The 1981 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fourth season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 4–7 record (2–6 against MAC opponents) and finished in eighth place out of ten teams in the conference.[1][2] The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
1981 Ball State Cardinals football | |
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Conference | Mid-American Conference |
Record | 4–7 (2–6 MAC) |
Head coach |
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Home stadium | Ball State Stadium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toledo $ | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Miami (OH) | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Central Michigan | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling Green | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ohio | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kent State | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ball State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Illinois | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Michigan | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's statistical leaders included Doug Freed with 1,517 passing yards, Terry Lymon with 633 rushing yards, Stevie Nelson with 635 receiving yards, and Mike Schafer with 49 points scored.[3]
Schedule
editDate | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
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September 12 | McNeese State* | W 24–21 | 14,337 | [4] | |||
September 19 | at Toledo | L 0–40 | |||||
September 26 | at Ohio | L 27–30 | |||||
October 3 | Northern Illinois |
| W 23–0 | ||||
October 10 | at Indiana State* | L 7–31 | [5] | ||||
October 17 | Kent State |
| L 7–17 | ||||
October 24 | at Western Michigan | L 3–14 | |||||
October 31 | Eastern Michigan |
| W 35–13 | ||||
November 7 | Bowling Green |
| L 10–14 | ||||
November 14 | Central Michigan |
| L 7–28 | ||||
November 21 | at Illinois State* | W 14–10 | 4,832 | [6] | |||
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References
edit- ^ "2007 Ball State Football Media Guide". Ball State University. 2007. p. 98. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "1981 Ball State Cardinals Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sport Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "1981 Ball State Cardinals Statistics". SR/College Football. Sport Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "BSU tops McNeese St. behind Freed, 24–21". The Indianapolis Star. September 13, 1981. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sycamores rip Ball State, 31–7". Palladium-Item. October 11, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ball State defense stiffens to secure a winning finale". The Muncie Star. November 22, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.