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By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer
LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- Arkansas' matchup with Utah State this weekend will be a reunion for coaches Houston Nutt and Brent Guy.
Nutt and Guy played together at Oklahoma State, and their paths have also crossed since they started coaching.
"I first met Houston Nutt in 1979," Guy said. "I was a freshman at Oklahoma State and he was a second-team quarterback, and we became close friends pretty quickly. He has a pretty infectious personality and if you talk to him he is a very upbeat guy."
Nutt's Razorbacks host Utah State on Saturday night in Fayetteville, and both he and Guy have been asked about their fond memories from Oklahoma State.
"We actually double-dated a few times in college," Guy said. "We lived two doors apart in Stillwater (Okla.) for a few years. I saw his children born. We haven't been as close now that we are in coaching and have been separated for the last 10 or 12 years, but we still consider each other good friends."
Nutt was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State from 1981-82, while Guy was still playing on the defensive line and at linebacker. Nutt then left the school, but he came back in 1984 as an assistant and stayed through the '89 season. Guy was on that same staff from 1986-89.
Several other coaches currently at Arkansas and Utah State passed through Oklahoma State around that period. Razorbacks defensive coordinator Reggie Herring was Guy's position coach at one point, and Arkansas assistants Louis Campbell, James Shibest and Mike Markuson were assistants at Oklahoma State at various times from 1985-91.
Utah State offensive line coach Vance Vice was a defensive lineman and tight end at Oklahoma State from 1985-89.
Nutt eventually became a head coach -- at Murray State from 1993-96 and at Boise State in '97. When Nutt became the Arkansas coach before the '98 season, Guy was part of the staff that took over at Boise State -- along with current Utah State assistants Mark Johnson and John Rushing.
"He worked extremely hard on the practice field as a player," Nutt said of Guy. "And just his personality -- very strong work ethic, great integrity and had the same thing as a coach when he was a grad assistant there with us."
Guy's first head coaching job was with Utah State last season. His team went 3-8 and has opened 2006 with a 38-7 loss to Wyoming. Arkansas lost last weekend 50-14 to No. 3 Southern California.
Both teams are looking to bounce back this week, so any warm feelings between the coaches will have to be put on hold.
"It is never easy playing your friends, but he will be doing his best to beat us and we will be doing our best to beat his team," Guy said. "That is the way it is."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-09-07-06 1613MDT
