Column: Homecoming for Gus Malzahn lasts and lasts on return trip to Arkansas

On the schedule, it was a road game. But for the coach, it was a homecoming.

Gus Malzahn led Auburn into Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday and into the familiar surroundings of Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

He must have liked his time in his old stomping ground, as Auburn seemed to want to stay as long as it could. The Tigers took Arkansas to four overtimes, but fell 54-46.

For Malzahn, this was old home week. A native of Fort Smith, Ark., Malzahn has spent the majority of his coaching career in the state. In fact, for a time, it seemed Malzahn was destined to become the head coach of the Hogs, not the Tigers.

He spent 14 years coaching high school football in the state, most notably at Springdale High where he won one of his three state titles. In 2006, Malzahn made the huge leap to become the offensive coordinator at Arkansas. An almost unprecedented move, it did not hurt matters that SHS’s quarterback, blue-chip prospect Mitch Mustain, followed his coach to Arkansas.

But much like Gerry Faust, who was hired at Notre Dame after a stellar coaching career at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, the tenure did not last.

For the first time in his career, Malzahn left the state where he had walked on as a player at Arkansas and ended up lettering at Henderson State in Arkadelphia. He packed his bags and became the offensive coordinator at Tulsa for two years. From there is was to Auburn from 2009-11 where he helped the Tigers win a national title.

Malzahn parlayed that success into his first college head coaching job, which happened to be in his home state. But it was not at Arkansas, it was in Jonesboro at Arkansas State.

He was only at ASU for a season, but it was a good one as the Red Wolves won the Sun Belt Conference. He left A-State when he was hired as the Auburn head coach. Coincidentally, Malzahn replaced Hugh Freeze at Arkansas State, who left for an SEC job at Ole Miss.

Perhaps we should keep an eye on current ASU coach Blake Anderson. Arkansas State seems to be a springboard to jobs in the Southeastern Conference and we know there is already one vacancy.

Malzahn is in his third season at the helm of the Tigers and Saturday was one of the most exciting games in his time coaching on the Plains. And as it just so happens, the site was at Arkansas.

But unfortunately for him, his childhood team outscored his current team 30-22 in the extra periods.

It is a virtual certainty that at some time in his career, Malzahn pictured himself coaching a game like this in Fayetteville. But in those fantasies as a young coach, he was probably wearing cardinal, not orange and blue.

Malzahn may have been a visitor, but he was in Arkansas Saturday.

Thomas Wolfe once wrote, “You can’t go home again.”

For several hours on an October afternoon, Malzahn proved him wrong.

Steve Barnes

Steve Barnes is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.