1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

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.

1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Hall of Fame Classic, W 10–0 vs. Kansas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
Record	8–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach	Emory Bellard (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Melvin Robertson (3rd season)
Home stadium	Scott Field Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Memphis State*	No. 14	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 20–3	42,507	[1]
September 19	Vanderbilt	No. 14	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 29–9	32,045	[2]
September 26	Florida	No. 12	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 28–7	45,250	[3]
October 3	Missouri*	No. 9	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 3–14	40,776	[4]
October 10	at Colorado State*	No. 19	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 37–27	24,761	[5]
October 17	No. 13 Miami (FL)*	No. 16	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 14–10	33,225	[6]
October 24	at Auburn	No. 9	Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 21–17	58,000	[7]
October 31	at No. 8 Alabama	No. 7	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 10–13	60,210	[8]
November 7	vs. No. 20 Southern Miss*	No. 15	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 6–7	64,112	[9]
November 14	at LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 17–9	71,303	[10]
November 21	vs. Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Egg Bowl)	L 17–21	61,153	[11]
December 31	vs. Kansas*		Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Hall of Fame Classic)	W 10–0	41,672	[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 Emory Bellard Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured 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.