1981 Georgia Bulldogs football
SEC co-champion
Sugar Bowl, L 20–24 vs. Pittsburgh
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 6
Record10–2 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGeorge Haffner (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorBill Lewis (1st season)
Home stadiumSanford Stadium
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Georgia + 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 7 Alabama + 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 1
Mississippi State 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Tennessee 3 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Florida 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Auburn 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Kentucky 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Ole Miss 1 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
LSU 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
Vanderbilt 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Vince Dooley, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 10–2, with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, and finished as SEC co-champion.[1]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 5TennesseeNo. 10
W 44–079,600[2]
September 12California*No. 6
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
W 27–1379,400[3]
September 19at Clemson*No. 4
L 3–1362,466[4]
September 26South Carolina*No. 17
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA (rivalry)
W 24–082,100[5]
October 10at Ole MissNo. 11
W 37–741,125[6]
October 17at VanderbiltNo. 9
ABCW 53–2139,657[7]
October 24KentuckydaggerNo. 7
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
W 21–080,780[8]
October 31Temple*No. 5
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
W 49–380,117[9]
November 7vs. FloridaNo. 4
ABCW 26–2168,648[10]
November 14AuburnNo. 4
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA (rivalry)
W 24–1382,165[11]
December 5at Georgia Tech*No. 2
ABCW 44–758,623[12]
January 1, 1982vs. No. 8 Pittsburgh*No. 2
ABCL 20–2477,224[13]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1981 Georgia Bulldogs football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB Buck Belue Sr
WR 24 Lindsay Scott Sr
  Ronnie Stewart
RB 34 Herschel Walker So
  Scott Williams
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
  Freddie Gilbert
  Jimmy Payne
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K Kevin Butler Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Season summary

Tennessee

The momentum of 1980 continued into September 1981 for the Georgia Bulldogs as Herschel Walker and company took control early in the season by scoring early and often in wins against Tennessee (44–0) and the Cal Golden Bears (27–13). Against the Volunteers, Walker rushed for 161 yards on 30 carries.

California

Walker pounded California by rushing 35 times for 167 yards on September 12.[14]

Clemson

After hitting a dip in the season, losing 13–3 to eventual national champion Clemson, Georgia regained its focus and won out to get to 10–1 by the regular season's end. Even though Walker was able to push, shove, and get through Clemson's defense by rushing 28 times for 111 yards, it wasn't enough to overcome 9 turnovers by the Bulldogs in the loss to the Tigers.[15]

South Carolina

Georgia and Walker rebounded by blanking South Carolina, 24–0, on September 26 as the sophomore running back ran for 176 yards on 36 carries. Georgia, however, only led 3–0 at the half. Walker opened things up for the Bulldogs in the third quarter by scoring on touchdown runs of 3 and 8 yards to put the Gamecocks away.[16]

Ole Miss

Walker's Bulldogs reeled off solid wins—all in October—over Ole Miss (37-7), Vanderbilt (53-21), Kentucky (21-0), and Temple (49-3). He rushed for a season-high 265 yards on 41 attempts and a touchdown against Mississippi on October 10.

Vanderbilt

A week later, Walker rushed 39 times for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns versus Vanderbilt.

Temple

Against Temple, he scored a career-high 4 touchdowns while rushing 23 times for 112 yards against the Owls.[citation needed]

Florida

See also: 1981 Florida Gators football team
Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Period 1 2 34Total
Florida 0 14 0721
Georgia 0 7 71226

at Gator Bowl • Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 7
  • Game attendance: 68,648
  • [17]
Game information

On November 7, seventh-ranked Georgia got behind, 14–0, down in Jacksonville, to the Florida Gators, but came back to win in a repeat score of last season's game, 26–21. Walker rushed a career-high 47 times for 192 yards while scoring four touchdowns.[18]

Auburn

1 234Total
Auburn 0 706 13
• Georgia 3 1470 24
  • Date: November 14
  • Location: Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia
Scoring summary
1UGAButler 20-yard field goalGeorgia 3-0
2AUBEdwards 7-yard run (Del Greco kick)Auburn 7-3
2UGABrown 46-yard pass from Belue (Butler kick)Georgia 10-7
2UGAKay 5-yard pass from Belue (Butler kick)Georgia 17-7
3UGAWalker 2-yard run (Butler kick)Georgia 24-7
4AUBBeauford 1-yard run (run failed)Georgia 24-13

The Bulldogs finished out the regular season at home against nearby rivals: the Auburn Tigers (November 14) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (December 5). The 24–13 win over coach Pat Dye's Tigers clinched a 2nd SEC Championship in a row for Georgia.[19] In the third quarter, Walker's 2-yard touchdown run gave the Bulldogs a commanding 24–7 lead. Walker pounded out 165 yards on 37 rushes during the contest. Georgia led Auburn 17–7 at the half as senior quarterback Buck Belue complimented Walker's power ground game by throwing for two touchdowns.[20]

Georgia Tech

Against Georgia Tech, seniors Belue and Scott set the tone on the game's first play by hooking up on an 80-yard pass as Scott raced into the end zone to spark a 34–0 halftime lead. Walker got into the act by scoring three touchdowns in the first half. He added a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Georgia cruised past the Yellow Jackets, 44–7. Walker finished with 36 rushes for 225 yards and 4 touchdowns in the rivalry matchup.[21]

Postseason

Pittsburgh

Riding an 8-game winning streak, Georgia (10–1) was ranked No. 2 in the country when they faced Pittsburgh (also 10–1, ranked No. 10) in the 1982 Sugar Bowl. Walker made his presence felt early as he bolted 8 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter giving Georgia a 7–0 lead. After a 30-yard, Dan Marino touchdown pass lifted Pitt to a 10–7 lead in third quarter, Walker answered. Walker scored from 10 yards out to give Georgia a 14–10 lead going into the 4th quarter. With Georgia clinging to a 20–17 lead late in the game, Marino found Pittsburgh's receiver John Brown for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 0:35 left in the game. Walker's Bulldogs came up short in the loss, 20–24. He finished with 25 rushes for 84 yards and led UGA in receptions with 3 catches for 53 yards.[22][23]

References

  1. ^ "1981 Georgia Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "Georgia pounds Volunteers, 44–0". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. September 6, 1981. Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Bears' mistakes help Georgia prevail 27–13". The Sacramento Bee. September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Hey Dawgs, how 'bout them Tigers!". The Charlotte Observer. September 20, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Walker carrier Bulldogs". The News and Observer. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Walker finds Reb defense easy picking". The Commercial Appeal. October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "'Dogs put on 'show". The Leaf-Chronicle. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Georgia 'Dogs blank Kentucky, 21–0". Bristol Herald Courier. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Walker, Georgia whip Temple, 49–3". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Bulldogs use small bites to beat UF". St. Petersburg Times. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "'Dogs top Auburn, have sweet tooth". The Tampa Tribune-Times. November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "After Tech rout, Walker praises Georgia's line". The Palm Beach Post. December 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Pitt, Marino put the bite on Bulldogs". The Pittsburgh Press. January 2, 1982. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Outlar, Jessie (September 6, 1981). "The Beat Goes On...Georgia 44, Tennessee 0". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. pp. 1C, 10C. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  15. ^ "Clemson Steals 13-3 Upset Win Over Georgia". Gainesville Sun. September 20, 1981. p. 6D. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  16. ^ "Georgia thumps Gamecocks". Star-News. Wilmington, N.C. September 27, 1981. p. 4D. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  17. ^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1981 Nov 08. Retrieved 2019-Feb-02.
  18. ^ Nissenson, Herschel (November 7, 1981). "College Football Roundup--Allen, McMahon, Northwestern Set Records". Schenectady Gazette. p. 38. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  19. ^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1981 Nov 15.
  20. ^ "Dooley says 'Dogs deserve Sugar bid". The Tuscaloosa News. November 15, 1981. pp. 2B, 3B. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  21. ^ Shearer, Ed (December 6, 1981). "Walker wrecks Tech, 44-7". Gadsden Times. p. 17. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  22. ^ "Pittsburgh Nips Georgia In Sugar Bowl, 24-20". The News and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. January 2, 1982. p. 1-C. Retrieved February 1, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ "Pitt Dashes Bulldogs Hopes 24-20, In 1982 Sugar Bowl". Georgia Bulldog Football – 1984. Sports Information Office – Georgia Athletic Dept. – The University of Georgia: 100. 1984.
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