1981 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 1981 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled a 6–5 record (4–4 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents, 253 to 205.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. A memorable highlight of the season occurred in October when Arizona upset #1 USC, which was Arizona’s first win over a top-ranked opponent in school history. It was also the Wildcats’ first win over the Trojans in program history. Losses to UCLA and Arizona State may have prevented the Wildcats from going to a bowl game.
| 1981 Arizona Wildcats football | |
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| Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
| 1981 record | 6–5 (4–4 Pac-10) |
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| Home stadium | Arizona Stadium |
| 1981 Pacific-10 Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Washington $ | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Arizona State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 USC | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's statistical leaders included Tom Tunnicliffe with 1,420 passing yards, Vance Johnson with 654 rushing yards, and Bob Carter with 427 receiving yards.[3] Linebacker Ricky Hunley led the team with 121 total tackles.[4]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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| September 12 | No. 12 UCLA | L 18–35 | 49,311 | ||
| September 19 | California |
| L 13–14 | 40,096 | |
| September 26 | Cal State Fullerton* |
| W 37–16 | 36,279 | |
| October 3 | Stanford |
| USA | W 17–13 | 41,110 |
| October 10 | at No. 1 USC | ABC | W 13–10 | 56,315 | |
| October 17 | at Oregon | W 18–14 | 24,264 | ||
| October 24 | No. 16 Washington State |
| L 19–34 | 50,265 | |
| October 31 | UTEP* |
| W 48–15 | 53,782 | |
| November 14 | at Oregon State | W 40–7 | 18,339 | ||
| November 21 | Fresno State* |
| L 17–23 | 38,107 | |
| November 28 | at No. 18 Arizona State | USA | L 13–24 | 72,445 | |
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Personnel
| 1981 Arizona Wildcats football team roster | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Game summaries
at USC
Arizona upset top-ranked USC for their biggest win since joining the Pac-10 in 1978.[5]
Arizona State
Arizona lost to ASU yet again, perhaps denying the Wildcats a chance to earn a bowl bid.[6]
Season notes
- Arizona returned to wearing white helmets and blue jerseys at home full-time. The helmets featured a large red “A” on them.
- The win over USC was the Wildcats’ first against a number one-ranked team in school history. They would not repeat this feat again until 1992 when the upset Washington.
- Arizona would not lose to ASU again until 1991, and started a reign of dominance over their rival in the following season.
References
- "1981 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- "1981 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.
- "A Wild Upset! 'Cats stun top-ranked Trojans at Coliseum". Arizona Daily Star. October 11, 1981.
- "ASU bests UA again". The Arizona Republic. November 29, 1981.