UTA FB Vol. 5 Gm. 12 - Winning it All

Hard for me to imagine a scenario where I go four games since last spotlighting the 1967 team, but that's how the scheduling works sometimes. I did cover them three times in five games in the first half of the This Day in UTA Football Series, but those were either big games or meant more than what the other seasons offered.




One of the notable things about this year's team was just how good they were.

The newly-named University of Texas Arlington Rebels were of a season in which they won a share of the Southland Conference Championship, but it was Lamar that owned the tie-breaker and they went to the Pecan Bowl in 1966.



The two teams were on a collision course again this season because of just how well the team was doing. After a 1965 season where they performed better than expected, but still was 2-2 overall, the '66 squad went 3-1. This team also won its first three in conference to set up the Lamar showdown.

We last saw this team 5-0 after beating Tarleton State. The SLC slate opened up for UTA with a 31-16 win at Trinity. The first loss of the season was marked up to West Texas State in Canyon when the Buffaloes won by ten. Notable because WTS was a high-classification school playing in the University Division.

Abilene Christian came to Arlington for homecoming and the Rebs made easy work in a 34-7 win, moving to 2-0 in the SLC. UTA then traveled to Jonesboro and face a rapidly improving Arkansas State team. It was a close game that saw the then-Indians miss a 46-yard field goal to win. The Rebels escaped with a 16-14 win and a showdown with the also 3-0 Lamar Cardinals.

I've mentioned many times how Lamar and Arkansas State were the most familiar team to UTA, having played a total of 22 times.

But these 1960's games felt like a true rival since they played many times with something on the line. UTA was 3-0 the previous year, only to see a 2-1 Lamar team win. UTA was the only team to beat Lamar in 1965 that ruined their chance at an undefeated conference season. But today, all the marbles were on the line, including a Pecan Bowl berth. While it wasn't official, all the signs pointed that the winner of this game would go to Abilene.

On this Day in UTA football history, UTA hosts Lamar for a chance at its first outright conference championship.









Taken from the Dallas Morning News, 11-18-67.