1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football | |
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Gator Bowl, L 27–31 vs. North Carolina | |
Conference | Southwest Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 16 |
Record | 8–4 (5–3 SWC) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Larry Beightol |
Defensive coordinator | Don Lindsey |
Home stadium | Razorback Stadium War Memorial Stadium |
Seasons |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 5 SMU $ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 Texas | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas A&M | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Baylor | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TCU | 1 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas Tech | 0 | – | 7 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The biggest win of the year was against a #1 Texas team, which the Razorbacks were rivals with already. Although unranked, the Razorbacks came out on top by 31 points, ending Texas' run at the top of the polls.
Unranked at the end of the regular season, the Hogs still received a Gator Bowl berth against a 10–2 North Carolina team ranked 11th.[1] The SWC's champion, SMU, could not participate in a bowl game due to probation.[2]
Defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith was a consensus All-American for Arkansas.[3] Bruce Lahay, a kicker, also received first-team honors. Lahay was in a three-way tie for field goals per game in 1981, hitting on 1.73 per game. This mark was also held by Kevin Butler of Georgia and Larry Roach of Oklahoma State.
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 12 | Tulsa* | W 14–10 | 42,118 | ||||
September 19 | Northwestern* |
| W 38–7 | 54,532 | |||
September 26 | at Ole Miss* | ESPN | W 27–13 | 63,522 | [4] | ||
October 3 | at TCU | L 24–28 | 30,313 | ||||
October 10 | at Texas Tech | ABC | W 26–14 | 41,866 | |||
October 17 | No. 1 Texas |
| ABC | W 42–11 | 44,031 | ||
October 24 | Houston | No. 12 |
| L 17–20 | 54,618 | ||
October 31 | at Rice | No. 20 |
| W 41–7 | 12,000 | ||
November 7 | Baylor | No. 19 |
| ESPN | W 41–39 | 54,560 | |
November 14 | at Texas A&M | No. 16 | ABC | W 10–7 | 60,003 | ||
November 21 | SMU | No. 16 |
| L 12–32 | 43,842 | ||
December 28 | vs. No. 11 North Carolina* | ABC | L 27–31 | 71,009 | [5] | ||
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Personnel
1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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Game summaries
Tulsa
Northwestern
At Ole Miss
At TCU
At Texas Tech
Texas
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Texas | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
Arkansas | 15 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 42 |
at Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Date: October 17
- Game time: 2:45 p.m.
- Game weather: Overcast, 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 44,031
- TV: ABC
- Box Score
Game information | ||
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Coming home to play Texas is like coming home to your wife with lipstick on your collar. Sometimes, you might be better off not coming home.
Lou Holtz, Arkansas Democrat (during the week)
[6]
It was a great win...I'm glad we're not playing them again tomorrow.
Lou Holtz (postgame)
[7]
Houston
At Rice
Baylor
At Texas A&M
SMU
Gator Bowl (vs. North Carolina)
References
- ^ "1981 Bowl Recap with Top 20 Teams." Gator Bowl. Information Please. Retrieved on August 14, 2007.
- ^ "1981 Conference Champions." Information Please Database. Information Please. Retrieved on December 9, 2007.
- ^ "1981 Consensus All-Americans." Information Please Database. Information Please. Retrieved on August 14, 2007.
- ^ "Arkansas is razor sharm against Rebs". The Commercial Appeal. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "North Carolina fogs Arkansas in Gator Bowl". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 29, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "247sports.com". October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "No. 1 jinx holds up — Texas falls to Arkansas". Eugene Register-Guard. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
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