1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	6–5 (4–4 OVC)
Head coach	Boots Donnelly (3rd season);
Home stadium	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
	Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

The 1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Th team finished with a 6–5 record, 4–4 (tied for fourth) in the Ohio Valley Conference.

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

Schedule edit

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Akron		Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	W 10–7
September 12	at Chattanooga*		Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	L 19–42	10,800	^[1]
September 19	Tennessee–Martin*		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 6–3
September 26	at Morehead State		Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY	W 20–7
October 3	at Western Carolina*		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 20–7	7,200	^[2]
October 10	No. 4 Eastern Kentucky		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 7–23	11,500	^[3]
October 17	No. 1 Murray State	No. 7	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 14–9
October 24	at Austin Peay		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 9–14
October 31	Youngstown State		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 10–13
November 14	Western Kentucky		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 31–17	3,500
November 21	at Tennessee Tech		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 9–28
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^ "UT–Chattanooga rambles 42–19". The Tennessean. September 13, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Middle Tennessee 23, Western Carolina 10". The Charlotte Observer. October 4, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "EKU Colonels blow out Blue Raiders". The Tennessean. October 11, 1981. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1981 Football Schedule" (PDF). goblueraiders.com. Middle Tennessee State University. Retrieved December 11, 2020.

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