The 1981 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University in the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Sonny Randle, the team compiled a 2–9 record (1–5 against conference opponents) and was outscored by a total of 284 to 94.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Morehead State*	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	W 20–17	18,212	[3]
September 19	at Western Michigan*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	L 3–14		[4]
September 26	East Tennessee State	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 0–14	15,625	[5]
October 3	at Louisville*	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 0–36		[6]
October 10	at Chattanooga	Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	L 0–20		[7]
October 17	at William & Mary*	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	L 7–38	8,000	[8]
October 24	VMI	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 16–20	13,440	[9]
October 31	at Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	L 3–35	10,811	[10]
November 7	at Appalachian State	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	W 17–10	8,280	[11]
November 14	Western Carolina	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 28–38		[12]
November 21	Indiana State*	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 0–42		[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Roster