The 1981 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1981 Big Ten football season. In their second season under head coach Muddy Waters, the Spartans compiled a 5–6 record (4–5 in conference games), tied for sixth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 263 to 249. In four games against ranked opponents, they lost to No. 8 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, and No. 19 Iowa, and defeated No. 14 Wisconsin.[1][2]
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Four Spartans were recognized by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team: center Tom Piette (AP-2; UPI-1); linebacker Carl Banks (AP-2; UPI-1); defensive back Jim Burroughs (AP-2; UPI-1); and placekicker Morten Andersen (AP-1; UPI-1).[3][4] Several Michigan State players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:
- Placekicker Morten Andersen led the conference with 15 field goals made and a 75.0 field goal percentage.[5]
- Quarterback Bryan Clark ranked third in the conference with a 128.9 passing efficiency rating, fourth with a 53.4% pass completion percentage and seventh with 1,521 passing yards.[5] Clark was also selected as the team's most valuable player.[6]
- Running back Aaron Roberts ranked seventh in the conference with 4.9 yards per carry and 10th with 461 rushing yards.[5]
- Ted Jones ranked sixth in the conference with 44 receptions and ninth with 624 receiving yards.[5]
- Daryl Turner ranked eighth in the conference with 653 receiving yards.[5]
The team played its home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
