1981 Washington State Cougars football team

1981 Washington State Cougars football
Holiday Bowl, L 36–38 vs. BYU
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record8–3–1 (5–2–1 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorPat Ruel (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorBob Padilla (2nd season)
Home stadiumMartin Stadium,
Joe Albi Stadium (Spokane)
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
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
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth season under head coach Jim Walden, the Cougars compiled an 8–3–1 record (5–2–1 in Pac-10, tied for fourth), and outscored their opponents 297 to 197.[1][2]

The team's statistical leaders included Clete Casper with 939 passing yards, Tim Harris with 915 rushing yards, and Jeff Keller with 495 receiving yards.[3]

The Cougars entered the Apple Cup with an 8–1–1 record and a win over Washington at Husky Stadium would clinch the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth, their first in 51 years.[4][5][6] The Huskies prevailed again at home,[7][8][9] and then shut out Iowa in the Rose Bowl.[10]

The Cougars went to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego,[9][11] and lost a close, entertaining game to Brigham Young of the WAC, led by consensus All-American quarterback Jim McMahon,[12][13][14][15] the fifth overall selection of the 1982 NFL draft.

  1. ^ "1981 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  2. ^ "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). WSUCougars.com. Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 77. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  3. ^ "1981 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  4. ^ Gerheim, Earl (November 21, 1981). "Cougs: Today's the day". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 17.
  5. ^ Barrows, Bob (November 21, 1981). "WSU and Washington ready to pull the trigger". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
  6. ^ Withers, Bud (November 21, 1981). "Cougars-Huskies game: The toughest ticket in town". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
  7. ^ Withers, Bud (November 22, 1981). "Huskies shatter a Cougar dream". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.
  8. ^ Barrows, Bob (November 22, 1981). "WSU's cheers turn to tears in Seattle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 3D.
  9. ^ a b Van Sickel, Charlie (November 23, 1981). "'Holiday' next for frustrated Cougars". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 33.
  10. ^ Oates, Bob (January 2, 1982). "Everything comes up roses for UW, 28-0". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). p. 1B.
  11. ^ Blanchette, John (November 23, 1981). "It's WSU vs. BYU's aerial circus". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C4.
  12. ^ "McMahon makes Holiday happy one for BYU, 38-36". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 19, 1981. p. 2B.
  13. ^ Barrows, Bob (December 19, 1981). "Washington State almost has a curtain call". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
  14. ^ Van Sickel, Charlie (December 19, 1981). "BYU survives on strong finish". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 13.
  15. ^ Robinson, Doug (December 19, 1981). "Y. wins another Holiday heart stopper". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A3.