We stick with the 1967 UT Arlington Rebels football team for the second straight week as the 2023 edition of This Day in UTA Football History proceeds. Two weeks ago, Trinity was the opponent, a foe UTA started Southland Conference play in six of the eight years they shared a home. The SLC expanded the final year of the Tigers stay and they were the second SLC opponent that year.
Last week, Abilene Christian College (now known as ACU) was featured. Like Trinity, they were in the early portion of conference. They followed Trinity on the conference schedule for six of the nine years they shared a conference. Early conference games are important for a championship run, but don't stick in the memory year in and year out like the later games do.
Speaking of later games, after last week's win over ACC, the Rebs were 7-1, with a 2-0 conference mark. Up next was the Arkansas State Indians. The preseason favorites to win conference were struggling a little more than expected with a 3-4 record, though the toughness of the schedule makes the record a bit deceiving. In the SLC, the Indians lost on the road to defending co-champs Lamar 28-23 and beat ACC and had a 1-1 mark. Even tougher for UTA was they were playing in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
For those that have followed This Day in UTA Football History from the beginning, recall it was this game in 1968 that prompted this series into existence. It is one of the most memorable games of the 280 University football games.
Arlington State prevented Arkansas State from getting a share of the inaugural SLC title in 1964 when they tied the eventually unbeaten Indians. After a year of an inconsequential game, from 1966 to 1970, the winner of this game would get at least a share of the conference title.
Unlike the Abilene Chirstian games, where I mentioned last week how the majority were blowouts either way, the games between the Rebels/Mavericks and Indians were entertaining. Five of the first six games were at or within ten points. One was a tie. Another was a one-point affair. A third was won by two. Can't get much more competitive than that.
So there were close competitive games coupled with something on the line. If that isn't a recipe for a rivalry, I don't know what is. The only thing missing is geography as the schools are over 450 miles driving distance from each other.
I was really hoping UTA's path to the Sun Belt a decade ago would lead to football within the conference and renewal of this rivalry. It would have taken a few years for UTA to attain the now-named Red Wolves status, but considering the following, there just had to be something between the two schools. Arkansas State knocked UTA out of Independence Bowl contention in 1976 and again in 1978. In 1981 UTA's lone loss en route to their final conference championship was to Arkansas State. In 1984, a loss to Arkansas State cost UTA a co-championship. In 1985, a one-point loss gave Arkansas State the outright conference title. Adding the cherry on top, Coach Chuck Curtis was on record as saying kicker Scott Roper actually made a field goal that the referees said was missed in the 13-12 loss in Arkansas.
There was just something about this series that lasted throughout the years. Great games with meaningful results in the standings. Today's entry is just one of those classic games that went down to the wire.
On this day in UTA football history, the Arkansas State Indians host the UT Arlington Rebels in 1967.
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, November 12, 1967
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