| 1981 Hall of Fame Classic | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Legion Field | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Birmingham, Alabama | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | QB John Bond | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 41,672 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Mizlou | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Merle Harmon | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1981 Hall of Fame Classic was a college football postseason bowl game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Kansas Jayhawks.
The Bulldogs finished 3rd in the Southeastern Conference. This was the first time in school history that they reached consecutive bowl games. The Jayhawks finished tied for 3rd in the Big Eight Conference, in their first bowl game since 1975.
On the first play of the game, the Bulldogs reached upon a stroke of luck. Ricky Green of the Jayhawks was receiving the opening kickoff when Rob Fesmire caused a fumble and recovered it at the Kansas 17. On the next play, John Bond ran 17 yards to the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 7–0 lead early in the game. Dana Moore made it 10–0 on a 22-yard field goal, and those 10 points proved to be all the Bulldogs needed as they held Kansas to 35 yards rushing while forcing three turnovers and using deep punts by Dana Moore to stymie the Jayhawks.[1][2]
The Bulldogs waited 10 years to reach another bowl game in 1991 while the Jayhawks waited 11 years.
| Statistics | Mississippi State | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 12 | 14 |
| Rushing yards | 236 | 35 |
| Passing yards | 51 | 171 |
| Total yards | 287 | 206 |
| Passes (C–A–I) | 5–16–0 | 15–31–2 |
| Fumbles–lost | 5–1 | 1–1 |
| Penalties–yards | 10–65 | 7–82 |