1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team

The 1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University) as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Bill Davis, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 10–3 and a mark of 5–0 in conference play, and finished as MEAC champions.

1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football
Black college national champion MEAC champion
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 12–42 vs. Idaho State
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 3
Record	10–3 (5–0 MEAC)
Head coach	Bill Davis (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Oliver Pough (1st season)
Home stadium	Bulldog Stadium
Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 South Carolina State $^	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
Florida A&M	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Bethune–Cookman	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Howard	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Delaware State	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
North Carolina A&T	0	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Eastern Kentucky*		Hanger Field Richmond, KY	L 0–26	11,400	[1]
September 12	Delaware State		State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 29–0	8,227	[2]
September 19	North Carolina A&T		State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 31–6	12,038	[3]
September 26	at Howard		Howard Stadium Washington, DC	W 34–6	8,500	[4]
October 3	at Alcorn State*	No. T–10	Henderson Stadium Lorman, MS	L 20–24		[5]
October 10	at Johnson C. Smith*		American Legion Memorial Stadium Charlotte, NC	W 82–0	5,524	[6]
October 17	Morgan State		State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 41–3	18,000	[7]
October 24	vs. Florida A&M	No. 8	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	W 16–15	21,614	[8]
October 31	Morris Brown*	No. 6	State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 40–6		[9]
November 7	Bethune–Cookman	No. 4	State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 10–6		[10]
November 14	No. T–10 Grambling State*	No. 3	State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC	W 30–14		[11]
December 5	No. 6 Tennessee State*	No. 3	State College Stadium Orangeburg, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 26–25 OT	12,000	[12]
December 12	at No. 2 Idaho State*	No. 3	ASISU Minidome Pocatello, ID (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	L 12–41	12,300	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 53 Robert Brown Sr OT 69 Marion Drummond Jr WR 26 Edward Lee Sr RB 44 Henry Odom Jr WR 22 Zach Thomas Jr QB 14 Rodney Whitehead So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 8 Barney Bussey So DB 27 Tom Tutson Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 30 Al Gardner So	Head coach Bill Davis Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster