If there was anyone who could have made sense of these Arkansas/Mississippi connections, it would have been this guy.
This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.
Arkansas fans will settle for a chilly, truncated tailgating party Saturday morning at War Memorial Stadium. Southeastern Conference games happen in Little Rock only once a year now, so it does feel a little bit like rain on your wedding day.
Ole Miss will be the feature at brunch time, and speaking of weddings, the lines between the Rebels and the Razorbacks are as tangled as they've ever been, with a little red and black mixed in there for seasoning. Former Arkansas assistant Gus Malzahn took over the Arkansas State program from Hugh Freeze who accepted the Ole Miss coaching position after the departure of Houston Nutt, who Malzahn served with in 2006 as an assistant. (That last sentence was 36 words long, if you're counting.)
Factor in John L. Smith, the current head coach at Arkansas, who will likely be replaced at this season's conclusion. There's a medium-sized list of possible candidates for the job and of course one of them is — Gus Malzahn.
And don't forget Dave Wommack. He's on the Ole Miss staff as defensive coordinator/safeties coach. He worked under Nutt during the 2001-04 seasons at Arkansas and with Freeze last season at Arkansas State. Wommack and Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino even did time together at Southern Mississippi in 2000.
Arkansas and Ole Miss come into each other's lives through similar journeys this season. They've both lost to Texas A&M and Alabama, and they both beat Auburn. One difference in the schedules happened during Ole Miss' first game of the season, as Hugh Freeze coached a rematch against a team he beat last year at Arkansas State.
He beat UCA again this year, leaving them behind with a 49-27 score. That final number comes close to the 50 points Malzahn hung on Louisiana-Lafayette Tuesday. Jim Harris appears with Mark Edwards on Today's THV and talks about how Malzahn's Red Wolves have put together such a solid record on the road.
TV: If you noticed the weird kickoff time, then you probably figured out that this week’s game will be aired on the SEC Network, available in Central Arkansas on KATV-TV, Channel 7; in Northwest Arkansas on KHBS/KHOG, Channels 40 & 29 and in Northeast Arkansas on KAIT-TV, Channel 8. Dave Neal (play-by-play), Andre Ware (color) and Cara Capuano (sideline) will call the game.
Radio: Available on the Arkansas Radio Sports Network (list of ARSN affiliates). Chuck Barrett will handle play-by-play with Keith Jackson providing color commentary and former Razorback Quinn Grovey offering sideline reports.
Arkansas football can also be heard on Sirius/XM Radio. Channels are 138 (Sirius) and 199 (XM). Web: ESPN3.com will carry the SEC Network's coverage.
Notes: Arkansas has won its game after the bye week in each of the last two seasons, including a 29-24 victory at Ole Miss last year. Since the start of the 2008 season, UA is 9-4 (.643) in games with more than one week to prepare. • Arkansas has 16 players who have made their first collegiate start this season, the most in the SEC and tied for the fifth-highest total in the country.
Arkansas Business Presents the 40 Under 40 Class of 2013 
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