1981 Michigan State Spartans football team

1981 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	5–6 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Muddy Waters (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Pendry (2nd season)
MVP	Bryan Clark
Captains	George Cooper John Leister
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium

1981 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 15 Ohio State +	6	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Iowa +	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 12 Michigan	6	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Illinois	6	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Wisconsin	6	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Michigan State	4	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Purdue	3	–	6	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Indiana	3	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	9	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Muddy Waters, the Spartans compiled a 5–6 overall record (4–5 against Big Ten opponents) and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.^[1][2]

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]
• 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]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Illinois	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	L 17–27	54,945	[6]
September 19	at No. 8 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 13–27	87,084	[7]
September 26	Bowling Green*	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 10–7	64,323	[8]
October 3	at Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	L 7–20	59,074	[9]
October 10	No. 6 Michigan	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	L 20–38	77,923	[10][11]
October 17	No. 14 Wisconsin	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 33–14	67,652	[12]
October 24	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 26–27	69,877	[13]
October 31	Indiana	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	W 26–3	60,131	[14]
November 7	at Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 61–14	24,104	[15]
November 14	Minnesota	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 43–36	56,571	[16]
November 21	at No. 19 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	L 7–36	60,103	[17]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[18]

Roster

1981 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OT 68 Scott Auer So QB 14 Bryan Clark Sr RB 5 Tony Ellis Jr C 51 Joe Jacquemain Sr QB 18 John Leister Jr WR 38 Daryl Turner So OT 72 Jeff Wiska Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 54 Carl Banks So CB 28 Jim Burroughs Sr LB 39 George Cooper Sr DE 91 Smiley Creswell Sr DB 35 Tim Cunningham So DB 48 Nate Hannah So LB 43 Steve Maidlow Sr CB 7 Chris Van Pelt Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 8 Morten Andersen Sr P 2 Ralf Mojsiejenko Fr	Head coach Muddy Waters Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Michigan State Yearly Results (1980-1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
2. "2015 Michigan State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. p. 147. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
3. Joe Mooshil (December 1, 1981). "Eason Edges Schlichter on All-Big Ten". The Argus-Press, Owosso, Michigan (AP story). p. 14.
4. Randy Minkoff (November 25, 1981). "Name All Big Ten". The Bryan Times (UPI story). p. 19.
5. "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
6. "Wilson who? Eason passes carry Illinois". The Rock Island Argus. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "OSU flies 27–13". St. Petersburg Times. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Spartans hang on". Wisconsin State Journal. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Irish, Bell run past Michigan St". Chicago Tribune. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Jack Saylor (October 11, 1981). "U-M ground game grinds down MSU". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1H, 7H – via Newspapers.com.
11. Mark Mihanovic (October 11, 1981). "Blue surge bombs MSU, 38–20". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 10 – via Bentley Historical Library.
12. "Michigan State upsets Wisconsin". The South Bend Tribune. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Wind saves Purdue from Michigan State". Chicago Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Humming Spartans rout Indiana, 26–3". Detroit Free Press. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Northwestern easily notches record of futility". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Michigan State dumps Minnesota". Sunday News. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "The reward is roses for Hawkeyes' victory". Wisconsin State Journal. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "1981 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2024.