The 1981 Southern Methodist University Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1981 college football season. The Mustangs offense scored 365 points while the defense allowed 137 points. At season’s end, the Mustangs were given the National Championship Foundation's (NCF) national championship and were ranked #5 by the Associated Press, but due to being on probation by the NCAA, they were left out of the Coaches' Poll and did not play in a bowl game. As a result, the final game of the season against Arkansas was treated as a bowl game and dubbed the "Polyester Bowl".
Regular season
- In the Battle for the Iron Skillet, SMU beat Texas Christian by a score of 20-9.
- In the Mayor’s Cup, SMU beat Rice by a score of 35-12.
Schedule
| Date |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1981-09-05 |
Texas-Arlington* |
|
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX |
W 48-0 |
20,130 |
| 1981-09-12 |
North Texas State* |
|
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX |
W 34-7 |
20,400 |
| 1981-09-19 |
Grambling State* |
|
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX |
W 59-27 |
45,700 |
| 1981-09-26 |
at TCU |
#20 |
Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX (Battle for the Iron Skillet) |
W 20-9 |
25,862 |
| 1981-10-10 |
Baylor* |
#14 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX |
W 37-20 |
33,110 |
| 1981-10-17 |
at Houston |
#10 |
Astrodome • Houston, TX |
W 38-22 |
36,892 |
| 1981-10-24 |
#10 Texas |
#8 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX |
L 7-9 |
62,777 |
| 1981-10-31 |
at Texas A&M |
#13 |
Kyle Field • College Station, TX |
W 27-7 |
62,646 |
| 1981-11-07 |
Rice |
#10 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX (Rivalry) |
W 33-12 |
28,750 |
| 1981-11-14 |
Texas Tech |
#8 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, TX |
W 30-6 |
24,410 |
| 1981-11-21 |
at #16 Arkansas |
#6 |
Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR |
W 32-18 |
43,842 |
*Non-conference game.  Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
Game notes
Arkansas
#6 SMU at #16 Arkansas
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| • SMU |
3 |
9 |
0 |
20 |
32 |
| Arkansas |
7 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
18 |
|
|
| Scoring summary |
|
| 1 |
|
SMU |
Garcia 39-yard field goal |
SMU 3-0 |
|
| 1 |
|
ARK |
Anderson 7-yard pass from Jones (Lohay kick) |
ARK 7-3 |
|
| 2 |
|
SMU |
Garcia 43-yard field goal |
ARK 7-6 |
|
| 2 |
|
SMU |
Washington 10-yard interception return (pass failed) |
SMU 12-7 |
|
| 3 |
|
ARK |
Clark 1-yard run (Jones to Pierce pass) |
ARK 15-12 |
|
| 3 |
|
ARK |
Lohay 21-yard field goal |
ARK 18-12 |
|
| 4 |
|
SMU |
Garcia 24-yard field goal |
ARK 18-15 |
|
| 4 |
|
SMU |
Garcia 47-yard field goal |
Tied 18-18 |
|
| 4 |
|
SMU |
Jones 10-yard run (Garcia kick) |
SMU 25-18 |
|
| 4 |
|
SMU |
Dickerson 31-yard run (Garcia kick) |
SMU 32-18 |
|
- SMU wins first conference title since 1966 (ineligible for postseason).
- Due to the Death Penalty, SMU Mustangs football was suspended for the following 2 years (or seasons).
Team Players drafted into the NFL
[1]
Awards and honors
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References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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National championships in bold
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| Venues |
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| Bowls & rivalries |
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| Culture & lore |
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| People |
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| Seasons |
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National championship seasons in bold
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