1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
Record8–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorMelvin Robertson (3rd season)
Home stadiumScott Field
Mississippi Veterans Memorial 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 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Emory Bellard, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 8–4, with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished third in the SEC.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 5Memphis State*No. 14
W 20–342,507[1]
September 19VanderbiltNo. 14
W 29–932,045[2]
September 26FloridaNo. 12
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Jackson, MS
W 28–745,250[3]
October 3Missouri*No. 9
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Jackson, MS
L 3–1440,776[4]
October 10at Colorado State*No. 19
W 37–2724,761[5]
October 17No. 13 Miami (FL)*No. 16
  • Scott Field
  • Starkville, MS
W 14–1033,225[6]
October 24at AuburnNo. 9
W 21–1758,000[7]
October 31at No. 8 AlabamaNo. 7
L 10–1360,210[8]
November 7vs. No. 20 Southern Miss*No. 15
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Jackson, MS
L 6–764,112[9]
November 14at LSU
W 17–971,303[10]
November 21vs. Ole Miss
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Jackson, MS (Egg Bowl)
L 17–2161,153[11]
December 31vs. Kansas*
W 10–041,672[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

Roster

1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 13 John Bond So
C 58 Kent Hull
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DE 79 Glen Collins
LB 99 Johnie Cooks
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. ^ "State wins 20–3, but champagne didn't flow". The Clarion-Ledger. September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Commodores buried by Bulldog runners". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 20, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Gators give Bulldogs 28–7 victory". Tallahassee Democrat. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Missouri steals defensive thunder from Mississippi State in 14–7 upset". The Kansas City Star. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Miss. State gets a scare but beats Colorado State 37–27". The Clarion-Ledger. October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Second-quarter outburse sparks Mississippi State". Wisconsin State Journal. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mississippi State overhauls Auburn". St. Petersburg Times. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "State fires and falls back 13–10". The Clarion-Ledger. November 1, 1981. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "USM takes State's best shot and lives". The Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1981. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Mississippi St. tops Tigers behind Bond". The Daily Advertiser. November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Fourcade keys Reb victory over Dawgs". Hattiesburg American. November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Bulldogs take command early to shut out Jayhawks". Birmingham Post-Herald. January 1, 1982. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
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