ARLINGTON, Texas — The stadium cost over $1 billion to build. The field is home to the most recognizable team in the National Football League.

And today, the 18th-ranked Valdosta State Blazers will get to experience playing at Cowboys Stadium first-hand when they face the Angelo State Rams in the Lone Star Football Festival.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Eastern.

The meeting will be the first-ever game between the Blazers and Rams, who have playing college football since 1964 and competing in the Lone Star Conference since 1970.

Valdosta State and Angelo State both enter today’s game with 1-1 records. The Blazers dropped their first game to Saginaw Valley State and bounced back last week with a 62-14 thrashing of Fort Valley State. Angelo State beat Western State College of Colorado before falling to Chadron State last week.

Angelo State is carried by its defense. The Rams are allowing just 228.5 yards per game to opposing offensive units.

“They have a great defense,” Valdosta State head coach David Dean said. “(It is) an impressive group. I was telling somebody, I think it was the wideouts when we were watching film, I said, ‘You watch those guys tackle, there is 11 guys around the ball.’ They fly to the football, they play hard and they’re athletic. Their front four is very well coached. Their front four is hard, and they turn and run to the football.

“Defensively, this is a bunch that can embarrass you. The one thing is, they are going to make you earn everything that you get because they play so hard.”

Last week, the Rams held the explosive offense of Chadron State, which produced two-time Harlon Hill winner and current New England Patriot Danny Woodhead, to just 277 yards of total offense.

The Eagles’ three scoring drives in the game came on short fields.

Their first touchdown drive was a quick three-play, 51-yard drive. The second touchdown drive tallied just 56 yards. The final scoring drive started at the Angelo State 42.

The key for the Blazers will be to challenge the Rams through the passing game while staying balanced with the run, according to Dean.

“They have done a good job at stopping the run, but nobody has really challenged them in the passing game,” Dean said. “Maybe the reason is because they are so good in the secondary, but for us, what we have to do is be balanced. We have to run and throw. We can’t become one-dimensional.

“Our offensive line has to play a great game, because that defensive front is good, they’re athletic, quick and they look like they are very strong. (Our offensive line) is going to have to do a great job at opening holes. We have to be able to run the ball. If that is the case, I think it will bring in those safeties a little bit, and then we are going to be able to get some matchups out wide in the passing game.”

Junior quarterback Cayden Cochran will return and start today after missing last week’s game against Fort Valley State with a separated shoulder. In Cochran’s absence, sophomore Graham Craig tossed five touchdown passes in the Blazers’ win over the Wildcats.

At wide receiver, Seantavious Jones is off to another impressive start. The junior wide out has six catches for 172 yards with two touchdowns, both over 70 yards in distance, through the first two games of the season.

“It is always nice to help your team out,” Jones said. “That is what I am here for — to help the team get some points.”

Along with Jones, fellow junior Gerald Ford, who caught three touchdown passes in last week’s win over Fort Valley State, is having a monster start to the season. Ford leads the team with 10 catches this year.

Offensively, Angelo State has a big bruising running back to go along with its passing offense. Jermie Calhoun is the Rams’ starting running back. Out of high school, Calhoun was considered one of the best running backs in the nation (rivals.com ranked him the No. 2 running back in the country, while scout.com ranked him No. 3). He enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, where he fought injury and was passed over by players like DeMarco Murray, who now plays professionally for the Dallas Cowboys.

This season, Calhoun has yet to find the end zone, but leads the Rams with 156 yards rushing.

“He really hasn’t gotten a lot of yards but I don’t think they’ve used him like they want to use him,” Dean said. “He is coming off a new injury from a couple years ago, so they might be slowly moving into what they want to do with him.”

Quarterback Blake Hamblin is back to lead the Rams. Hamblin has completed 64 percent of his passes this year for 490 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Today’s game will be carried live on Mediacom channel 20 and on Talk 92.1 FM, 92.9 FM and 1150 AM. Follow @Ed_Hooper on Twitter for updates.