The first Bowl Championship Series rankings of 2008 were released on Sunday.  For most Arkansas football fans, however, it was an announcement that went mostly unnoticed.

And that’s understandable.  When your team isn’t winning enough to be listed among the ‘elite programs,’ you’re really not too interested in keeping up (at least at this point) with those schools who are on top.

Similarly, when Houston Dale ‘resigned‘ last November, many Hog fans probably didn’t notice that he mentioned the BCS, too.

Nutt:  “I just can’t say enough about our program from where it started in 1998 when [...] all they wanted to know was ‘could we beat SMU?’ and now they’re wanting to know when we’re going to get to the BCS.  This place, right now, is in very, very good shape and they’re going to get there.”

But the fact that Nutt even mentioned those three letters should’ve made headlines.  They were certainly never uttered when he was asked before each season what his team’s goals were for that year.

Now…we’ve already long ago listed the reasons why Houston Dale had to go.  The off-the-field antics are well known and were certainly more than enough of a reason.

But the biggest on-the-field reason always seems to be forgotten: Houston Nutt had 10 seasons at Arkansas to earn a bid to a BCS bowl game…and failed.  Only Tommy Bowden had a similar streak and now he’s looking for a new helmet to love, too.

The jury is still out on whether Bobby Petrino can lead this program across that threshold.  But long before he left Fayetteville, the verdict on Nutt had already been read into the court record and sealed.  The expectations of Arkansas fans had changed…and their coach’s ability to deliver on them had not.

Which is why, no matter what happens for the rest of this year, Houston Dale’s first season at Ole Miss has been a success.  Why?  Because he’s already won a conference game.  And that’s one more SEC win than they celebrated in Oxford last year.  So…year one…expectations exceeded.

And at some point…after he defeats Mississippi State a few times…or, even better, actually leads the Rebels to a Western Division championship and a trip (but, of course, not a win) to the SEC Championship Game…expectations exceeded.

For Rebel fans who have been starving for a winner, that all sounds pretty amazing…almost unbelievable.  And that’s exactly the level of expectations that Nutt has shown he can exceed.

But for Razorback fans…been there…done that…wanting more.  Unrealistic expectations?  Those who think that the Hogs don’t ever belong among the top tier of those 25 BCS teams ranked on Sunday would say so.

As for the rest of us, we actually agree with what Houston Dale said when he left: “This place is in very good shape…and they’re going to get there.”

In fact, if you didn’t know better, you might think some of the media actually believe he is the devil incarnate.

As for us here at RBN, we’re excited about the hiring of Coach Petrino and the potential he brings to the program.  Unfortunately, however, we also think some of the criticisms leveled against him are completely justified.  Petrino’s ‘drifter’ antics with Auburn, Louisville and now Atlanta have been especially well documented.

But let’s take a step back for a moment…

Ten years ago this month, the University of Arkansas hired what seemed like the perfect man for the job.  A young head coach who had gone to school on The Hill, played for the Razorbacks and ‘loved that helmet.’

When Houston Nutt was hired in 1997, few national columnists even cared.  But the local media, as per usual, pretty much lined up behind the move.  (With the primary exception being Orville Henry…whose “furious” column has been quoted often over the years.)

Nutt got the fans excited, too, with comments like ‘working daylight to exhaustion’ and ‘building a wall around the state’ to keep local talent at home.  The ’98 and ’99 seasons were certainly a rollercoaster of big wins and tough losses.

But underneath all the praise and excitement, there was something about the man that no one could put into words…until a few years later:

“‘I do respect the guy, but he is a used car salesman,’ said Boise State defensive tackle Brad Phillips about Houston Nutt in the Idaho Statesman Thursday morning.” — September, 2000

In 2000, that comment still seemed like sour grapes.  Just a few years later, Phillips’ words resonated like Nostradamus.  Unfortunately, the realization by most fans that Nutt really was a used car salesman took several more years.  And it was a painful one for many followers to believe.  For some, it still hasn’t been accepted.

And that’s the difference between today and 1997.  With Petrino, we’ve been completely informed about all the flaws before the marriage.  With Nutt, it was like the cold morning of marital reality after the honeymoon was inevitably over.

Stewart Mandel of SI.com wants us to know what we’re “getting into” with Bobby Petrino.  But the fact that we know anything at all about him beforehand is a welcome change.

Even if hearing about some of it makes us a little wary about the future.

There are two major ‘coincidences’ that led to Monday’s ‘resignation.’

The E-Mail Situation.  December 7th — A day in history that lives “in infamy” — was also the day that Teresa Prewett managed (within a one hour time period, mind you) to talk to both Houston Dale and Danny Nutt, e-mail Mitch Mustain, and then forward the Mustain e-mail to Diana Nutt, Carla Nutt (Danny’s wife), and Lisa Herring (Reggie’s wife).  The e-mail contained the following:

“Too bad I’m not Coach Nutt today.  If so, I’d be having Tim Cheney sew lace around your jock straps, but that would be after I let you hang out face to face in a private meeting with the offensive and defensive lineman — I think I’d even throw Butu in for the meeting.  Did I mention that I want you to transfer?”

December 8th, 2006 — In a ‘players only’ meeting, Sam Olajubutu leads the seniors in addressing Mitch Mustain.

The menu of possible interpretations of this includes:  a) coincidence; b) plot; or c) Houston Dale and Danny trying to calm Teresa down.

January 5, 2007 — Houston Dale was asked by John White to investigate his wife’s involvement in any e-mails regarding Mitch Mustain.

January 18th, 2007 – A John White letter to Beck Campbell (Mitch Mustain’s mother) states that: “Nutt and Mr. Broyles said they had not seen and were unaware of Prewett’s email to your son.”

At this point, the menu features the additional selections (available following the main entrée) of:  d) a complete lack of pillow talk or other communication between Houston Dale and Diana; e) a similar lack between Danny and Reggie and their wives; f) a complete lack of issue recognition among possibly three coaches and each of their wives; g) a failure of the three coaches to communicate with each other; or h) any, all or most of the above.

“Bring the wood” is apparently a family thing.  May 27, 2007 — In an e-mail from Houston Nutt’s personal account, the writer (assumedly Diana Nutt) mentions a July, 2002 attack on Beck Campbell (where she was beaten with a 2 x 4 by some former tenants) and states, “but I wish I were one of them.”

John White said at Monday’s press conference that he had met with Houston Dale in the week following the South Carolina game.  At that time, White offered to remove the “golden handcuffs” on Nutt’s contract that paved the way for his eventual ‘resignation‘ to “unite the fan base.”

The contents of Diana Nutt’s e-mail were published later that same week.  Two days later at the Tennessee game, Houston Dale was noticeably melancholy before and during the game, and his team seemed ill-prepared to face the Volunteers.

—————

It’s easy to say that the real issue was that a small group of fans were simply out to get Houston Dale…but that is a total cop-out.  The things I’ve mentioned above are part of the public record today and have been so for quite a while.  These things alone are enough to justify why Houston Dale had to go.  No fan caused his, or his wife, or his coaches, or their wives, involvement in the e-mails.  Houston and Diana Nutt did this to themselves.

When a coach and his family signs up for the coaching life, an element of ‘trust’ is a part of the deal.  There can be little difference found between the actions of the coach themselves and the actions of the wives.  The wife of any head coach — much less a major college head coach — should by definition have known better.

It’s obvious that, when this all came to light, the appropriate taking of responsibility and public statements of apology were not made.  Some would argue that the real issue with this whole situation is that some dumb fans made FOI requests.  After all, many players get hateful e-mails.  And the coaches can’t control that.  And…you know…Mitch and Gus and that bunch…they were just out to get poor Houston Dale.

While it’s true that players occasionally get hateful or hurtful e-mails and letters from fans, the fact that the wives of the coaches participated in the e-mail circus makes it a much different situation.  Whether or not the actual coaches knew about their wives involvement is really a moot point.

Whatever the situation was with Mitch Mustain, it was wrong for the coaches’ wives to participate as they did.  It is hard for even the casual observer to believe they did it without the knowledge of their husbands.  It is equally hard to believe, considering the mountain of e-mail and text evidence, that Houston Dale and Danny were truly ignorant of what was going on.

The seven deadly sins (in order of decreasing magnitude) are said to be pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust.  When you bring several of those into play, things don’t tend to turn out well.

Yes, it does matter whether or not you win or lose.  But it also still matters how you play the game.

And it matters more how you represent the game.

Following 10 seasons, 75 victories and seven bowl games with an eighth bid coming later this week, Houston Nutt has stepped down as head football coach at the University of Arkansas, he announced at a press conference on Monday.

Also:

• Hogwired.com: Statement from Arkansas Interim Head Coach Reggie Herring
• ESPN.com: Nutt era closes with resignation of Arkansas coach
• TodaysTHV.com (Video): Houston Nutt Statement, Press Conference Q&A, Press Conference Recap

RazorBloggers Network

• HogBlogger: Why Houston Dale Had To Go

ArkansasSports360.com

• Chris Bahn: Arkansas, Nutt Agree To Settlement In Excess of $3 million, Long Gets Early Start On AD Duties

The Morning News

• Alex Abrams: Nutt Era Comes To An End
• Ryan Malashock: Nutt To Collect About $3 Million From Razorback Foundation, Who’s On Long’s Short List?
• Nathan Allen: Nutt’s Resignation A Shock To Players
• Vernon Tarver: Herring Named Head Hog For Bowl Game
• Robbie Neiswanger: Nutt Could Be Rebel With A Cause
• Harry King: Resignation About Two Families

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

• Bob Holt: Let the search begin But timing not right for Davis
• Chris Givens: Players in jail, hateful e-mails add to Nutt’s worries
• Democrat-Gazette: Team dispirited yet sympathetic
• Richard Davenport: Nutt’s departure surprises many of Arkansas’ recruits
• Wally Hall: Unifying Arkansas’ fan base will be Long task
• Nate Allen: Of his own accord
• Rainer Sabin: Search for Nutt’s successor in new AD Long’s hands

Other Sites and Blogs

• ESPN.com: Maisel: Winning not enough to extend Nutt, Bower tenures
• Memphis Commercial Appeal: Higgins: Nutt’s departure set in motion last spring
• The Hog Blogger: A Farewell And A Thank You
• Joe Public: The UA-Houston Nutt Lovefest

Updated 11/28/07 11:00 a.m.

Nutt: “We had some little preliminary discussions and we have some more coming this week. We’ll wait until that time to see what comes out of it. Again, right now, I’m excited. Chancellor (John A.) White and Coach (Frank) Broyles want me here. They want me to stay and that’s a good feeling and I’m excited about that.

“(The prelim discussions) were just with Chancellor White right now. Jeff Long was still at the LSU game and he had relatives there, so we’ll wait until this week, about mid-week when he gets back, and have some more formal discussions.”

Also:

• AP: Administration wants to keep Nutt at Arkansas
• Chris Bahn: Nutt Hopes To Know Status ‘Mid-Week’
• TodaysTHV.com (Video): Press Conference Video
• Alex Abrams: Nutt Says White And Broyles Want Him To Stay
• Tom Murphy: Nutt says he has his ‘dream job’
• Nate Allen: Nutt will likely determine his own fate

Updated 11/26/07 8:45 p.m.

po·lar·izing – 1. to divide into sharply opposing factions.

And depending on your ‘faction,’ that headline could have two very different meanings.

Hogblogger, I have to challange you to prove that what has happened with Frank is not something that was not going to happen anyway.

I suppose somewhere along the way I must have said that Coach Broyles was going to be athletic director forever.

It does seem like he’s been around forever.  I first met him in person in 1968 in an elevator at what was then the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.  The Razorbacks beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl a couple of days later 16-2 — Bill Montgomery played the second half with a separated shoulder, by the way — and I watched from what seemed like the top of Tulane Stadium.

I have his autograph on a placemat from a dinner that was held in Newport in honor of Rodney Brand.  I’m sure all of you remember him as an All-American center in the late 60′s.

As a grad student at the U of A, I participated in a project that required me to sit down and interview Coach Broyles.  He was very gracious.  I ran into him one day at Neal’s Cafe in Springdale eating alone and joined him — again he was very gracious and we had a pleasant conversation.

So, I’ve been a fan of Coach Broyles longer than perhaps many of our readers have been alive.  He has done an amazing job as Athletic Director.  And, he’s had a lot of help from good coaches and good fans and supporters of the program.  He’s been an important part of a big puzzle.  We will miss him…but it is a big puzzle.

But I didn’t think he would be around forever.  While I hate to see him ‘forced out’ as many are saying, I do think his staying on ‘forever’ has not been the best thing.  Orderly transition is a good thing, and the best leaders enable those.  ‘Forced’ or sudden transitions are not good things.  If the Board of Trustees have ‘forced’ this, then I don’t think that speaks well of anyone involved, including Coach Broyles.

My fellow blogger, Sunshine, said it very well the other day:  ‘They (Broyles and Nutt) did it to themselves by their actions.’  (The bit about the movie and the samurai warriors was a bit beyond me…so I don’t know about that.)

You can blame the Internet and the message boards, but all they did was get the word out about a lot of the things that went on.  Yes…there’s a lot of senseless chatter out there, too.  But you can get senseless chatter listening to ChuckieB and RickieS, too — especially the last few days.

The long track record of meddling that Coach Broyles had, the NCAA probations that have occurred under his watch, and his statements in Dallas didn’t do him any favors.  The waterdrop effect turned into a waterfall.

As for Houston Dale, he causes himself issues many times simply by talking.  I saw him on the TV the other night explaining that his comments about Coach Broyles last Saturday were taken out of context.

He has said repeatedly that we are going to work on a passing game.

He said ‘no one was rude to Gus,’ when the truth was that many were rude to Gus.  I’ve heard from people that were on the practice field and in meetings.  He says he doesn’t really know about what his wife forwarded when the truth is he knows exactly what his wife forwarded.

So while there are things I don’t like about Houston Dale, I think he should keep his job.  At our budget and with our current athletic director, we are not going to find anyone better.  I just wish he would realize that he’s not fooling people with some of the things he says.  I also wish he would get some help on offense and quit worrying about who gets the credit.

But he’s not going to be here forever.  And the program will go on without him, just as it will go on without Coach Broyles.  Texas managed to survive the retirement of Darrell Royal somehow.

As one of my favorite authors said, ‘today is gone, today was fun, tomorrow is another one.’ **

As for this mess — people picking sides — ‘darksiders’ and ‘huggers’ — Nutt lovers and Nutt haters — Gus lovers and Gus haters — Mitch lovers and Mitch haters — ChuckieB and RickieS — the masses on Hogville — the gang at Hawgs Illustrated…everyone’s had a part.  There are no saints, only sinners.  This blog included.

I’ll state again, for the record, that I’m keeping my donation the same and will keep my season football tickets. I don’t care who coaches or who is athletic director, I’ll be a Hog fan.

As for choosing sides — my seats are on the West side under the press box because that keeps me out of the sun and rain.  I’ll be in them no matter the coach or athletic director.

Now Houston Dale just needs to hush up and coach football.  There’s a passing game that needs work.

* Billy Joel

** Dr. Seuss – if you haven’t read the book, you should, because reading is fun and books are good.

Rebuffing ongoing speculation and commentary today, University of Arkansas Chancellor John A.White affirmed his support of Razorback head football coach Houston Nutt.

“I want to be abundantly clear - the University of Arkansas is committed to head football coach Houston Nutt’s leadership of the Razorback football program,” said White. “It’s unfortunate that the days and weeks following a remarkable football season, which featured 10 straight wins and an SEC West championship, has been burdened by rampant speculation and sensationalist remarks over the future of the program.”

Also:

• Arkansas Blog: Happy as Hogs in slop
• AP: Arkansas chancellor supports Nutt despite turmoil
• SI.com: Mandel: Nutt faces heat in truly bizarre Arkansas soap opera
• Alex Abrams: UA Chancellor Shows Support For Nutt
• Scott Cain: Nutt has support of White, Broyles
• Nate Allen: White gives Nutt a vote of confidence

Updated 2/23/07 8:00 a.m.

The discussion quickly turned to “Who was to blame” for the defrocking of Broyles, and the slander of the embattled Nutt.  The Board?  John White?  Wally?  Teresa Prewett?  Mike Irwin?  The consummate company men, Barrett and Henry gave each of the above their due for “taking a pound of flesh” as they put it, to bring down the man at the top of their kingdom.

The answer to their question was simple, but was not uttered by either of them.  ‘Who’s responsible for this?’  They (Broyles and Nutt) did it to themselves by their actions.

One of my favorite movies of the 90′s was Ronin, starring Robert De Niro.  Besides the thrilling action and some of the best car chase scenes ever recorded on film, the movie offers a look into the post-Cold War lives of secret agents who no longer have employers.  The agents become like the 47 Ronin who were disgraced, leaderless samurai warriors, who committed seppuku — ritual suicide.  They did it to themselves.

By their actions, Coach Broyles and Coach Nutt sealed their fate.  Frank’s comments to the Dallas Alumni on our “potential” were the tipping point in my mind.  He lost his BOT majority as a result of those comments and never recovered.  Nutt’s lies about the e-mails, his unscheduled appearance on Wally’s radio show, and the running off of the one man in this world that could save him — Gus Malzahn — are more than he can overcome now.

Frank reached the conclusion that he could not win this fight anymore and graciously retired.  Nutt has yet to come to grasp with that reality.  Like he said himself…he’s a fighter, which may yield nothing but a messy departure.

Nutt, who called in to a Little Rock radio program nine days ago to dispute several recent reports, attempts to explain several topics, including the hiring process of Gus Malzahn, the recruitment of Mitch Mustain, and the reasons he believes they both eventually left Arkansas after a successful 10 win season.

Also:

• The Morning News: Complete Interview (PDF), Sam Olajubutu Interview (PDF)
• Harry King: Nutt Q and A for those in the middle

One thing you can say about Wally — he sure knows how to energize the Houston Dale faithful.

To quote Elton and Bernie — ‘It’s a strange, sad situation, and it’s getting more and more absurd.’

Or maybe we should quote John Prine — ‘Actually, everything’s just about the same.’

Even if someone were actually ‘right’ in this whole discussion, would it matter?  I don’t think so.  In fact, the major issue in the whole discussion is that much of what is being said from all camps has some basis in fact.  I’ve heard this referred to in consulting speak as ‘multiple competing truths.’

It is in the nature of people to expect that ‘truth’ moves in a consistent direction.  Unfortunately, ‘truth’ seldom does that.  Piling ‘truths’ together does not often result in a solution, much less a clear picture of ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’  ‘The sky is blue.’  ‘The clouds are white.’  ‘Yesterday it rained.’  ‘I’m right!’  ‘No, I’m right!’  ‘You are both fools, I saw you soaking wet yesterday.’

Typically, there are sins all around.  No matter how much ‘truth’ you tell, you may not be telling the whole story.

Chuck and Clay said that what they thought Houston Dale was offended by was 1) the idea that he would put a hurt player on the field, and 2) that Wally was saying members of the coaching staff were rude to Gus.

Moving quickly past the question of how they seemed to feel they knew with such certainty what Houston Dale thought — I’m sorry that Houston Dale (or the writer of the talking points) was offended, but the truth is football coaches put hurt players on the field all the time.  Many times the hurt football players want to be on the field.  McFadden was still injured at the time of the USC game as well as in the Capital One Bowl and played in both.  Those things happen.

Sprained, separated, whatever — Damian played and he was hurt.  Should he have?  I don’t know.  If the medical staff cleared him to play, then I suppose that makes it okay.

Why should Houston Dale be offended now by Wally inferring that members of the coaching staff were rude to Gus?  This has been inferred by many since last February.  It’s not exactly like there is some big secret there.  As my Grandmother would say, ‘that’s been common gossip all along.’

Beyond that, I have it on the word of multiple people that they witnessed the references to ‘high school’ and other derogatory comments regarding Gus.  The fact that this was going on has been a ‘given’ to me for more months than I remember at this point.  But, those things happen.  Boys will be boys.

And, players are going to get ugly e-mails.  If it wasn’t from a friend of the coaches with a sideline pass, it would have been from someone else.  Rest assured…those things happen.  That’s not news.

If the head coach makes it a point of telling a player that he is going to start the game, the head coach has no obligation to ever mention it again even if the player does not start the game.  Furthermore, the player should be left with no idea of why he didn’t start the game.  Furthermore, the player should say nothing to his parents about the situation.  Players play and coaches coach.  Parents should stay out of it.  Things happen on the field for a purpose.  ‘Never complain, never explain.’

What’s amazing to me is that so many people today want to do the equivalent of, ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.’  But then again, that movie is nearly 70 years old and people are still watching it.

Both Houston Dale and Gus had many opportunities to talk during the year and douse the fires of many ‘rumors.’  Neither really did.  Why didn’t they?  If the many rumors were false, why not just stand up and say so?  Why take the position that the less said the better?  Why all of the careful, ‘by the book’ comments during the year from Gus?  Why is Houston Dale only now owning up to the ‘get the ball to McFadden 25 times a game’ comment?  Convenient time to have finally ‘had enough’ – when you are pretty much assured of having the last word.

At this point I really don’t care.  The time for dealing with this was long ago.

The truth is we should all just be content with the season we had.  After all, we did better than our potential.  Our recruiting class ranked at our potential level in the SEC.  Sure, there were players from Arkansas that were highly rated, and we would have loved to have them in the program, but they didn’t want to be Razorbacks, so, ‘hey, what can you do?’  You can’t argue with city hall, friends, experts, and potential.  At least we signed a running quarterback.

Houston Dale — ‘gotta love that helmet’ — understands what it means not to want to be a Razorback better than anyone, as he himself left the program to go to Oklahoma State.  A program can’t fit everyone, and there are players that the Razorback program just doesn’t fit.  Those players that don’t want to be a part of the Razorback team should look to other places in order to fulfill their personal ambitions.

After all, they can always come back and coach one day and remind us that it is all about team.

Time to pull together as Razorbacks.

During “The Show With No Name,” a sports talk show hosted by Tommy Smith, former Razorback linebacker David Bazzel, and columnist Wally Hall, Nutt criticized a column written by Hall and published in this morning’s Democrat-Gazette.

Also:

• KABZFM.com: Houston Nutt Call
• YouTube.com: Houston Nutt Call, Razorback Nation Report
• ArkansasBusiness.com: Nutt Defends Himself, Program on Little Rock Radio
• Little Rocking: Nutt and Wally go at it, and ‘The Buzz’ has it
• AP: Nutt says wasn’t blaming media for perceived recruiting troubles
• Democrat-Gazette: Nutt calls radio show to rebut Hall, column
• Wally Hall (2/13): Blame game shouldn’t be played with media

Updated 2/13/07 9:30 a.m.

I say that because I had thought about a scene from the mini-series Band of Brothers on the day before, after it was reported that Houston Dale had planned to demote his award-winning offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn, after a 10 win season.

In the first episode of the mini-series set during World War II (and based on the great book by Stephen Ambrose), the protagonist of the story, Lt. Dick Winters, finds out that he’s being punished by his commander, Capt. Herbert Sobel (whose ineptness is brilliantly portrayed by former Friends actor David Schwimmer).

When Winters questions Sobel about the reasons for the punishment, he quickly realizes that the reprimand is a petty act by Sobel to unjustly discipline him out of jealousy.  Winters, an up-and-coming officer, is respected by his men and very capable in his duties — two things that Sobel is not.

“Punishment for your offenses will be denial of a 48-hour pass for 60 days,” Sobel says.  “Or you may initiate a letter of appeal and request a trial by court-martial.”

Winters, standing at attention, glares at him.  After an awkward silence, Sobel implores him.  “You spend your weekends on the base anyway, Dick.”

“Be a man…take the punishment.”

After a momentary pause, Winters defiantly grabs a pen out of Sobel’s hand.  “May I borrow your pen, sir?”  He quickly signs a paper, hands it to Sobel and returns to attention.

“My endorsement, sir.  I request trial by court-martial.”

Sobel sits stunned as Winters looks down at him, salutes, and walks away.

Later, after hearing of the incident, the sergeants under Winters resign in support and protest.  They do so knowing that their act during wartime could be punished by being lined up in front of a firing squad and shot.  But better to die that way, they believe, than to die in battle under the command of an inept Capt. Sobel.

Eventually, Sobel’s regiment commander realizes his motives and summarily transfers him.  The charges against Winters are dropped and he and his reinstated sergeants go on to lead their company into battle on D-Day and beyond.

But the moral is clear:  Fairness.  Honesty.  Integrity.  Principles that are worth standing up and fighting for…and rightly disassociating from those who don’t embody them.

So maybe now you can see how I could draw parallels to who I view as Sobel, Winters and the sergeants in our own little drama here on the Hill this week.

The only question I still have is…who is our regiment commander?

Their favorite t-shirt says, ‘Because I’m the daddy, that’s why.’

The bunch from Springdale made a lot of noise that continually demanded attention.  Winning the state championship, being nationally ranked, the recruiting attention gathered by the ‘Springdale 5,’ the quarterback becoming the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year — that was a lot of noise.

The Razorback football program had no choice but to embrace and claim ownership of the noise.  It was forced upon them.  After all, the Springdale border was maybe 10 minutes away from the stadium if the traffic is heavy.  Following two losing seasons and calls for the head coach’s head, losing the Parade National Player of the Year, or for that fact any member of the ‘Springdale 5,’ would only serve as the final nail in the coffin for head coach Houston Dale Nutt.

So, the Razorbacks and Houston Dale did embrace –- so tightly that they hired the Springdale ‘High School‘ coach and appointed him ‘offensive coordinator.’  Promises were made that the ‘High School’ coach would bring newness to the Razorback offense.

Just when all seemed lost on the recruiting front, the ‘High School’ coach promptly delivered four of the ‘Springdale 5,’ including the Parade National Player of the Year, to the Hogs campus.  The coffin was placed into storage, the nails returned to the store, and Houston Dale ‘loved that helmet.’

The noise and anticipation grew.  In response to the thrashing at the hands of USC, the Parade National Player of the Year was immediately named as starting quarterback.  Hope was sold and hope abounded.  The decision appeared blessed by the winds and fate.  The Hogs suddenly seemed unbeatable.

However, the Athletic Director, feeling absolutely no need to remind that the key to the room containing the coffin was stored securely in his top desk drawer, made it known to Houston Dale and the press agents that the new ‘passing’ offense was not Razorback football.  Experts had apparently been consulted confirming this fact.  (There is apparently no truth to the rumor that Coach Broyles drafted a memo to Urban Meyer notifying him that spread offense would not work in the SEC and later chose not to send it for fear of providing aid to the opposition.)

Much of the new offense quickly made its way to the scrap heap, which seemed to trouble very few as the Hogs running game was near amazing at times.  With whatever successes the offense had, the head coach made certain to point out that the offense was a team effort and not due to anyone in particular, save for the amazing running backs.  Certainly not due to the ‘High School’ coach who had constructed the offense to put all of the Hogs primary weapons on the field at once.  After all, choosing plays and ‘game planning’ was a group effort.  The ‘High School’ coach merely selected from the pre-approved list — and, even then, it was to be clearly understood that the head coach maintained constant vigilance and veto power.

The noise generated by winning grew louder and attempted to drown out the noise from the Springdale bunch.  However, the Parade National Player of the Year was benched and new energy was given to the noise.  Innovations to the offense that displayed the talents of the Razorbacks first ever Heisman Trophy contender were first credited to the head coach’s brother, prior to some share of the credit being given to the ‘High School’ coach — who was creating even more noise by winning national offensive coordinator awards.

The noise continued to grow.  Rumors of ‘the book‘ and comments made by the Parade National Player of the Year about the head coach swirled.  An undercurrent of ‘we were lied to’ anger came forth from the support base of the ‘Springdale 5,’ as it became apparent that much of the passing offense was the same as it had been the previous year — limited and ineffective — and that the Springdale ‘High School’ coach appeared to serve more as a puppet than a coordinator.

As the season ended in losses — seemingly due to the fact that no passing game was to be found — the Springdale noise got even worse. It was apparent that the Springdale offense had not only been sent to the scrap heap, it had not even been given a fair trial.  Concerned parents met with the Athletic Director.  The meeting was ‘leaked‘ to the public.  The Athletic Director had told the parents that ‘experts’ had told him the spread offense would not work in the SEC without a running quarterback.  Much more noise ensued.

The Athletic Director was not amused at all the noise.  The ‘High School’ coach and the ‘Springdale 5′ seem to be the root cause.  This noise had to be eliminated.  The ‘High School’ coach was summoned and informed that the noise was not welcome.  The Freshman All-SEC ‘Springdale 5′ receiver and the Parade National Player of the Year learned from the ‘High School’ coach that the noise was not welcome.  Ultimatums were given.  ‘Stay or go, decide by sundown.’

The Freshman All-SEC receiver decides to leave.  The Parade National Player of the Year chooses to keep his powder dry.  The ‘High School’ coach lays low, holding his cards close while keeping to the company line.

Houston Dale is named ‘Coach of the Year,’ rising from the ashes of the prior two years to receive a contract extension.  The ‘High School’ coach, now ‘National Offensive Coordinator of the Year,’ is promised a new two year contract.

The bowl game brings another loss.  No passing game to be found.  More noise.  Control has been lost.

The situation must be assessed. Control must be regained.  The head coach informs the quarterback coach that his opportunities lay elsewhere.  An old / new quarterback coach is apparently waiting in the wings to come in, rejoin the family, take a lead role in the offense, and possibly call plays.  The ‘High School’ coach gets wind of this and confronts the head coach.

Assessing a future where both the noise was not welcome, and he was outnumbered by the friends and family program, the ‘High School’ coach moves on to a place where he supposedly will get to call ‘his’ plays.  The Parade National Player of the Year promptly packs and leaves, leaving a posse of young ladies in tears.  The noise reaches new heights.

The masses cry out: ‘The line has been crossed.’  ‘The shark has been jumped.’  ‘Hope has been lost.’

But the path is chosen.  Jobs are secure.  Order will be restored.  The noise will finally abate.  Quiet will come in time.

After all, the Razorback program is much bigger than any one coach or player.

Coach Broyles and Houston Dale can explain that to you, if need be.

In the beginning…all wanted to believe.  That a proud ego had been humbled by evident limitations.  That a new voice would be trusted and followed.  That old men recognized the changing times…and realized that earning prosperity meant embracing that change.

Ultimately…it all proved to be only a mirage.  Nothing more than a schoolchild’s lie.  A devil’s bargain.

For those who continue to reign, nothing will be easier for them to implement than a fond return to a meager past.  A reactionary time warp back to a familiar place.

Most assuredly they believe that you will continue to follow.  That their duplicity will be ignored.  That time will exonerate and validate their actions.

The question is…are they right?  Will you continue to be led by them?

Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt was out of town recruiting on Monday, but issued this brief statement regarding Malzahn’s hiring at Tulsa.

“We are very appreciative of the many contributions Gus made to our staff and to our program during his tenure with the Razorbacks. In his first season as a coach at the collegiate level, he was an integral part of a team that won 10 games and won an SEC Western Division championship. I wish him nothing but the best both personally and professionally as he takes on his new role.”

Also:

• TulsaHurricane.com: Arkansas’ Malzahn Named Assistant Head Coach at Tulsa
• ESPN.com: Arkansas offensive coordinator Malzahn off to Tulsa
• YouTube Video: Malzahn Interview (KTUL)
• Rick Schaeffer: Malzahn’s Departure Leaves Void
• RBN: Malzahn Leaving Arkansas For Tulsa
• Alex Abrams: One and Done
• Kurt Voigt: Malzahn Takes Offensive Identity To Tulsa
• Dudley Dawson: Recruits Remain Firm On Commitments
• Harry King: Malzahn departs for Tulsa
• Bob Holt: Goodbye Gus
• Otis Kirk: Recruits not going with Malzahn
• Chris Bahn: As of now, players staying put
• Wally Hall: Slipping out back door after trumpeted entrance
• Nate Allen: Looking to Lee
• David Showers: Malzahn’s departure perplexes UA fans, former preps protégés
• Rainer Sabin: Campbell says Mustain staying for time being
• Terry Wood: Gus gets off Nutt’s bus
• Tulsa World: Graham adds Malzahn to staff

Updated 1/16/07 8:00 a.m.

Laden with eight upperclassmen, Coach Heath and the Hogs appear to be middle of the pack, at best, in the SEC again.  And a program that was once a national power continues to swim in a sea of mediocrity.

Stan pulled us out of the ditch after Nolan left…no doubt about it.  You have to give him credit for the rebuilding job he has done given the mess he inherited.  He put us back on the road.  But now some are asking, “the road to where?”

Assistant Dan Hipsher has helped Heath somewhat since joining the staff last year.  And new assistant Glynn Cyprien, who has a good resume and comes highly recommended, should as well.  But entering his fifth season at Arkansas, Heath is still learning the ropes, and there’s nothing like “on-the-job training” for a college head coach.  Mike Anderson and his Missouri Tigers took us to school in the thumping they put on us in Columbia last month.  And Bobby Knight and Texas Tech did the same last Saturday.

As much as I pull for our team and for Stan, this team will not be competitive for a SEC title, a Western Division title, or for that matter, a NCAA tournament birth.  Is this acceptable for Arkansas basketball?

I hate to use the University of Texas as an example, but watching how they have reloaded after graduating their entire Elite Eight team (starting four talented freshmen and beating LSU last week), it makes you wonder what in the world we are doing.

After watching first-hand how Junction City’s James Anderson tore up the Holiday Hoops Tournament, the loss of him signing with Oklahoma State last month was critical.  It was unnerving, to say the least, to watch him on the same floor as our two recruits from Springdale Har-Ber High.  The Har-Ber players (one signed) are good.  Anderson is great.  The takeaway: we should not be settling for signing good players in a year where we only have one or two scholarships to offer.

The success of Nutt, Van Horn and their teams this season will mask it for a while, but eventually fans will demand excellence in Razorback basketball again.  Until then, we’ll have to enjoy our relegated spot as third or fourth in the West, eighth or ninth in the SEC, and home court advantage for all the NIT games we can eat.

“We are getting a little closer to that first game each day,” Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt said. “It was good to get (the team) back on the field after an off day yesterday. I felt like our guys had their legs back for the most part.”

The Razorbacks have picked their captains for the 2005 season and Coach Nutt announced them following Tuesday’s practice. Seniors Kyle Dickerson, Brandon Kennedy, Pierre Brown, Vickiel Vaughn and Kyle Roper were selected by their teammates to represent the Hogs this season.
…
Nutt did say he expected offensive linemen Zac Tubbs and Cody Green to miss the season opener along with tight end Jared Hicks. The decision on tight end Wes Murphy’s status for the opener will depend on his ability to practice on Wednesday.

Also:

• ARSN: Tuesday Razorback Report
• Trey Biddy: Jack-in-the-Box (subscription)
• Vernon Tarver: Defensive Line Spots Still Undecided
• Nate Allen: There for the taking
• Bob Holt: Razorbacks Report

Updated 8/31/05 7:30 a.m. – Added additional links.

Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles emphatically supported football coach Houston Nutt on Monday, telling members of the Little Rock Touchdown Club that Nutt was “the perfect person for the job.”

“Houston is there to stay,” Broyles said.

Also:

• Wally Hall: Broyles shows he still can fire up a crowd

Updated 8/30/05 1:50 p.m. – Added additional links.

Do Arkansas fans today really have an appreciation for what being a member of the SEC has brought to us?

In his book, The Inner Game of Tennis, Tim Galloway provides the secret to never losing another tennis match. The secret? “Never, ever, play anyone anywhere near as good as you are.”

Most years that’s what we had in the SWC. We hardly ever played anyone anywhere near as good as we were. You could circle lots of wins prior to the season ever starting. But what was the story when we played someone that was supposedly good?

Coach Broyles was 5-14 against Texas. 4-6 in 10 Bowls over 19 years. 2-5 against the SEC in Bowls. Holtz was 2-5 against Texas. Beat Texas in Little Rock in ’79 and the crowd wouldn’t leave. Beat Texas in Fayetteville when they were ranked number 1 in one of my personal favorite Razorback games to have ever witnessed, as Texas pretty much self-destructed. Was 2-3-1 in Bowl gamess. Holtz’s most famous game was the Oklahoma Orange Bowl with Frank’s players. Of course, Holtz was jinxed by the College Football Pre-season cover of Sports Illustrated that proclaimed, “Holtz and Hogs Number 1”, and somehow forgot to recruit, took his heated chair and moved North.

We won lots with Hatfield. We went 2-4 against Texas. Played in 6 straight Bowl games, went 1-5 with 3 of the losses to SEC teams. We returned to more traditional jerseys, but otherwise people were unhappy. Many thought it was boring running all the time. We did beat Houston and Andre Ware one night in Little Rock with Quinn and an air show – that was pretty exciting. The Texas loss on the last play and the Miami slaughter in Little Rock were no fun (the only time I’ve ever left before the game was over). No matter that we played Miami to a dead heat the next year, we couldn’t quite get over the top when we played the big boys.

Our passing era, beginning with Bill Montgomery’s long incompletion on the first play of his varsity career wasn’t necessarily that successful against non-SWC teams. In the 5 years of Montgomery and Ferguson we beat Texas once. Stanford beat us prior to going on to winning the Rose Bowl, USC beat us 2 out of 3 while winning 2 National Championships, Mississippi beat us in the Sugar Bowl with “Archie Who” after our loss in the “Game of the Century”, and we lost to Texas 42-7 in Austin the next year (Sports Illustrated Cover – “Texas Slaughters Arkansas”). Ferguson’s team beat Texas in the middle of the following season and promptly phoned in a couple of games, ending up in the Liberty Bowl to lose to Tennessee. (yeah, I know, the fumble). Ferguson’s career and our days as the nation’s most sophisticated passing offense ended with Ferguson being benched in the last game of his career in another “in one era and out the other” moment. We did beat Georgia a couple of times in Bowl games to somewhat book-end this period, but mostly we found ourselves disappointed in just about every “big” game we played after beating Texas in 1965.

Could the lack of strong competition week in and week out have contributed to that?

When Arkansas lost to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl during the Lou Holtz era I remember Holtz saying something like, “either our boys are going to have to get bigger, or we are going to have to get bigger boys.” Our offensive and defensive line just got dominated by Alabama.

Then we joined the SEC, prior to Houston Dale, as mostly a comedy act (due to coaching changes), but with some success, beating Alabama in Bryant-Denny and finding our way to the SEC Championship Game. The SEC has been a challenge that has called Razorback football to grow much stronger than, excepting for perhaps 2 or 3 years, it had ever been. We had to. Otherwise, we stood the chance to be totally embarrassed week in and week out.

While we’ve only been 2-4 in Bowls under Houston Dale, we have beaten Texas 2 out of 3 times. Except for the unfortunate late fumble, we had them beat in Fayetteville last year. We played Oklahoma to a standstill in the Cotton Bowl – they won the National Championship the following year. Yes, we’ve struggled against the Eastern Division of the SEC — Georgia, Tennessee, and Steve Superior’s Florida at times. We’ve also played some really great games against these teams, particularly Tennessee.

The NCAA Probation has been a drag. No doubt. Signs of recovery are around, but recovery is realistically still a couple of years off. The schedules are the toughest that Arkansas has faced in its football history.

From the perspective of a long term fan, I like it that we can’t easily circle wins. I like it that much of our schedule is likely to be highly ranked nationally each year. I love it that all of those great teams come to Fayetteville to play in our really great stadium just to the North of our really great practice complex with its really great new weight room.

Last night on Sports Rap the talk was of how now we appeared to “own” Alabama in Bryant-Denny. Times have definitely changed.

My view is that Razorback football is stronger than ever. We are a much tougher football team on a regular basis than most any year in Razorback history you can pick out. The money, the facilities, the fan base, all stronger than ever.

It’s easy for fans to have a view of the past that is more glorious than in fact the past actually was. They question conferences and recruiting. It’s true, this could be made easier. We could move to some other conference that is not as difficult as the SEC. If we want to easily circle 8 wins each year, have maybe 2 good challenging games a year, with the strong probability that we will lose them, then we should not just consider going to the Big 12, but should pick a smaller conference with a cast much like the old SWC.

I like where we are. The opportunity to play against top competition in every conference game is a rush. The SEC is a tough conference, and our football team is much tougher than it once was. I think things are much more interesting now.

Being able to circle the majority of the games as wins in pre-season may make us feel tough and strong, but only until we play someone who is actually tough and strong. Then we just feel disappointed.