It took a month and a half, but the 1977 season makes its second appearance in this year's collection. As I noted in the opening entry, UT Arlington lost their first game by four to Northwestern State in their stadium debut. The Mavericks followed that with a road win against Western Michigan, 17-10, to even their record to 1-1. UTA great Derrick Jensen had a 73-yard touchdown run erasing a 7-3 halftime deficit.
In week three, UTA again hit the road, going to Lafayette, Louisiana for the Southland Conference opener. The script flipped from the second week as three second half fumbles cost the Mavericks their 20-10 halftime lead, and they fell 30-20.
For the fourth time in four games, UTA was again on the road as they traveled to Canyon, Texas for an all-too-familiar non-conference foe in West Texas State. The defense made several big plays throughout the game and quarterback Roy Dewalt's one-yard touchdown plunge in the third quarter was the go-ahead score in a 17-13 win. Defensive lineman Dwight Carey recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter when the Buffaloes were threatening for a game-winning TD to seal the win.
Finally, after those four games on the road, UTA opened up at "home" at Lamar High School's Cravens Field against McNeese State. The Cowboys were the defending Southland Conference champions and won the Independence Bowl the prior year. They were 2-2 entering the game, so they weren't having the same caliber year. The Maverick's defense again shined, limiting the Cowboys to seven points and 239 yards of total offense. Jensen rushed for an even 100 yards while DeWalt added 98 and two scores in the 24-7 shellacking,
That put the Mavs records at 3-2 and 1-1 overall. Which set the stage for a big showdown with arguably UTA's biggest rival, then known as North Texas State University.
The Eagles/Mean Green have only faced UTA 12 times, good for a tie for ninth overall with Trinity University. But NTSU was almost always UTA's yearly highest draw, with bragging rights on the line good for a year. In the 1970's, they played six times, with five at Texas Stadium. Some years, it counted as UTA's home game, in others, it was North Texas'. It drew well for both teams, a high of 19,000+ in 1973 to a low of 14,000+ in 1979. That 14,000 low would be a high for any other home game prior to 1980. Maverick Stadium's largest collegiate crowd is still the 1980 premier with North Texas, 18,033. The second largest Maverick Stadium crowd is also North Texas. Had the weather not been bad in 1984, I believe the attendance would have been much higher that 4,779. Torrential rains kept the larger crowd away. Had the team not been disbanded, I believe the 1986 game would have been a high-water mark too.
Here's another attendance stat that puts it in a different perspective. UTA played in front of a five-digit crowd 26 times in the local market since becoming a four-year school, including home, away and neutral games. UNT is number one with nine of them. Road contests with TCU (8) and SMU (4) follow on the list. East Texas State (today's Texas A&M-Commerce) is the only other school with multiple games at two.
I had a discussion once regarding this being a rivalry game. When I brought up the attendance, the counter argument was that the attendance was bigger because UNT fans came to that game, which meant UTA faithful didn't show up, making it a non-rivalry. I countered that 15,000 to 20,000 fans split near the middle is exactly a rivalry game. The Cotton Bowl during the State Fair is a great example of a rivalry game with fans from both teams on hand. We know UTA fans went north, since our game with them was usually above average for the Green.
Additionally, the late 1970's North Texas teams were nationally ranked during portions of several seasons. Hayden Fry was putting a winning product on the field. It became an issue in the 1980's when NTSU was deep in the red. They almost followed the path of UTA in disbanding their team due to the huge budget issues. But it made for some competitive teams to watch while it was happening.
North Texas State entered the 1977 game 5-1. They lost their season opener to a ranked (16) Mississippi State squad 17-15 on the road. The Bulldogs would later forfeit that game. The Eagles then reeled off wins against @ UTEP (41-10), SMU (24-13), West Texas State (31-20), @ Richmond (41-14) and @ Southern Mississippi (27-14).
The conventional thought was North Texas was going cruise to an easy victory against UTA. But, as they say, that's why you play the game. Especially when that game is a rivalry game.
On this date in UTA football history, the Mavericks and Eagles showdown at Texas Stadium in 1977.
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, October 16, 1977.
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