1981 Kentucky Wildcats football team
| 1981 Kentucky Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Record | 3–8 (2–4 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Commonwealth Stadium |
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Georgia + | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Alabama + | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1981 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their ninth and final season under head coach Fran Curci, the Wildcats compiled a 3–8 record (2–4 against SEC opponents), finished in a tie for sixth place in the SEC, and were outscored by their opponents, 224 to 134.[1][2] The team played its home games in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
The team's statistical leaders included Randy Jenkins with 1,079 passing yards, Lawrence Lee with 275 rushing yards, and Rick Massie with 448 receiving yards.[3]
At the end of November 1981, Curci was fired by the University of Kentucky. The decision followed four losing seasons, arrests of 18 players from 1978 to 1981, and recruiting violations that resulted in the program being placed on probation.[4]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | North Texas State* | W 28–6 | 55,262 | [5] | |||
| September 19 | No. 12 Alabama |
| L 10–19 | 57,960 | [6] | ||
| September 26 | at Kansas* | L 16–21 | 40,200 | [7] | |||
| October 3 | No. 14 Clemson* |
| L 3–21 | 57,453 | [8] | ||
| October 10 | South Carolina* |
| L 14–28 | 57,553 | [9] | ||
| October 17 | at LSU | L 10–24 | 69,169 | [10] | |||
| October 24 | at No. 7 Georgia | L 0–21 | 80,780 | [11] | |||
| October 31 | Virginia Tech* |
| L 3–29 | 54,500 | [12] | ||
| November 7 | at Vanderbilt | W 17–10 | 40,250 | [13] | |||
| November 14 | at Florida | L 12–33 | 60,286 | [14] | |||
| November 21 | Tennessee |
| W 21–10 | 54,604 | [15] | ||
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References
[edit]- ^ "1981 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "Kentucky Football Media Guide". University of Kentucky. 2015. p. 184. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "1981 Kentucky Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "Kentucky Fires Coach Curci After Athletic Board's Vote". The Palm Beach Post. November 25, 1981. p. D2.
- ^ Mark Bradley (September 6, 1981). "Wildcats roll over North Texas State 28–6". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. D1, D7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mark Bradley (September 20, 1981). "Alabama rallies, snatches victory from Cats". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. D1, D5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KU overcomes loss of Bell". The Kansas City Star. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jerry Tipton (October 4, 1981). "Clemson roars back to whip Wildcats 21–3". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mark Bradley (October 11, 1981). "Gamecocks' second-half surge dooms Cats". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. D1, D5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kickoff return zaps Wildcats in 24–10 loss". The Park City Daily News. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "At last...Kentucky breaks losing streak with 17–10 win over Vanderbilt". Messenger-Inquirer. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The beat goes on, Va. Tech drums UK". Messenger-Inquirer. November 1, 1981. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "At last...Kentucky breaks losing streak with 17–10 win over Vanderbilt". Messenger-Inquirer. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gators feast on Wildcats". The Tennessean. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wildcats silence Vols' thunder". The Paducah Sun. November 22, 1981. Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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