1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Last updated

1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football
Gator Bowl, L 27–31 vs. North Carolina
Conference Southwest Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 16
Record8–4 (5–3 SWC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Larry Beightol (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorDon Lindsey (1st season)
Home stadium Razorback Stadium
War Memorial Stadium
Seasons
←  1980
1982  →
1981 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 SMU $ 7 –1 –010 –1 –0
No. 2 Texas 6 –1 –110 –1 –1
Houston 5 –2 –17 –4 –1
Arkansas 5 –3 –08 –4 –0
Texas A&M 4 –4 –07 –5 –0
Rice 3 –5 –04 –7 –0
Baylor 3 –5 –05 –6 –0
TCU 1 –6 –12 –7 –2
Texas Tech 0 –7 –11 –9 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The biggest win of the year was against a #1 Texas team, which the Razorbacks were rivals with already. Although unranked, the Razorbacks came out on top by 31 points, ending Texas' run at the top of the polls.

Contents

Unranked at the end of the regular season, the Hogs still received a Gator Bowl berth against a 10–2 North Carolina team ranked 11th. [1] The SWC's champion, SMU, could not participate in a bowl game due to probation. [2]

Defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith was a consensus All-American for Arkansas. [3] Bruce Lahay, a kicker, also received first-team honors. Lahay was in a three-way tie for field goals per game in 1981, hitting on 1.73 per game. This mark was also held by Kevin Butler of Georgia and Larry Roach of Oklahoma State.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 12 Tulsa *
W 14–1042,118 [4]
September 19 Northwestern *
W 38–754,532 [5]
September 26at Ole Miss *
 ESPN W 27–1363,522 [6]
October 3at TCU
L 24–2830,313 [7]
October 10at Texas Tech
ABC W 26–1441,866 [8]
October 17No. 1 Texas
  • Razorback Stadium
  • Fayetteville, AR (rivalry)
ABCW 42–1144,031 [9]
October 24 Houston No. 12
  • War Memorial Stadium
  • Little Rock, AR
L 17–2054,618 [10]
October 31at Rice No. 20
W 41–712,000 [11]
November 7 Baylor No. 19
  • War Memorial Stadium
  • Little Rock, AR
ESPNW 41–3954,560 [12]
November 14at Texas A&M No. 16
ABCW 10–760,003 [13]
November 21 SMU No. 16
  • Razorback Stadium
  • Fayetteville, AR
L 18–3243,842 [14]
December 28vs. No. 11 North Carolina *
ABCL 27–3171,009 [15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[16]

Personnel

1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB Gary Anderson
OL Jay Bequette
RB Darryl Bowles
RB Thomas Brown
RB Jessie Clark
TE Steve Clyde
RB Mark Douglas
OL Charles Ginn
WR Derek Holloway
RB Tim Joiner
QB Tom Jones
WR Keith Kidd
RB Jim Koch
OL Steve Korte
TE Darryl Mason
QB McHan
WR Gerald McMurray
WR Mark Mistler
OL Alfred Mohammed
RB Nellum
QB Bill Pierce
QB Scott Reed
QB Brad Taylor
RB James Tolbert
OL Ronnie Trusty
RB Wagner
TE Eddie White
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DL Phil Boren
DB Keith Burns
DB Kim Dameron Jr
LB Steve Douglas
DL Ron Faurot
LB Jeff Goff
DB Nathan Jones
LB Teddy Morris
DB Kent Reber
DL Richard Richardson
DL Billy Ray Smith
DB Danny Walters
DL Bert Zinamon
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K, P Bruce Lahay
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injury icon 2.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

[17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Conference</span> United States college athletics league

The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklahoma and Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Razorbacks football</span> College football team of the University of Arkansas

The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played at stadiums on or near the two largest campuses of the University of Arkansas System: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Sam Pittman is the head coach and has served since 2020.

The 1978 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Razorbacks compiled a 9–2–1 record, finished in a tie for second place in the SWC, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 336 to 147. The Razorbacks' only losses were to SWC champion Houston by a 20–9 score and to Texas by a 28–21 score. The team advanced to 1978 Fiesta Bowl, playing to a 10–10 tie with UCLA. Arkansas was ranked #11 in the final AP Poll and #10 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.

The 1979 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Razorbacks compiled a 10–2 record, finished in a tie with Houston for the SWC championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 284 to 132. The Razorbacks' only regular season loss was to Houston by a 13–10 score. The team advanced to the 1980 Sugar Bowl, losing to undefeated national champion Alabama by a 24–9 score. Arkansas was ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll and No. 9 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.

The 1982 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. Arkansas had two consensus All-Americans in 1982, Steve Korte, on the offensive line, and defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith. Smith anchored a defensive unit that was the number one scoring offense, giving up only 10.5 points per game, and ninth in the nation in terms of stopping the run, only giving up 96.7 yards per game. Billy Ray Smith was a consensus All American in 1981 as well, and would be picked fifth in the 1983 NFL draft.

The 1984 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Ken Hatfield, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 7–4–1 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the SWC. Arkansas was invited to the Liberty Bowl, where the Razorbacks lost to Auburn. The team played home games at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 1989 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Ken Hatfield in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SWC title for the second consecutive year. Arkansas was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Razorbacks lost to Tennessee. The team played their home games at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 1991 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Jack Crowe, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 6–6 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for second in the SWC. Arkansas was invited to the Independence Bowl, where the Razorbacks lost to Georgia. The team played home games at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 1946 Arkansas Razorbacks football team was an American football team that represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1946 college football season. In their first year under head coach John Barnhill, the Razorbacks compiled a 6–3–2 record, finished in a tie with Rice for first place in the SWC, and outscored their opponents by a total of 136 to 92. The Razorbacks advanced to the 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic, playing LSU to a scoreless tie. After winning only five conference games all decade, the Razorbacks matched that total in one year.

The 1959 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1959 college football season. In their second year under head coach Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks compiled a 9–2 record, finished in a tie with Texas for the SWC championship, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 163 to 101. The Razorbacks' only losses came against Texas by a 13–12 score and to Mississippi by a 28–0 score. The team was ranked #9 in both the final AP Poll and the final UPI Coaches Poll and went on to defeat Georgia Tech in the 1960 Gator Bowl by a 14–7 score. Halfback Jim Mooty was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team player on the 1959 All-America Team.

The 1961 Arkansas Razorbacks football team was an American football team that represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks compiled an 8–3 record, finished in a tie with Texas for the SWC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 183 to 97. The Razorbacks' only losses during the regular season came against Ole Miss by a 16–0 score and to Texas by a 33–7 score. The team was ranked No. 9 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers poll and No. 8 in the final United Press International (UPI) coaches poll and went on to lose to the undefeated national champion Alabama in the 1962 Sugar Bowl by a 10–3 score.

The 1970 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In their 13th year under head coach Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks compiled a 9–2 record, finished in second place behind Texas in the SWC, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 402 to 144. The team finished the season ranked #11 in the final AP Poll and #12 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.

The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. The Longhorns won all eleven games to win their second consensus national championship; the first was six seasons earlier in 1963.

The 1981 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Ron Meyer in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Mustangs compiled an overall record 10–1 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SWC title.

The 1960 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Southwest Conference (SWC) co-champion Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas defeated Georgia Tech, 14–7, in front of 45,104 spectators. There were two players named Most Valuable Player: Jim Mooty of Arkansas and Maxie Baughan of Georgia Tech.

The 1995 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Danny Ford, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 8–5, with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, and finished first in the SEC Western Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team</span> American college football season

The 1981 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Jerry Moore, the Red Raiders compiled a 1–9–1 record, were outscored by a combined total of 298 to 198, and finished in ninth and last place in the conference. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Texas Longhorns football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled a 10–1 record and tied with Arkansas for the SWC championship. The Longhorns defeated Arkansas (33–7) and Oklahoma (28–7), and were ranked No. 1 until they lost, 6–0, to unranked TCU on November 18. At the end of the regular season, the Longhorns were ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll and No. 4 in the final UPI poll. They concluded their season with a victory over No. 5 Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

The 1921 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1921 college football season. Coach J. Burton Rix resigned after the first two games and Bill Cunningham took over as the interim coach for the remainder of the season. The team compiled an overall record of 1–6–1 record with mark of 0–4–1 in conference play, placing last out of seven teams in the SWC. The Mustangs were outscored by a total of 92 to 15. The team played its home games at Armstrong Field in Dallas.

The 1981 Gator Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 28, 1981, at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The game pitted the Arkansas Razorbacks and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The game was played under foggy conditions, it was 57 degrees at kickoff, but as the game progressed fog came in and made it worse as the game rolled on to the end.

References

  1. ↑ "1981 Bowl Recap with Top 20 Teams." Gator Bowl. Information Please. Retrieved on August 14, 2007.
  2. ↑ "1981 Conference Champions." Information Please Database. Information Please. Retrieved on December 9, 2007.
  3. ↑ "1981 Consensus All-Americans." Information Please Database. Information Please. Retrieved on August 14, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Lahay boot lifts Arkansas past Tulsa". The News-Star. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Hog runners dash to win over Wildcats". The Commercial Appeal. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Arkansas is razor sharm against Rebs". The Commercial Appeal. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "TCU upsets Arkansas 28–24". The El Paso Times. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Lahay, Arkansas kick Texas Tech". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Arkansas makes Texas 4th No. 1 team to lose". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Houston nips 17th-ranked Hogs by 3". Bryan-College Station Eagle. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Arkansas rips Rice". The Odessa American. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Late kick sends Arkansas to 41–39 win over Baylor". Austin American-Statesman. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Arkansas' rally trips Texas A&M". The Tampa Tribune-Times. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "SMU belts Arkansas, rules SWC". St. Petersburg Times. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "North Carolina fogs Arkansas in Gator Bowl". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 29, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "1981 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  17. ↑ "1981 Arkansas Razorbacks Roster". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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