Stunning the Strong, Pummeled by the Puny

Texas and Arkansas possessed the most potent one-two punch of any same-league duo in college football in the 1960’s, leaving the rest of the once musical chair championship SWC members to scurry for the scraps. In fact, starting in 1960 and all the way through 1973, only twice did anyone besides those two teams claim a conference title: SMU in 1966 and Texas A&M in 1967 (no one else even managed a share). Yet, one common opponent, the league’s stepchild/newcomer, gave the neighboring state juggernauts all they could handle.

Despite the brief interruption to the title trophy, the Horns and Hogs’ dominance resumed in the most visible manner, leading those two schools to play on the nation’s biggest stage—in front of the President of the United States—by decade’s end. During the last four years of the Sixties, they went a combined 38-9-1 against the rest of the Southwest Conference, but only 4-4 against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Texas rang up three wins against just one loss versus longtime rival Oklahoma, including defeating a ’67 Sooners squad that ended otherwise unbeaten and ranked number three in the nation. It also beat the next year’s OU group that ended #10 and the ’69 squad that entered the contest sixth nationally. Of course, along the way included the huge Arkansas wins, particularly the Big Shootout, a blowout of Tennessee in the 1969 Cotton Bowl and the thrilling come-from-behind national title clincher over Joe Theismann and Notre Dame the next Cotton classic.

Yet, the Red Raiders split with the ‘Horns (something even Arkansas couldn’t manage), giving Darrell Royal’s program its last loss prior to pounding 30 straight opponents. It was, in fact, that contest on a 1968 September night in Lubbock (a 31-22 Tech triumph) that pushed Royal into removing Bill Bradley at quarterback and substituting little-used James Street. The rest, as they say, is history. Texas Tech’s upset over sixth-ranked Texas dropped the ‘Horns completely out of the top twenty, the next to last week that would happen for five seasons.

That shocker, though, was merely a repeat of the prior year in Austin, where an eighth-ranked Longhorn squad’s high hopes were shot down, 19-13, by J.T. King’s Red Raiders. Again, the stepchild had bounced Texas—a gargantuan pre-season SWC favorite—out of the nation’s top twenty. The upset was of national prominence, considering too that Tech had finished the prior season just 4-6.

Dynamic Heisman candidate Donny Anderson had since taken his gig to the bigs (Green Bay Packers) after 1965, but tough and talented runners Jackie Stewart, Mike Leinert, Roger Freeman, and Larry Hargrave (pictured) and dangerous field leaders John Scovell and Joe Matulich carried on quite effectively. Scovell’s 175 yards on darting keepers through the night was the catalyst in the ’67 upset.

The Arkansas Razorbacks were sliced more than once as well. Amidst a sizzling 30-2 mark that began against Tech in 1963 and with a third consecutive Cotton Bowl and conference title within reach in ‘66, the trip to Lubbock proved fatal for those plans. A rock-ribbed Red Raider defense largely shut down the three-touchdown favorite Hogs after the first quarter.

Rather than landing in Cotton again, Frank Broyles’ squad suddenly had nowhere to go for the holidays. The defeat also seemed to temporarily take the snort out of the Hogs, as they fell off the cliff the next year, going 4-5-1.

In that ’67 season leading to the rematch with the Red Raiders, after a nightmarish 1-3-1 start, the Razorbacks appeared to have regained their footing, only losing a shootout to eventual champ Texas A&M. They then decisively disposed of Rice and defending SWC champ SMU. With the Tech game in the home state this time, revenge was on the post-Thanksgiving menu before a rabid bunch of Hogs fans. Texas Tech, meanwhile, came limping in following an upset loss to TCU and a fortunate escape against a winless (in conference) Baylor.

Weathering a Razorbacks’ record-setting day by Ronny South (335 yards passing; including 77- and 73-yard bombs), the Red Raiders pulled off an unlikely repeat befuddler, 31-27; increasingly confounding considering Frank Broyles typically had his squads humming in November. Once again, because of the upending underdogs, Arkansas was left out of the bowl picture.

With these national-scale stunners over the top talent in the conference, what prevented a powerhouse run by the Red Raiders themselves?

Part of it is due to it losing as surprisingly as it won.

While Texas Tech was proving to be a west Texas scorpion—smaller but near-deadly—to a couple of goliaths, a pair of “flyweights” precluded the Lubbock program from attaining any lasting success.

After its win over the Longhorns in 1967, the 2-0 Red Raiders had broken into the top 10. It then welcomed Mississippi State, a team with an eight-game losing streak and in the process of winning just one game until 1969. The win came that weekend, and it sent Tech reeling on a three-game losing skid, eliminating any bowl opportunity and national ranking.

Again following its upset of Texas early in the ’68 season, Texas Tech was flying high, especially after then defeating the prior year’s champ, Texas A&M. Now standing at 3-0-1 and #15 in the country, it next flew to face Mississippi State again. The home Bulldogs this time had exceeded their ’67 losing skid with an 11-game chasm without victory—the last having been against the Red Raiders, of course. Though Tech didn’t come back home with a loss, it did get tied by Tommy Pharr’s running and passing (he had scored the only TD in the last upset win), 28-28. State would finish the year 0-8-2. [Amazingly—or maybe not—the still muzzled and weak Bulldogs would again bite the Red Raiders in 1969]

Like the season before, the blemish versus the big underdog Bulldogs caused bleeding beyond that contest for J.T. King’s group, and record-setting Chuck Hixson’s SMU Mustangs were the benefactor, 39-18. This time, though, Tech turned it around, winning the next two in convincing fashion, leaving them with a sparkling 4-1 conf mark and deadlocked with Texas, Arkansas, and SMU for the conference lead. The upcoming contest with moribund Baylor (1-6, two wins in the last 17 games) inspired a “guns up” mentality, ready to shoot the fireworks.

Unfortunately, the Baylor offense is what exploded, firing off 35 points in a second half blitzkrieg in Waco while coming from behind. Final: Baylor 42-Tech 28. The Red Raiders’ rushing game that pounded Texas for over 200 yards managed all of 71 yards on the afternoon. Even more mind-boggling, Tech’s four scores came on drives only covering a total of 85 yards, meaning the host’s generosity is the only thing keeping this one close. [Sadly, and perhaps unfairly, it wasn’t enough for John Bridgers to keep his job…another story.]

The Baylor Bears had beaten Tech in 1966 and nearly pulled it off the following season. This one, though, was much more devastating. It also left Tech fans pondering what might have been without “having to face” the supposed patsies. The wallop in Waco would be one of only four games Baylor would win in a deeply dark three-year period.

As was the norm, it also led to a shellacking the following week; to Arkansas, 42-7. Again, the Red Raiders would go bowl-less, much less catching Cotton.

Texas Tech could be proud knowing it could play with any big boys on any given Saturday. It also found out the opponent—regardless of how small—could play with Tech. Still, in a period when two schools dominated like the Horns and Hogs did, there’s lingering satisfaction in what was accomplished, even if it could have been considerably more.