Darren McFadden's Unscripted SEC Title Game TD Had Former Arkansas OC Malzahn Panicking

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Gus Malzahn knew something was wrong the moment Darren McFadden touched his facemask.

Then Felix Jones touched his.

"Oh no, not here, not now," Malzahn remembers thinking during his appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Tuesday.

What happened next during the 2006 SEC Championship Game has lived on Arkansas highlight reels for nearly two decades. What Razorback fans couldn't have known was that McFadden had essentially ignored his offensive coordinator to make it happen.

Malzahn started his head coaching career at Hughes before leaving for Shiloh Christian and then Springdale. It was there that he became nationally renowned for his offensive innovation where his Bulldogs teams were thumping high school teams across the country.

After putting on a coaching clinic in Northwest Arkansas, he joined Houston Nutt's staff with the Razorbacks as offensive coordinator, effectively bringing in a handful of his highly regarded players who could've gone anywhere else in the country such as Mitch Mustain and Damian Williams.

During that time, the Natural State was pumping out in-state athletes and one of the all-time greats of that era was Darren McFadden, someone he had never even heard of prior to his college career.

"Well, my buddy Rob Coleman back in the back, he coached him at Oak Grove [High School in North Little Rock] in 9th and 10th grade. I didn't have a clue who Darren McFadden was," Malzahn said. "He says, 'Gus, this guy is going to win the Heisman Trophy.' I mean, whatever. Well, yep, he should have, but no."

Like many people around the country, coaches and media personalities alike, believe McFadden is still one of the best to ever play the game. He has the numbers to back that up along with back-to-back Doak Walker Awards, back-to-back Heisman Trophy runner-up finishes, and his name still remains at the top of nearly every single rushing record at Arkansas.

With 6,086 total yards and 51 touchdowns across three seasons, he quickly became a legend in the Ozarks. McFadden is still talked about today in such a light that his highlight tape lives on like folklore; he could do it all.

"Darren was unbelievable. You know, you think back in practice, every day he would do something. You'd go, 'Oh God!' You couldn't believe it, and you know he wasn't just a great running back. You could put him out wide receiver and throw a ton of screen. He was the best wide receiver, and then obviously you let him throw. Man, he was he was really really special. He's one of the best players to ever play the game. It was a fun time, and he's the one that made the Wildcat famous."

Oh Yes, That Wildcat

The offensive scheme often replicated, but never duplicated.

Malzahn understood how to get his best player(s) the ball and let the work, and he certainly did that with McFadden, who electrified the country with a rare ability to run, catch and even pass. The Wildcat was more than just lining up someone for a direct snap.

McFadden was a gamechanger in the offense that elevated the Razorbacks into national title contention following an upset of No. 2 Auburn in early October 2006. After losing its season opener at home to USC, the Hogs' superstar helped the team reel off 10 straight victories, which led to a berth in the SEC Championship Game.

"I mean, you can run the Wildcat with another another guy... there's nothing like Darren McFadden running that thing," Malzahn said. "You know, when you're in the first year doing something, they were like good, like real good. But when you get back, I mean that's unbelievable. There was Darren, Felix and I mean, Peyton Hillis was 260 pounds returning punts.

"I mean, and you know we had the Wildcat that year. It allowed them all three to be on the field at the same time. But man, it was just really special, and they were all three a blessing to coach."

"I see Darren [McFadden] touch his facemask, and Felix [Jones] looks back, and he touches his facemask. Our coach said 'what are they doing?' I said, 'I don't know.' It then hit me, and then I said, 'oh no, not here, not now!'

This story from Gus Malzahn from the SEC… pic.twitter.com/IdxRwiHrpl
— Courtney Mims (@MimsCourtney) September 8, 2026

While Bazzel wanted to discuss some of the drama from that 2006 season, Malzahn deflected almost immediately to tell a funny story about how McFadden audibled his call for something that was never practiced with coaches around.

"So we're playing the SEC championship game, and the Wildcat we put in it was tackle over, and Felix was always lined up to left, and he would go to the right and be a speed sweep," Malzahn said. "So, about halfway through the year, you know, [Darren and Felix] said, 'Hey, coach, nobody ever notices when it goes in motion. Nobody cuts. Can I just raise up and throw it?' I said 'No, no. Don't worry about that.'"

McFadden, who had all the confidence in the world in himself and his teammates, decided to go all-out backyard football with one of the biggest plays in the 2006 SEC Championship Game. After going down 17-0, the Razorbacks pulled within three early in the third quarter on the touchdown play described by Malzahn below.

"Okay. Fast forward to the SEC championship game. Pretty big game, [against] Florida. I think it's 21-10 (was actually 17-7) or something like that in the third quarter," Malzahn said. "We're down there on the three-yard line. I think it's second-and-goal, and so we called Wildcat Split Zone. So Felix is supposed to come in motion, and we were just going to go old school split zone."

What Malzahn is about to describe can be seen clearly on the tape above. Hilariously, the running back duo pulled it off. Despite the Razorbacks falling short in the conference title game, it was a coming of age for an Arkansas program in the SEC when it seemed like the program was on the precipice of relevance on the national stage once again.

"Well, I'd seen [McFadden] after they said that, 'Hey, you know, can I just throw it after practice?' Every now and then, you'd see him just kind of playing catch, you know, kind of throwing it over there. I didn't think anything of it. So we get up there, I call the play, and I'm sitting there looking, and I see Darren touch his face mask. He's looking at Felix. And Felix looks back and he touches face mask.

"And our coach said, "What are they doing?' I said, "I don't know. And it hit me, and I said, "Oh no, not here, not now. Sure enough, Darren got it. He throws it to Felix. They catch a touchdown. Darren comes off [the field] and says 'What do you think about that, coach?' and I said, 'Way to go, baby!'

"Hey this coaching stuff is way overrated, guys."

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