Gus Malzahn tipped his visor to Bret Bielema.
“It was pretty good,” Auburn’s head coach said of the swinging gate, fake field-goal play Arkansas ran on fourth-and-3 from the Tigers’ 9-yard line on the last play of the third quarter. “I almost called timeout. I was kind of kicking myself that I didn’t call timeout before. It was a well-executed play.”
Ironic, since it was the same play that created a little bit of controversy during the week.
According to Bielema, the game film that Auburn sent Arkansas before Saturday’s game didn’t have the Tigers’ swinging gate, extra-point play they’ve run almost every game after scoring their first touchdown.
Bielema’s claim, which he made Monday during his weekly news conference, was squashed by Malzahn the next day, when the Auburn coach said his goal is to operate with the “utmost integrity.”
After Auburn’s 35-17 win Saturday night, Malzahn said he didn’t think anything of the Arkansas running the play, which resulted in a 7-yard gain and set up Arkansas’ last touchdown.
“No,” Malzahn said. “You try to win anyway you can. That was a good play by them.”
Auburn senior linebacker Jake Holland said the Tigers have practiced for that play and know what to do.
“We just didn’t have the right personnel on the field,” he said.
Bielema told reporters after the game that he didn’t run the swinging gate because of Malzahn, adding that the Razorbacks don’t call it by that name.
What happened right after that play only added to the soap opera.
After Arkansas wide receiver Brain Buehner, who was lined up at “quarterback” for the fake field goal, hit Austin Tate for 7 yards — which put the ball at the Auburn 2-yard line — the Tigers’ defense wasn’t able to get set, running in substitutions from the sideline.
Linebacker Anthony Swain, who made the tackle on Tate, was shown on the TV replay slowly walking back to the middle of the defense when he suddenly fell to the ground. The third-quarter clock then ran out.
Malzahn said that Swain wasn’t faking his injury.
“He got hurt, and (trainers) went and got him. That’s all I know,” Malzahn said.
When asked specifically if Swain was “faking” his injury, Malzahn responded quickly.
“No,” he said. “We don’t tell our kids to fake.”
With all eyes on how both coaches would greet each other before the game, Malzahn and Bielema talked briefly during warm-ups and then exchanged the customary postgame handshake.
“He was real nice,” Malzahn said of the pregame chat. “Like I said before, I got a lot of respect for the guy. He’s an excellent coach. And he’s taking over a program — they’re going to get better. And he’ll get this thing going.”
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