Now that every season has at least one entry for the Arlington State College/UT Arlington football program, we'll start to check in with each team again. For this week's game on This Day in UTA Football History, we'll return to the 1967 squad. It's only been one game we've missed since the last entry, but it certainly was a momentous one.
When we last checked in, the team was 2-0 after a come-from-behind win against the higher-level school in New Mexico State. The game we missed was an entry in the 2017 edition. The link is here, but the short-story is a rivalry game against East Texas State, now Texas A&M-Commerce, resulted in another last-minute, come-from-behind victory.
The 1967 squad was now 3-0 but they had trailed in the second half in every game. Further, the Rebels trailed in last two minutes of their prior two games. That was the magic of the late 1960's teams. They found a way to win, whereas the 1970's came, it was a case where it seemed they found a way to lose.
Those early season performances started gaining national attention in 1967. After the Los Angeles State win, the Rebels entered the AP College Division poll at number nine. After the New Mexico State win, they moved up to seven and debuted in the Coaches poll at number five. Following the East Texas State win, they stayed at five in the AP and dropped to nine in the coaches.
For today's game, Arlington State traveled to Lake Charles in Louisiana. It would become a common occurrence in roughly half a decade. However, despite the Cowboys not joining the Southland Conference until 1972, they and Rebels were common opponents in the 1960's as well. They first met in 1960. That 7-0 home loss likely cost Arlington State a berth in a bowl game. Ironically, it would not be the last time McNeese State would beat UTA and prevent them from going to a bowl game, see 1979.
The two teams would meet two more times after 1960 and prior to today's game, both Rebel wins. They'd meet another two times in non-conference play after today's game, also Rebel wins.
These teams have a storied rivalry as only two squads faced UTA more than McNeese's 19, Arkansas State and Lamar at 22. West Texas State, now West Texas A&M, is tied McNeese. The same is true for most every sport (volleyball 51, men's basketball 78, women's 57, baseball 132, softball 95, all top five most played save volleyball).
Despite not fielding a football team for the last almost 40 years, UTA is McNeese's 11th most played opponent. Unsurprisingly, six of those ahead of UTA are Louisiana schools where they shared a conference since their inception in 1940 or share geographic convenience. The other four are Texas SLC schools where the Cowboys share/shared a long-time home with Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and Texas State. That is incredible to me.
UTA leads the all-time series, 11-7-1, joining Lamar as the only school UTA has wins in the double digits.
The two teams were very similar by the mid-1980's. If you were talking best Southland Conference stadium at this era, Maverick and Cowboy Stadiums had to be in the mix. Malone Stadium of Northeast Louisiana was several renovations away from surpassing the two, despite being only a bit older. Joe Aillet Stadium at Louisiana Tech was larger, but far more basic. North Texas' Fouts Field was so far behind that North Texas only surpassed UTA in football venues when they opened their new stadium in 2011. Indian Field at Arkansas State was okay, but nowhere near where it is today and Cardinal Stadium would need the Lamar football team to be resurrected before Cardinal Stadium would surpass Maverick Stadium.
In fact, Maverick Stadium would have held up so well that Cowboy Stadium wouldn't surpass the Mav until renovations, expansions and additions were made in the 2000's. The press box renovation in 1998 was likely the moment it actually happened.
But there are other similarities. In the 14 years they shared a conference, they were directly adjacent in the standings eight times with a ninth occasion even being an identical record. The Cowboys won the conference championship three times, 1976, 79 and 80. UTA finished a game behind twice in that stretch. In 1981, when UTA won their championship, McNeese was second.
While I don't have the exact numbers, UTA and McNeese were in the top half of producing NFL talent in the Southland Conference. One of the reasons UTA had the success it did, despite lower budgets and scholarship numbers, was they attracted quality talent. McNeese State was right there as well.
Considering the success McNeese has attained since UTA's disbandment, 14 total conference titles, 16 FCS playoff appearances, and 11-16 playoff record, 2 national championship game appearances, three Independence Bowl appearances and one Indy Bowl win, I'd say that is good company to keep.
On this day in 1967, the Arlington State Rebels travel to face the McNeese State Cowboys,
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, October 8, 1967.
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