Shortly after his Texas Tech squad beat Arkansas 35-24 on Saturday night, Red Raider coach Kliff Kingsbury took a couple of shots at Arkansas coach Bret Bielema.
Irked by some comments that Bielema made in meetings with Texas high school coaches, Kingsbury blasted the Razorback coach in the postgame press conference.
"[Bielema] stood up and said if you don’t use a fullback, we’ll kick your ass, and if you throw it 70 times a game, we’ll kick your ass,” Kingsbury passionately stated. “[Bielema] just got his ass kicked twice in a row and probably next week by [Texas] A&M as well.”
Maybe it’s because Kingsbury’s dad is a Texas high school football coach, maybe it’s because he doesn’t like Bielema’s harsh words in the past toward the up-tempo offense, or maybe he just doesn’t like the outspoken 45-year-old Arkansas coach.
“To walk in there and say those [things], it definitely rubbed me the wrong way,” said Kingsbury, who didn't bother shaking Bielema's hand after the game. “He's a prideful guy, and he says what's on his mind, but it just hasn't worked out for him.”
Kingsbury’s words didn’t actually come out of nowhere, though, as Bielema has made plenty of controversy in his short stint in the SEC. At the 2013 SEC Media Days – Bielema’s first in the conference – he made a stand against up-tempo offenses, saying they should be outlawed.
And earlier this month, Bielema ripped Ohio State and the Big Ten, belittling the Buckeyes’ strength of schedule. However, that very week, the Razorbacks lost to Toledo.
Kingsbury got the last laugh, though, as his Red Raiders handed Bielema’s squad their second straight loss as they begin SEC play next Saturday.
“[Bielema’s] a prideful guy, and he says what’s on his mind,” Kingsbury said. “But it just hasn’t worked out for him.”