1981 Austin Peay Governors football team

1981 Austin Peay Governors football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	5–5 (3–5 OVC)
Head coach	Emory Hale (1st season)
Home stadium	Municipal Stadium

1981 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Eastern Kentucky $^	8	–	0	–	0			12	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Murray State	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Youngstown State	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee Tech	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Middle Tennessee	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Western Kentucky	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Akron	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Austin Peay	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Morehead State	0	–	8	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1981 Austin Peay Governors football team represented Austin Peay State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Emory Hale, the Governors compiled an overall record of 5–5, with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, and finished eighth in the OVC.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Kentucky State*	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 24–14		[1]
September 19	at James Madison	JMU Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 13–7	8,000	[2]
September 26	Western Kentucky	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	L 0–28	8,000	[3]
October 3	at No. 5 Eastern Kentucky	Hanger Field Richmond, KY	L 14–41		[4]
October 10	at Morehead State	Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY	W 42–28	8,000	[5]
October 24	Middle Tennessee	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 14–9	8,750	[6]
October 31	Akron	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	L 19–23	4,750	[7]
November 7	at Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	L 29–34	7,800	[8]
November 14	at Tennessee Tech	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	L 24–29		[9]
November 21	Tennessee–Martin*	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 28–14		[10]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Kentucky State loses 24–14". The State Journal. September 13, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "APSU players get their 'kicks'". The Leaf-Chronicle. September 20, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Western Kentucky wins OVC opener; Murray goes 4–0". The Courier-Journal. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Eastern Kentucky blasts Peay 41–14". The Daily News-Journal. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "New Morehead star still can't prevent loss to Austin Peay". The Courier-Journal. October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Sophs lead Austin Peay past Middle Tennessee". The Courier-Journal. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Zips nip Austin Peay for 4th straight win". The Akron Beacon Journal. November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Murray zooms...sputters...then wins". The Paducah Sun. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Bazel leads fourth quarter rally to beat Peay 29–24". The Daily News-Journal. November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Downed; Jones paces Austin Peay to 28–14 victory over UTM". The Jackson Sun. November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.