Throwback Thursday: 1978 North Texas vs. Texas

Harry · May 25, 2017

Way back in 1978 North Texas State was one of the most successful programs in the State. But kids, this state was run by the Longhorns in Austin and if you wanted credibility beating Texas was your ticket. NTSU had their shot on October 14, 1978 at Memorial Stadium.

Get me the Hayden Fry Bullets!

- NTSU finished 1978 with a 9-2 record, giving them an 18-4 two year run. And yet they weren't invited to a bowl game. The 2016 North Texas team won 5 games and got to enjoy the wonders of the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Millennials are ruining everything.

- More on this in a later post but NTSU coach Hayden Fry was working tirelessly to get the Screaming Eagles a SWC bid. It was his focus. Well that and beating SWC teams every chance he got.

read more: https://swcroundup.com/news/2017/5/24/throwback-thursday-1978-north-texas-vs-texas?utm_content=bufferd385f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Cr1028 · May 25, 2017

Bowls are about tv deals these days Harry. The fact that we participated in the HOD bowl this year had little to do with millennials and everything to do with $$$$. The '78 team just wasn't around in an era with an abundance of bowls fighting over the eligible teams.

UNTLifer · May 25, 2017

2 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

Bowls are about tv deals these days Harry. The fact that we participated in the HOD bowl this year had little to do with millennials and everything to do with $$$$. The '78 team just wasn't around in an era with an abundance of bowls fighting over the eligible teams.

Not Harry. The millennial quote was from the article.

Loved those uniforms and remember being at that game.

Edited May 25, 2017 by UNTLifer

DeepGreen · May 26, 2017

I was at that game too. Great NT team.

SilverEagle · May 26, 2017

I too was at the game, and it solidified my opinion of Jordan Case (#8 on your program) being the best QB that I had ever seen play at NT up to that point......and to a certain extent, since.

The final score 26-16, was a little deceiving. Late in the game with the score 23-16 in favor of Texas, NT drove down for what would have been the tying score, but turned it over on 4th down on the goal line. Texas then went on a slow sustained drive and kicked a FG, making it 26-16.

NT had (IMHO) one of it's best all around backfields in history that year. Besides Case, there was the late great RB Bernard Jackson (#23 on your program) who was working on his record 1453 yard season. At FB was was Fred Gordon 6'3" X 230lbs (#24 on your program) both fast and quick. Why he wasn't drafted by the NFL is still a mystery to me. At receivers were the unspectacular but very dependable Charles Murray (#20 on your program) and Bruce Chambers (#14 on your program). At TE was Darrel Terrell (#88 on your program) who DID play in the NFL (I hope I'm not confusing him with Ron Battle who was also on that team).

Waiting in the wings were QB Joe Stevenson (#10 on your program) and IMHO the best ever QB of color to play at NT, as well as highly recruited RB Milton Collins (#42 on your program) and an unknown freshman RB/FB named Lee English* (#33 on your program) who finished with a 6 yrds per carry average that year (3 carries for 18 yards). Future receiving record holder Pete Harvey (#16 on your program) was also on that team.

Every RB listed on this post was a threat as a receiver coming out of the backfield.

For the younger fans out there, if you want to know what kind of QB Case was, think Scott Hall. A fierce competitor, a great arm, mobile, fearless AND TOUGH. Scott Hall often played hurt. Case had a congenital back condition that cause him to be in almost constant pain during his playing years.

* Father of Brice English

Edited May 26, 2017 by SilverEagle

untcampbell · May 26, 2017

I don't have a program....could you loan me yours?

BTW, I was on the 45 yard line, student side. Freshman at UT. Got to North Texas as fast as I could.

GMG

Edited May 26, 2017 by untcampbell

UNTLifer · May 26, 2017

3 minutes ago, untcampbell said:

I don't have a program....could you loan me yours?

GMG

I was on the 45 yard line, student side. Freshman at UT. Got to North Texas as fast as I could.

GMG

See, there is signs of intelligence on this page! The image cut off "Texas."

Image result for hitchhiker

Cooley · May 28, 2017

On 5/26/2017 at 4:07 AM, SilverEagle said:

I too was at the game, and it solidified my opinion of Jordan Case (#8 on your program) being the best QB that I had ever seen play at NT up to that point......and to a certain extent, since.

The final score 26-16, was a little deceiving. Late in the game with the score 23-16 in favor of Texas, NT drove down for what would have been the tying score, but turned it over on 4th down on the goal line. Texas then went on a slow sustained drive and kicked a FG, making it 26-16.

NT had (IMHO) one of it's best all around backfields in history that year. Besides Case, there was the late great RB Bernard Jackson (#23 on your program) who was working on his record 1453 yard season. At FB was was Fred Gordon 6'3" X 230lbs (#24 on your program) both fast and quick. Why he wasn't drafted by the NFL is still a mystery to me. At receivers were the unspectacular but very dependable Charles Murray (#20 on your program) and Bruce Chambers (#14 on your program). At TE was Darrel Terrell (#88 on your program) who DID play in the NFL (I hope I'm not confusing him with Ron Battle who was also on that team).

Waiting in the wings were QB Joe Stevenson (#10 on your program) and IMHO the best ever QB of color to play at NT, as well as highly recruited RB Milton Collins (#42 on your program) and an unknown freshman RB/FB named Lee English* (#33 on your program) who finished with a 6 yrds per carry average that year (3 carries for 18 yards). Future receiving record holder Pete Harvey (#16 on your program) was also on that team.

Every RB listed on this post was a threat as a receiver coming out of the backfield.

For the younger fans out there, if you want to know what kind of QB Case was, think Scott Hall. A fierce competitor, a great arm, mobile, fearless AND TOUGH. Scott Hall often played hurt. Case had a congenital back condition that cause him to be in almost constant pain during his playing years.

* Father of Brice English

For the younger fans, Ken Washington was clearly the best QB to play for the Mean Green since Steve Ramsey. The great Hayden Fry would tell anyone this today. Jordan Case was good but not better than Ken Washington, which is why he was Washington's back up the year they were on the team together. Case also entered the Hall of Fame after Washington.

Silver it is comical and somewhat of an insult to keep mentioning Joe Stevenson's name in the discussion of top NT quarterbacks. (Black or White) I don't know what you have against Ken Washington when this was not even a debate during the true glory years.

UNTLifer · May 28, 2017

It is his opinion. Comparing Washington and Stevenson to Case is difficult because they were totally different in their style of play.

SilverEagle · May 28, 2017

3 hours ago, Cooley said:

For the younger fans, Ken Washington was clearly the best QB to play for the Mean Green since Steve Ramsey. The great Hayden Fry would tell anyone this today. Jordan Case was good but not better than Ken Washington, which is why he was Washington's back up the year they were on the team together. Case also entered the Hall of Fame after Washington.

Silver it is comical and somewhat of an insult to keep mentioning Joe Stevenson's name in the discussion of top NT quarterbacks. (Black or White) I don't know what you have against Ken Washington when this was not even a debate during the true glory years.

Ken Washington was around for 4 years, and the bolded section represents his year by year passing performance. As you can see, he was (mostly) absent for two of those years because he was hurt doing what he couldn't resist doing......scrambling. Jordan Case was on campus for three years and Joe Stevenson was around four years.

Att Comp TD yrds

1983 Greg Carter 185 93 12 1,275

1982 Rusty Hill 292 177 9 1,704

1981 Greg Carter 138 73 2 782

1980 Joe Stevenson 236 129 11 1,582

1979 Jordan Case 167 103 3 1,152

1978 Jordan Case 179 105 8 1,360

1977 Ken Washington 129 81 10 1,155

1976 Ken Smith 111 47 5 630

1975 Glen Ray 65 26 2 472

1974 Ken Washington 201 78 6 1,042

As you can see from the "pass efficiency (how they determine that I don't know) chart" he is listed below Andrew McNulty.

Passing Efficiency 1. Scott Hall, 2000-04 132.26 2. Mitch Maher, 1991-94 128.56 3. Scott Davis, 1987-90 126.44 4. Derek Thompson, 2009-13 126.27 5. Riley Dodge, 2008-10 125.71 6. Steve Ramsey, 1967-69 116.16 7. Giovanni Vizza, 2007-08 114.01 8. Jordan Case, 1977-79 111.61 9. Andrew McNulty, 2011-15 110.22 10. Ken Washington, 1974-77 105.01

When Ken Washington was having a hot night, he was really good. But IMHO he was mostly streaky. Joe Stevenson was not. Every time he came in to start during the 78 or 79 season he was exactly the same. Just as he was his senior year (full year start) when he had a better year than any of Ken Washington's.

All About UNT · May 31, 2017

On 5/26/2017 at 9:22 AM, untcampbell said:

I don't have a program....could you loan me yours?

BTW, I was on the 45 yard line, student side. Freshman at UT. Got to North Texas as fast as I could.

GMG

when we met on the train on the way to the Bowl game you failed to mention that you also went to UT