1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
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, removing Texas' #1 ranking. The Hogs received a Gator Bowl berth against a 10–2 North Carolina team ranked 11th, while the Hogs were unranked at the time.[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 |
Result |
Attendance |
September 12, 1981 |
Tulsa* |
|
Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR |
W 14–10 |
42,118 |
September 19, 1981 |
Northwestern* |
|
War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR |
W 38–7 |
54,532 |
September 26, 1981 |
at Mississippi* |
|
Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS (Rivalry) |
W 27–13 |
63,522 |
October 3, 1981 |
at TCU |
|
Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX |
L 24–28 |
30,313 |
October 10, 1981 |
at Texas Tech |
|
Jones Stadium • Lubbock, TX |
W 26–14 |
41,866 |
October 17, 1981 |
No. 1 Texas |
|
Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR |
W 42–11 |
44,031 |
October 24, 1981 |
Houston |
No. 12 |
War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR |
L 17–20 |
54,618 |
October 31, 1981 |
at Rice |
No. 20 |
Rice Stadium • Houston, TX |
W 41–7 |
12,000 |
November 7, 1981 |
Baylor |
No. 19 |
War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR |
W 41–39 |
54,560 |
November 14, 1981 |
at Texas A&M |
No. 16 |
Kyle Field • College Station, TX (Rivalry) |
W 10–7 |
60,003 |
November 21, 1981 |
SMU |
No. 16 |
Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR |
L 12–32 |
43,842 |
December 28, 1981 |
vs. No. 11 North Carolina* |
|
Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) |
L 27–31 |
71,009 |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
Game notes
Texas
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|
Texas |
0 |
3 | 0 | 8 |
11 |
• Arkansas |
15 |
10 | 14 | 3 |
42 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
1 |
| ARK | Jones 1-yard run (kick failed) | ARK 6-0 |
|
1 |
| ARK | Safety, ball centered out of end zone | ARK 8-0 |
|
1 |
| ARK | Anderson 5-yard run (Lahay kick) | ARK 15-0 |
|
2 |
| ARK | Lahay 47-yard field goal | ARK 18-0 |
|
2 |
| ARK | Allegre 24-yard field goal | ARK 18-3 |
|
2 |
| ARK | Anderson 19-yard pass from Jones (Lahay kick) | ARK 25-3 |
|
3 |
| ARK | Jones 4-yard run (Lahay kick) | ARK 32-3 |
|
3 |
| ARK | Bowles 19-yard run (Lahay kick) | ARK 39-3 |
|
4 |
| ARK | Lahay 37-yard field goal | ARK 42-3 |
|
4 |
| TEX | Little 8-yard pass from Brewer (Brewer to Duhon pass) | ARK 42-11 |
|
[4]
References
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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National championship seasons in bold |