1981 SMU Mustangs football team
American college football season
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The 1981 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Ron Meyer in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Mustangs compiled an overall record 10–1 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SWC title.
| 1981 SMU Mustangs football | |
|---|---|
Co-national champion (NCF) SWC champion | |
| Conference | Southwest Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 10–1 (7–1 SWC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Option |
| Defensive coordinator | Steve Sidwell (6th season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Texas Stadium |
The Mustangs had been put on probation by the NCAA for recruiting violations and were banned from participating in any bowl game in 1981. Since SMU's performance would have given them an automatic berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic, the team decided to treat its final regular season game at Arkansas as their bowl game and nicknamed it the "Polyester Bowl". SMU defeated the Razorbacks 32–18.
SMU finished at No. 5 in the final AP Poll. Because its rules prevent schools under probation from being considered, the Mustangs were not ranked in the Coaches Poll at all during the season. At season's end, the Mustangs were recognized as one of five co-national champions by the National Championship Foundation (NCF).[1]: 112–114
The team's offense scored 365 points while the defense allowed 137 points.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | UT Arlington* | W 48–0 | 20,130 | [2] | ||
| September 12 | North Texas State* |
| W 34–7 | 20,400 | [3] | |
| September 19 | Grambling State* |
| W 59–27 | 45,700 | [4] | |
| September 26 | at TCU | No. 20 | W 20–9 | 25,862 | [5] | |
| October 10 | Baylor | No. 14 |
| W 37–20 | 33,110 | [6] |
| October 17 | at Houston | No. 10 | W 38–22 | 36,892 | [7] | |
| October 24 | No. 10 Texas | No. 8 |
| L 7–9 | 62,777 | [8] |
| October 31 | at Texas A&M | No. 13 | W 27–7 | 62,646 | [9] | |
| November 7 | Rice | No. 10 |
| W 33–12 | 28,750 | [10] |
| November 14 | Texas Tech | No. 8 |
| W 30–6 | 24,410 | [11] |
| November 21 | at No. 16 Arkansas | No. 6 | W 32–18 | 43,842 | [12] | |
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Roster
| 1981 SMU Mustangs football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
{{American football
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Special teams
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Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | 20 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
Team players drafted into the NFL
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Hartnett | Tackle | 5 | 116 | Chicago Bears |
| Harvey Armstrong | Defensive tackle | 7 | 190 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Eddie Garcia | Kicker | 10 | 264 | Green Bay Packers |
