COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 1981 SEASON
05/09/81 - BYU (31) @ (8) Long Beach State - BYU opened the season with a tough road win at Anaheim Stadium. Led by QB Jim McMahon (28-45-403-0), the Cougars put up 450 yards of Offense while the Defense held the 49ers scoreless until the 4th quarter while holding them to only 116 yards of Offense. BYU scored on Offense, Defense (12 interception return) and Special Teams (Blocked punt recovered in the end-zone). BYU also featured back-up QB Steve Young (5-8-0 + 3-19-0), in his 1st college game, RB Scott Pettis (5-37-1) and WR's Dan Plater (8-99-0) and Glen Kozlowski (5-85-0). Long Beach State featured QB Angelo Gasca (11-24-73-0), RB Tim Gross (14-48-0 + 4-35-0) and WR Louis Leidelmeyer (2-43-0) (9, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, ESPN - Nahan/Bryant, NTSC)
12/09/81 - North Texas (7) @ (34) SMU - SMU overcame a spirited game from the Mean Green to move to 2-0 on the season. After a tight 1st quarter, SMU's "Pony Express" rushing attack of RB's Eric Dickerson (26-126-2) and Criag James (27-139-2) took over and led SMU to a 24-0 lead at the half. North Texas, led by QB's Rusty Hill and Shaw Thompson, tried to come back in the 2nd half but were doomed by 4 turnovers. SMU also featured QB Lance McIlhenny, DL Michael Carter and DB Wes Hopkins (2 sacks). North Texas also featured WR Pete Harvery and RB Carlen Charleston (41 yard TD run) (7, Slight ghosting, 1 Disc, TV-39 - Sham/Pearson, NTSC)
19/09/81 - Grambling (27) @ (59) SMU - The 1st ever matchup between the SWC and the SWAC lived up to the billing as a shootout, with SMU coming out on top. Grambling couldn't stop the SMU rushing attack in the 1st half with RB's Eric Dickerson (142 yards + 4 TD’s including a 62 yard TD run) and Craig James (20-101-2) having big games and leading the Mustangs to a 37-7 lead at the half. Grambling, led by QB Thomas Ezell (32-54-323-3 + 1 TD run), fought back in the 2nd half but couldn't overcome 6 turnovers. SMU also featured QB Lance McIlhenny, WR Bobby Leach (2 TD runs off of reverses), DL Michael Carter and DB's Wes Hopkins and Russell Carter (2 Interceptions). Grambling also featured WR Trumaine Johnson and DB Albert Lewis (8, Intermittent tracking line, 2 Discs, TV-39 - Sham/Cole, NTSC)
26/09/81 - SMU (20) @ (9) TCU - In a night game at Amon Carter Stadium, SMU survived a tough test from local rivals TCU to claim the Iron Skillet and move to 4-0 on the season. Both teams played great defense, with SMU forcing 2 turnovers and registering 5 sacks, but the Mustangs found just enough of a rushing attack in the 4th quarter to take the win. SMU were led by QB Lance McIlhenny, who had a great game, RB's Eric Dickerson (31-110-2) and Craig James (22-94-0), DL Michael Carter and DB's Wes Hopkins and Fred Nicholls. TCU were led by QB Steve Stamp (14-27-247-1), WR Stanley Washington (7-84-1) and LB Greg Townsend (8, 1 Disc, TV-39 - Sham/Pearson, NTSC)
02/10/81 - Utah State (26) @ (32) BYU - #10 ranked BYU survived a major scare against the un-ranked Aggies, using a late Defensive score to finally win the game. With back-up QB Steve Young (21-40-307-1 + 21-102-0) making his 1st career start in place of injured starter Jim McMahon, the Cougars struggled for 3 quarters to pull away from Utah State, but the Cougars overcame a 20-13 deficit early in the 4th quarter to out-score the Aggies 21-7 the rest of the way, and won the game on a 12 yard interception return TD from Todd Shell (12 tackles). BYU also featured RB Waymon Hamilton (5-49-2), WR Dan Plater (7-134-0) and LB Kyle Whittingham (15 tackles). Utah State featured QB Chico Canales (16-30-118-3), RB Maurice Turner (18-62-1) and WR Eric McPherson (9-87-2) (9, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, ESPN - ? / Miller, NTSC)
07/10/81 - Oklahoma (14) v (34) Texas - In the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, #3 ranked Texas overcame a terrible 1st half performance to beat #10 ranked Oklahoma. The Longhorns lost 3 fumbles in the 1st half, gifting the Sooners a 14-3 lead at the half. But whatever coach Fred Akers said to the Longhorns at half-time worked, as they scored 31 unanswered points on 5 of their 7 possessions in the 2nd half to easily win the game and stay unbeaten on the season. The Texas Defense played their part too, holding the Sooners to Zero passing yards in the game. Texas featured QB Rick McIvor (6-13-127-2), RB AJ "Jam" Jones (36-137-1), WR Maurice McCloney (2-85-1), DL Kenneth Sims (12 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) and LB Doug Shankle (15 tackles, 1 sack). Oklahoma featured QB Kelly Phelps (0-8-0-0), RB Stanley Wilson (1 TD run) and DL Rick Bryan (9, Longhorn Network re-broadcast, 1 hour 33 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, ABC - Jackson/Broyles, PAL)
10/10/81 - UNLV (45) @ (41) BYU - UNLV ended BYU's 5 game win streak as UNLV QB Sam King (31-57-473-2) out-dueled BYU QB Steve Young, who was making his 2nd career start. UNLV won the game with a TD pass in the final minute (8, Missing last 6 secs of 1st half inc. BYU FG, 2 Discs, KBYUTV - Monsen/Dunn, NTSC)
10/10/81 - Baylor (20) @ (37) SMU - SMU moved to 5-0 on the season with a strong win over a tough Baylor team. After a big defensive 1st half, SMU led 16-6 at the break but in the 2nd half the "Pony Express" wore down the young Bears defense with RB Eric Dickerson (158 yards + 2 TD's) and Criag James (90 yards) leading the way. The Mustangs defense, led by DL Michael Carter and DB Wes Hopkins, shut-down the strong Baylor rushing attack and SMU held on for the win. The Bears featured QB Jay Jeffrey, RB's Walter Abercrombie and Alfred Anderson, WR's Dennis Gentry and Gerald McNeil (8, Slight Ghosting, 1 Disc, TV-39 - Sham/Cole, NTSC)
10/10/81 - UCLA (23) @ (26) Stanford - Stanford finally recorded their 1st win of the season by upsetting the Bruins in Palo Alto. The Stanford Offense, led by QB John Elway (19-31-204-1) and RB Darrin Nelson (24-87-1), set up a 16-14 Cardinal lead at the half, using long drives and forcing turnovers (4) to keep the UCLA Offense off the field. The 2nd half was even with each team trading scores, but Stanford sealed the win with a 2 yard TD run from Nelson with 46 seconds left. Stanford also got a big game from kicker Mark Harmon (4 FG's of 30,22,47 and 22 yards). Stanford were led on Defense by LB David Morze (12 tackles, 1 Interception, 1 forced fumble and recovery). UCLA were led by QB Tom Ramsey, RB Kevin Nelson (22-116-1), WR JoJo Townsell, DL Irv Eatman and DB Don Rogers. In the 3rd quarter coverage switches to the 1983 UCLA/Stanford game for 4 minutes. No scoring missed (9, Occasional very light colour bar, 1 Disc, KTLA-5 - Buttita/Scribner, NTSC)
24/10/81 - Texas (9) @ (7) SMU - In a brutal clash at Texas Stadium, #10 ranked Texas gained revenge for their 1980 loss to the #8 ranked Mustangs with a tough win. Led on Offense by QB Rick McIvor and RB AJ 'Jam' Jones and a strong defensive effort from DL Kenneth Sims and LB Doug Shankle, the Longhorns shut down the vaunted SMU rushing attack of QB Lance McIlhenny and RB's Eric Dickerson and Craig James. The Texas defense also forced 7 sacks of McIlhenny. The loss proved to be SMU's only loss of the 1981 season (8, Slight Jitter, 1 Disc, TV-39 - Sham/Pearson, NTSC)
31/10/81 - Penn State (14) @ (17) Miami - Miami upset #1 ranked Penn State with Miami QB Jim Kelly (13-25-220-2) building a big lead and the defense holding on at the end (7, JIP 1st Quarter - Missing 1st Miami drive + first 2 plays of Penn State drive - No scoring missed, 1 Disc, ABC - Jackson/Broyles/Davis, NTSC)
31/10/81 - SMU (27) @ (7) Texas A&M - SMU recovered from their 1st loss of the season with a big win in the rain at Kyle Field. Both teams defense's dominated the game but the difference was SMU QB Lance McIlhenny, who kept the Mustangs ticking along when the running game struggled. The game turned on the 4 turnovers caused by the Mustangs, 3 of which led to 12 points. The Defense was led by DL Harvey Armstrong and DB Wes Hopkins and they forced Aggie QB Gary Kubiak (14-30-256-0) out of his rhythm early. SMU dominated the 2nd half with RB's Eric Dickerson (21-123-3) and Craig James (21-87-0) leading the way. James also punted in the game, kicking 65 and 73 yard punts. The Aggies also featured RB Johnny Hector, DL Ray Childress and LB Mike Little. The game is also famous for a 2nd quarter incident when an Aggie cheerleader drew his sword on an SMU cheerleader, which is just visible from a high angle camera (8, 1 Disc, TV-39 - Sham/Trull, NTSC)
21/11/81 - UCLA (21) @ (22) USC - In the annual West Coast rivalry, the Trojans held on to win as a last play FG by the Bruins was blocked. USC TB Marcus Allen had a huge game, rushing for 219 yards. UCLA were led by QB Tom Ramsey (9, 1 hour 45 minutes ESPN Classic broadcast, 1 Disc, ABC - Jackson/Broyles, NTSC)
21/11/81 - Fresno State (23) @ (17) Arizona - Fresno State ended a disappointing season with a huge win over the Wildcats. Led by QB Jeff Tedford (1 TD pass) and RB Ted Torosian (1 TD run) the Bulldogs took a 20-14 lead in at the half then used a brilliant goal-line stand with 2 minutes left to clinch the win. Fresno State also featured WR Stephone Paige and DB Tim Washington (1 INT return for a TD + 1 Fumble recovery). Arizona were led by QB Tom Tunnicliffe (1 TD pass), Freshman RB Vance Johnson (100 yards rushing) and DB Randy Robbins (9, 3 Discs, KSEE-24 - Fure/Lamonica, NTSC)
28/11/81 - Vanderbilt (34) @ (38) Tennessee - In the final game of the season, both teams staged a shootout and it was the Vols that found just enough Defense to take the win. Tennessee led 31-14 at the half, rolling up 349 yards of total offense, led by QB Steve Alatorre (319 yards). But the Commodores didn't quit and staged a comeback, led by QB Whit Taylor (464 yards). Vandy pulled within 4 points but on the final play a pass into the end-zone was batted down and the Vols celebrated the win. The Vols also featured WR Willie Gault (217 yards + 1 TD), DL Reggie White and DB Bill Bates (9, 3 Discs, WNGE - Barnes/Patton, NTSC)
28/11/81 - Penn State (48) @ (14) Pittsburgh - In the annual battle for the state bragging rights, it was the Nittany Lions that triumphed, shocking #1 ranked Pitt and knocking them out of the national title hunt. Pitt raced out to an early 14-0 lead thanks to QB Dan Marino (22-45-267-2), but the Lions capitalised on 4 Pitt turnovers to stay in the game and went in at the half tied 14-14. The 2nd half was all Penn State and led by QB Todd Blackledge (12-23-262-2) the Lions scored 24 unanswered points, including a 91 yard interception return TD, to shock the Panthers. The Lions also featured WR Kenny Jackson, RB Curt Warner, DL Walker Lee Ashley and LB Chet Parlavecchio. Pitt also featured WR Dwight Collins, DL Bill Maas and LB Sal Sunseri (8, Tracking issues for last 4 minutes of game time, 2 Discs, ABC - Flemming/Royal/Zabriskie, NTSC)
12/12/81 - Independence Bowl - Oklahoma State (16) v (33) Texas A&M - Texas A&M ended their season on a high note with a big win against the Cowboys. Led by an MVP performance by QB Gary Kubiak (15-20-255-2) the Aggies overcame an early 10-3 deficit to score 23 unanswered points and take the win. Kubiak also had help from RB Earnest Jackson (123 yards rushing) and WR Jimmy Williams (2 TD catches of 38 and 50 yards). Oklahoma State were coached by Jimmy Johnson and were led by QB Rusty Hilger (14-35-187-0) and LB Mike Green. The game proved to be the last as head coach of the Aggies for Tom Wilson as within days the Aggies secretly hired Pittsburgh coach Jackie Sherrill, forcing Wilson to resign (8, Disc 1 has tracking lines but remaining discs OK - Missing action between 11:21 and 8:05 of 2nd Quarter but no scoring missing, 4 Discs, Mizlou - David/Abramowicz/Grad, NTSC)
18/12/81 - Holiday Bowl - Washington State (36) v (38) BYU - In a game of 2 halves, BYU held off a spirited fightback by Washington State to record the win. BYU QB Jim McMahon (27-43-342-3), in his final college game, led BYU to a 24-7 lead at the half and a 31-7 lead early in the 3rd quarter before Wazzu scored 21 unanswered points to pull within 3. Both teams traded TD's in the 4th quarter and BYU managed to hold off a late charge to take the win. Washington State were led by QB's Clete Casper (6-16-69-0) and Ricky Turner (2-9-27-0 + 12-92-2), RB Don LaBomme (14-79-1) and TE Pat Beach (2-57-0). BYU also featured RB Waymon Hamilton (32-69-1), WR's Gordon Hudson (7-126-1) and Scott Pettis (8-73-1) and DB Tom Holmoe (35 yard interception return TD) (8, 2 Discs, KBYUTV - Monsen, NTSC)
01/01/82 - Sugar Bowl - Pittsburgh (24) v (20) Georgia - In a game featuring 2 future NFL stars in Pitt QB Dan Marino and Georgia RB Herschel Walker, it was Marino who came out on top as he threw a 33 yard TD pass on 4th down with 40 seconds remaining to win the game. Walker finished with 87 yards rushing (7, 2 Discs, ABC - Jackson/Broyles, PAL)
01/01/82 - Orange Bowl - Clemson (22) v (15) Nebraska - #1 ranked and unbeaten Clemson won their 1st National Championship with a tight win over #4 ranked Nebraska. After a tight 1st half the Tigers scored 10 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter to break open the game and held on as Nebraska attempted a 4th quarter comeback. The Tigers Defense, led by DL William Perry, LB Jeff Davis and DB Terry Kinard, forced the Huskers into 2 turnovers and held them to only 256 yards of total Offense. Clemson also featured QB Homer Jordan (11-22-134-1 + 16-46-0), RB Jeff McCall (12-48-0) and WR Perry Tuttle (5-56-1). Nebraska featured QB Mark Mauer (5-15-38-0 + 7-10-0), RB's Mike Rozier (15-75-0 + 1-11-0 + 1 TD pass) and Roger Craig (10-87-1) and WR Jamie Williams (2-8-0) (8, Player-to-Recorder - Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, NBC - Criqui/Brodie/Trumpy, NTSC)