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

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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 K, P Dana Moore Jr	Head coach Emory Bellard Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt