FAYETTEVILLE -- When Reggie Herring was named Arkansas' interim football coach late last month, he knew immediately who would take over as his defensive coordinator.

Apparently, Louis Campbell is the coach to turn to when a staff shakeup leaves the Razorbacks looking for someone to run their defense for a few weeks.

Campbell knows how to come in on short notice, take over as an interim defensive coordinator and coach in the Cotton Bowl. And when the game is over, it's back to his regular job.

He did it in 2000, so this time should be no different.

"I've enjoyed being back on the field because I don't think anybody (who) has ever been a coach wouldn't like to go back and coach one more game at some point," Campbell said.

Campbell wasn't expected to be back on the sidelines this season, and he had no intentions of coaching a defense he hasn't been involved with since last January.

He began the season as Arkansas' assistant athletic director for internal operations, a position he assumed after former coach Houston Nutt reshuffled his staff earlier in the year.

Campbell moved into the administrative role after spending one season as Nutt's secondary coach in 2006. But a series of events led the 57-year-old to get another chance at coaching.

"You like to coach, especially the bowl games," Campbell said. "To be real honest with you, when I went to a bowl game as an administrator, I was bored to death because you don't have the things that you do back here (in Fayetteville)."

Everything changed, though, after Nutt resigned Nov. 26 after 10 seasons with the Razorbacks.

Herring was immediately named Arkansas' interim coach for the Cotton Bowl. But he quickly realized he couldn't juggle being a coach and defensive coordinator at the same time.

So Herring did as Nutt had done eight years earlier and asked Campbell to coach the defense over the final month of the season.

Campbell's first reaction to Herring's request: "Are you kidding?"

"I wouldn't have (asked) that if I didn't have complete confidence in him as a coach and as a leader," Herring said. "He knows our system. He has been around our system for three years. He's coached our system.

"He's got a wealth of experience and maturity, and he's done this before. So it's not like (this is) his first dance."

In fact, Nutt named Campbell a co-defensive coordinator for the 2000 Cotton Bowl after Keith Burns left following the regular season to become the University of Tulsa's coach.

The staff shakeup wasn't a problem that year, though. Arkansas held rival Texas to minus-27 yards rushing in the 27-6 victory. Campbell is hoping for similar results against No. 7 Missouri on Jan. 1.

"(It was) a great experience the time before. It was in the Cotton Bowl, so I hope this matches the last one," Campbell said. "So it's good to feel like you can do something."

While Campbell is serving as the interim defensive coordinator, Herring has helped put together the game plan to slow down Missouri quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Daniel.

Campbell is also running the same schemes that Herring had in place during the regular season, so major changes aren't expected.

But there is one noticeable difference: Campbell is a much more laid back defensive coordinator than Herring.

"He doesn't yell as much as Coach Herring," Arkansas cornerback Michael Grant said.

Campbell's future beyond the Cotton Bowl remains uncertain.

He hasn't said publicly what his plans are after this season. There has been speculation that Nutt has a position available for him at Ole Miss, but Campbell has refused to talk about his future until after the bowl game.

In the meantime, he's focused on coaching one more game. Even he realizes there might not be too many more opportunities like this.

"He wants to coach. He wants to be on the field," Herring said. "He's got a lot of good years left, and I couldn't think of a better guy to run our ship on game day than Louis."