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1981 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1981 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Jim Carlen in his seventh and final season as head coach, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 6–6.

1981 South Carolina Gamecocks football
ConferenceIndependent
Record6–6
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorRichard Bell (7th season)
Home stadiumWilliams–Brice Stadium
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Pittsburgh   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
No. 3 Penn State   –   –   10 – 2 – 0
No. 8 Miami (FL)   –   –   9 – 2 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –   9 – 2 – 1
No. 17 West Virginia   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Colgate   –   –   7 – 3 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Navy   –   –   7 – 4 – 1
Cincinnati   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Florida State   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Holy Cross   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Tulane   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
UNLV   –   –   6 – 6 – 0
South Carolina   –   –   6 – 6 – 0
Temple   –   –   5 – 5 – 0
Boston College   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
East Carolina   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Louisville   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Notre Dame   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Rutgers   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
William & Mary   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Syracuse   –   –   4 – 6 – 1
Richmond   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Army   –   –   3 – 7 – 1
North Texas State   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Georgia Tech   –   –   1 – 10 – 0
Memphis State   –   –   1 – 10 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

In 1981, South Carolina started 6–3, highlighted by an upset over No. 3 North Carolina on the road, the first win over a top-5 team in program history.[1][2] It would remain the biggest win in program history until 2010.[2] However, the Gamecocks lost the last three games of the season, which left Carlen's job security in jeopardy, as Carlen and school president James B. Holderman were already constantly at odds over football revenues. Despite Carlen overseeing one of the most successful periods in program history until then (a 45–36–1 record, three of the school's five bowl games, two of the school's three eight-win seasons, and a Heisman Trophy), he was fired.[3][4]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 5at Wake Forest
W 23–629,300[5]
September 12Ole Miss
L 13–2056,424[6]
September 19Duke
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 17–356,321[7]
September 26at No. 17 Georgia
L 0–2482,100[8]
October 3No. 4 Pittsburgh
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
ABCL 28–4256,495[9]
October 10at Kentucky
W 28–1457,553[10]
October 17Virginia
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 21–356,101[11]
October 24at No. 3 North Carolina
W 31–1350,500[12]
October 31NC State
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
ABCW 20–1256,517[13]
November 7Pacific (CA)
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
L 21–2351,679[14]
November 21No. 2 Clemson
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC (rivalry)
ESPNL 13–2956,971[15]
December 5at Hawaii
L 10–3343,958[16]

[17]

Roster

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1981 South Carolina Gamecocks football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
G 67 Jeff Doyle Sr
OT 76 Chuck Slaughter Sr
RB 36 Johnnie Wright Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 70 Andrew Provence Jr
DT 52 Emanuel Weaver Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 13 Chris Norman So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References

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  1. ^ tryptic67 (September 17, 2014). "USC versus AP Top 10 Opponents". Garnet And Black Attack. Retrieved September 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b "Some History for the New South Carolina Coach: It's a Good Job But A Hard Job". TMG Sports. November 18, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Gillespie, Bob (July 22, 2020). "Richard Bell, one-and-done as USC coach: How 1982 season shaped him, players, program". The State. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  5. ^ "S. Carolina drops Wake Forest". The Selma Times-Journal. September 6, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Fourcade-led rally lifts Mississippi over Gamecocks". The Times and Democrat. September 13, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "South Carolina defeats Duke". Greensboro Daily News. September 20, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Walker carrier Bulldogs". The News and Observer. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Pitt romps 42–28". The Roanoke Times & World-News. October 4, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Mark Bradley (October 11, 1981). "Gamecocks' second-half surge dooms Cats". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. D1, D5. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Gamecocks down Cavs, 21–3". The Sun-News. October 18, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Gamecocks upset 'Heels". The Tampa Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "South Carolina stops bumbling Wolfpack". The News and Observer. November 1, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Pacific scores upset". The Sacramento Bee. November 8, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Tigers enjoy perfect finish". The Charlotte Observer. November 22, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Mistakes hurt Carolina in loss to Hawaii". The Item. December 7, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "1981 Football Schedule". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2017.


 

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