Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

Football has been a big part of Gus Malzahn’s life for years. It will consume him even more than usual as 2011 draws to an end. Malzahn, named Arkansas State’s head coach on Wednesday, will continue serving as offensive coordinator for Auburn through the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31. While still with the Tigers, he’ll be recruiting players and coaches for Arkansas State. read more >

Arkansas State is getting an early Christmas present in the form of Gus Malzahn, the offensive coordinator of defending national champion Auburn. The hire has been a stunning surprise for Red Wolves fans, who had been mourning the loss of Hugh Freeze to Ole Miss while basking in a 10-2 season, who will now make travel plans to see the GoDaddy.com Bowl headed by a new coach. read more >

Dan Mullen's been fairly happy with his Mississippi State secondary play of late, but Saturday's nationally televised game with Arkansas in Little Rock present a different challenge with the Razorbacks' corps of receivers. "They have so many of them," Mullen said Wednesday during the Southeastern Conference's coaches teleconference. "A lot of teams will have a go-to receiver and you can match your best corner against their best receiver," Mullen explained. A coach tosses that plan out the window against Bobby Petrino's Arkansas offense and his skilled receivers. read more >

Each week during the football season, the ArkansasSports360.com’s staff of Chris Bahn and Jim Harris conduct a no-holds-barred “pressbox roundtable” with selected experts/guest columnists for AS360.com, including former Razorback All-America defensive end Bruce James. This week, we look at the possibility, with key injuries hitting the strongest upcoming foes, of Arkansas taking a 10-1 record into the season finale with LSU; whether the SEC is down this year; the NCAA's decision on Auburn; Arkansas State playing a Tuesday night TV game; and the World Series. Yes, we give our roundtable member Brent Birch a nod and talk a little baseball with all the football. Join in the conversation in the comments section below. read more >

The NCAA said it found no major violations committed by Auburn regarding Cam Newton or other pay-for-play allegations and has concluded multiple investigations of the football program. The NCAA released a statement Wednesday saying it has closed its 13-month investigation into Auburn's recruitment of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, whose father shopped his services to another school for up to $180,000. read more >