Mustain, who was 7-of-10 passing, had a 50-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Monk.

One trick play accounted for 28 yards. It was called "Woody," and what happened was Reggie Fish -- who stood a statuesque 5-7 -- crouched next to Mustain. He was so low the defense couldn't see him, and when he was handed the ball, the Tigers were momentarily baffled. His run set up Jones' touchdown.

The 366 yards of offense for the Razorbacks were good for 27 points, at that time a season high for the Hogs, but the headliners of the game were on defense.

The defense held the 5-0 Tigers to just 213 yards of total offense and 10 points.

Arkansas led 17-10 at the half, then threw an almost perfect game in the second half, allowing the Tigers offense to be on the field less than 10 minutes and only 2:44 of the final quarter.

It had been more than 40 years since the Hogs had beaten a team ranked that high on the road, and it was symbolic of what was happening. Camps were dividing, but winning held the program together.

The Razorbacks were 10-1 when LSU came to Little Rock for the season finale. The Tigers' only losses were at Auburn and at No. 5 Florida. But under second year head coach Les Miles, the Tigers had mounted a five-game winning streak and the game with the Hogs would be their SEC championship game because Arkansas was undefeated in league play. Like Auburn, LSU had two conference losses.

LSU would win it 31-26 on a fourth-quarter kickoff return.

The slippery slope of the 2006 season was about to become more slippery. The Hogs lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game and Wisconsin in the bowl. Williams, Mustain -- who was benched with five games to go -- and Malzahn would never be on the Razorbacks' sideline again, and a 10-game winning streak became a footnote.

Sports on 06/14/2017

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