Gus Malzahn Bret Bielema

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema shake hands after the Tigers' 35-17 victory at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013. ( Todd Van Emst/Auburn Media Relations)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Bret Bielema has been burned a time or two by no-huddle offenses. 

It's why the Arkansas coach, who led the charge for potential legislation that could slow hurry-up teams, is trying his best to simulate fast-paced offenses in practices more these days, including in the spring, than he has in the past. 

"I remember early on as a head coach I ignored quarterback-run game and the spread offenses and we didn't fare for a couple of years as well as we should have," Bielema said Tuesday on an SEC teleconference. 

Bielema pushed Arkansas through early preparations for uptempo teams during one week of spring practices earlier this month.  Simulating the speed of hurry-up offenses such as Auburn, which hosts Arkansas to open the season Aug. 30, is the primary goal. 

Bielema's slow-it-down philosophy has clashed with others in the SEC and across the country, especially over the last several months.  The Arkansas coach attempted to push legislation which would have forced offenses to wait 10 seconds before snapping the football.  Bielema cited player safety as the NCAA Football Rules Committee built a proposal, which was ultimately dropped by the committee amid an outcry from opposing coaches, including Auburn's Gus Malzahn. 

Bielema says player safety is still his primary concern, but how does he prepare for an uptempo team like Auburn while guarding player safety during practices? 

"We actually use two huddles to go against our defense and make sure they understand the pace of play that is coming at them," Bielema said. " Obviously if we see any potential situations that could be harmful to our players because we're at practice, we can stop it.  It's really not the same in regards to game-like situations, but I think that gives us the biggest teaching tool we can have." 

Utilizing two huddles to simulate an uptempo offense is nothing.  The tactic has long been used by teams from the high school ranks to the NFL.  Bielema says he keeps a close eye on players during the uptempo portion of practices. 

The former Wisconsin coach struggled early in his career against uptempo teams, but credited his success against Michigan in the latter years of his seven-year tenure to the change of philosophy in practice. 

"I actually love playing against pace-of-play (teams) from the standpoint it's such a dramatic difference in style to what we do -- that has been my experience in the past," Bielema said. " When you get a team that is able to execute what you ask them to do, it can be very, very frustrating for that type of opponent to play against us." 

Wisconsin defeated Michigan 48-28 in Rich Rodriguez's final season with the Wolverines in 2010.  The Badgers built a 24-0 lead at halftime and controlled the tempo in the second half, running the ball 33 times with only one pass attempt. 

"One of the great things we were able to do was establish the play that we wanted to play and that really affected everything they can do," Bielema said. 

Arkansas didn't quite have the same success against Auburn in 2013, when the Tigers' uptempo offense pulled away in the third quarter for a 35-17 victory in Fayetteville.  The Razorbacks rushed for 222 yards. 

Arkansas and Auburn will open the season Aug. 30 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the SEC Network.  Auburn will likely enter the game ranked in the top 5 nationally and will be heavily favored against the Razorbacks, who failed to win an SEC game for the first time in school history last season. 

The week leading up to the game was tinged with drama off the field after Bielema accused Auburn of improperly editing game film it provided to Arkansas.  He later utilized a swinging gate formation, similar to the play Auburn allegedly deleted from its game film, to pick up a first down near the goal line. 



Auburn returns eight starters on offense and most of its defensive line from a year ago.  The Tigers should also benefit from playing the game in front of a home crowd. 

"Those two factors, I'm hoping will help," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. 

"As far as playing Auburn, I don't think we could ask for a better scenario to play a team that accomplished so much a year ago," said Bielema. " Very well-coached football team with a lot of really good players back to open it up on the SEC Network.  And to have all of that going for us in one direction is a very, very positive things."