1981 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 1981 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Muddy Waters, the Spartans compiled a 5–6 overall record (4–5 against Big Ten opponents) and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.[1][2]
| 1981 Michigan State Spartans football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 5–6 (4–5 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Joe Pendry (2nd season) |
| MVP | Bryan Clark |
| Captain | George Cooper, John Leister |
| Home stadium | Spartan Stadium (capacity: 76,000) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Ohio State + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Iowa + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Four Spartans were recognized by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team: center Tom Piette (AP-2; UPI-1); linebacker Carl Banks (AP-2; UPI-1); defensive back Jim Burroughs (AP-2; UPI-1); and placekicker Morten Andersen (AP-1; UPI-1).[3][4] Several Michigan State players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:
- Placekicker Morten Andersen led the conference with 15 field goals made and a 75.0 field goal percentage.[5]
- Quarterback Bryan Clark ranked third in the conference with a 128.9 passing efficiency rating, fourth with a 53.4% pass completion percentage and seventh with 1,521 passing yards.[5]
- Running back Aaron Roberts ranked seventh in the conference with 4.9 yards per carry and 10th with 461 rushing yards.[5]
- Ted Jones ranked sixth in the conference with 44 receptions and ninth with 624 receiving yards.[5]
- Daryl Turner ranked eighth in the conference with 653 receiving yards.[5]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | Illinois | L 17–27 | 54,945 | ||
| September 19 | at No. 8 Ohio State | L 13–27 | 87,084 | ||
| September 26 | Bowling Green* |
| W 10–7 | 64,323 | |
| October 3 | at Notre Dame* | L 7–20 | 59,074 | ||
| October 10 | No. 6 Michigan |
| L 20–38 | 77,923 | [6][7] |
| October 17 | No. 14 Wisconsin |
| W 33–14 | 67,652 | |
| October 24 | at Purdue | L 26–27 | 69,877 | ||
| October 31 | Indiana |
| W 26–3 | 60,131 | |
| November 7 | at Northwestern | W 61–14 | 24,104 | ||
| November 14 | Minnesota |
| W 43–36 | 56,571 | |
| November 21 | at No. 19 Iowa | L 7–36 | 60,103 | ||
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References
- "Michigan State Yearly Results (1980-1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- "2015 Michigan State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. p. 147. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- Joe Mooshil (December 1, 1981). "Eason Edges Schlichter on All-Big Ten". The Argus-Press, Owosso, Michigan (AP story). p. 14.
- Randy Minkoff (November 25, 1981). "Name All Big Ten". The Bryan Times (UPI story). p. 19.
- "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- Jack Saylor (October 11, 1981). "U-M ground game grinds down MSU". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1H, 7H – via Newspapers.com.
- Mark Mihanovic (October 11, 1981). "Blue surge bombs MSU, 38-20". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 10 – via Bentley Historical Library.
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