1981 Stanford Cardinals football team
The 1981 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. From 1972 until November 17, 1981, Stanford’s official nickname was Cardinals, in reference to one of the school colors, not the bird.[1] After 1981 the team was referred to as the singular Cardinal.
Schedule
Date |
Time |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
TV |
Result |
Attendance |
September 12 |
12:20 p.m. |
at Purdue |
No. 19 |
Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN |
ABC |
L 19–27 |
62,778 |
September 19 |
1:00 p.m. |
San Jose State |
|
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Rivalry) |
USA |
L 6–28 |
67,888 |
September 26 |
1:00 p.m. |
No. 8 Ohio State |
|
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA |
ESPN |
L 19–24 |
76,102 |
October 3 |
7:00 p.m. |
at Arizona |
|
Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ |
USA |
L 13–17 |
41,110 |
October 10 |
1:00 p.m. |
No. 17 UCLA |
|
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA |
USA |
W 26–23 |
70,103 |
October 17 |
1:00 p.m. |
at No. 7 USC |
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Rivalry) |
|
L 17–25 |
76,291 |
October 24 |
1:00 p.m. |
No. 17 Arizona State |
|
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA |
|
L 36–62 |
52,855 |
October 31 |
1:30 p.m. |
at No. 18 Washington |
|
Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA |
|
L 31–42 |
55,856 |
November 7 |
1:00 p.m. |
at Oregon State |
|
Parker Stadium • Corvallis, OR |
|
W 63–9 |
22,000 |
November 14 |
1:00 p.m. |
Oregon |
|
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA |
USA |
W 42–3 |
36,106 |
November 21 |
1:00 p.m. |
California |
|
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (84th Big Game) |
USA |
W 42–21 |
84,536 |
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Pacific Time. |
[2]
Game notes
California
California at Stanford
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|
California |
7 |
0 | 7 | 7 |
21 |
• Stanford |
7 |
14 | 14 | 7 |
42 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
1 |
| STAN | Elway 1-yard run (Harmon kick) | STAN 7-0 |
|
1 |
| CAL | Eddings 48-yard pass from Torchio (Cooper kick) | Tied 7-7 |
|
2 |
| STAN | Nelson 2-yard run (Harmon kick) | STAN 14-7 |
|
2 |
| STAN | Nelson 7-yard pass from Elway (Harmon kick) | STAN 21-7 |
|
3 |
| STAN | Hutchings 14-yard interception return (Harmon kick) | STAN 28-7 |
|
3 |
| CAL | Tuggle 2-yard run (Cooper kick) | STAN 28-14 |
|
3 |
| STAN | White 8-yard pass from Elway (Harmon kick) | STAN 35-14 |
|
4 |
| CAL | Wright 18-yard pass from Torchio (Cooper kick) | STAN 35-21 |
|
4 |
| STAN | White 22-yard pass from Elway (Harmon kick) | STAN 42-21 |
|
Rankings
AP poll
Week |
Ranking |
pre |
18 |
September 7, 1981 |
19 |
September 14, 1981 |
NR |
September 21, 1981 |
NR |
September 28, 1981 |
NR |
October 5, 1981 |
NR |
October 12, 1981 |
NR |
October 19, 1981 |
NR |
October 26, 1981 |
NR |
November 2, 1981 |
NR |
November 9, 1981 |
NR |
November 16, 1981 |
NR |
November 23, 1981 |
NR |
November 30, 1981 |
NR |
January 3, 1982 |
NR |
[3]
Coaches' poll
Week |
Ranking |
September 14, 1981 |
NR |
September 21, 1981 |
NR |
September 28, 1981 |
NR |
October 5, 1981 |
NR |
October 12, 1981 |
NR |
October 19, 1981 |
NR |
October 26, 1981 |
NR |
November 2, 1981 |
NR |
November 9, 1981 |
NR |
November 16, 1981 |
NR |
November 23, 1981 |
NR |
November 30, 1981 |
NR |
January 3, 1982 |
NR |
[4]
References
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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 |