# 1981 BYU Cougars football team

The 1981 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 10th-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning their sixth consecutive conference title with a conference record of 7–1. BYU was invited to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Washington State. They were ranked 13th in the final AP Poll with an overall record of 11–2.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | at Long Beach State* | No. 16 | Anaheim StadiumAnaheim, CA | W 31–8 | 20,953 |
| September 12 | Air Force | No. 15 | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT | W 45–21 | 38,712 |
| September 19 | at UTEP | No. 13 | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | W 65–8 | 19,400 |
| September 26 | at Colorado* | No. 11 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | W 41–20 | 43,259 |
| October 2 | Utah State* | No. 10 | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT (rivalry) | W 32–26 | 41,129 |
| October 10 | UNLV* | No. 8 | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT | L 41–45 | 39,852 |
| October 17 | at San Diego State | No. 17 | Jack Murphy StadiumSan Diego, CA | W 27–7 | 41,727 |
| October 24 | at Wyoming | No. 13 | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | L 20–33 | 22,745 |
| October 31 | New Mexico | | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT | W 31–7 | 36,343 |
| November 7 | at Colorado State | | Hughes StadiumFort Collins, CO | W 63–14 | 17,851 |
| November 14 | at No. 19 Hawaii | | Aloha StadiumHalawa, HI | W 13–3 | 45,355 |
| November 21 | Utah | No. 18 | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT (Holy War) | W 56–28 | 47,163 |
| December 18 | vs. No. 20 Washington State* | No. 14 | Jack Murphy StadiumSan Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) | W 38–36 | 52,419 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### At Long Beach State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| BYU | 7 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
| Long Beach St | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
* Date: September 5, 1981
* Game weather: Clear, 87 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 20,953
* TV: ESPN
* Box Score
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| BYU | Passing | Jim McMahon | 28/45, 403 Yds, 2 INT |
| BYU | Rushing | Scott Pettis | 5 Rush, 37 Yds, TD |
| BYU | Receiving | Dan Plater | 8 Rec, 99 Yds |
| Long Beach St | Passing | Angelo Gasca | 11/24, 73 Yds, 3 INT |
| Long Beach St | Rushing | Tim Gross | 14 Rush, 40 Yds |
| Long Beach St | Receiving | Louis Leidelmeyer | 2 Rec, 43 Yds |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | BYU | LBS |
| 1 | | | | | BYU | Scott Pettis 10-yard touchdown run, Kurt Gunther kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | | | | | BYU | Interception returned 12 yards for touchdown by Todd Shell, Kurt Gunther kick good | 14 | 0 |
| 2 | | | | | BYU | 32-yard field goal by Kurt Gunther | 17 | 0 |
| 3 | | | | | BYU | Waymon Hamilton 2-yard touchdown run, Kurt Gunther kick good | 24 | 0 |
| 3 | | | | | BYU | Blocked punt recovered in end zone for touchdown by Tom Holmoe, Kurt Gunther kick good | 31 | 0 |
| 4 | | | | | Long Beach St | Darryl Stokes 11-yard touchdown reception from Doug Disney, 2-point run good | 31 | 8 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 31 | 8 |

### Air Force

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Air Force | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| • BYU | 10 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 45 |

### At Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • BYU | 14 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
| Colorado | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 20 |

### Utah State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Utah St | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 26 |
| • BYU | 0 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 32 |

### At Wyoming

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| BYU | 14 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| Wyoming | 0 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 33 |
at War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyoming
* Date: October 24, 1981
* Game weather: Snow, 32 °F (0 °C)
* Game attendance: 22,745
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
BYU – Waymon Hamilton 2-yard run (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 7–0.
BYU – Scott Collie 63-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Lee Johnson kick). BYU 14–0.
Second quarter
WYO – Phil Davis 30-yard run (kick failed). BYU 14–6.
WYO – Charles Moore 25-yard run (run good). Tie 14–14.
Third quarter
WYO – Phil Davis 32-yard run (Steve Tobin kick). Wyoming 21–14.
Fourth quarter
WYO – James Williams 81-yard pass from Phil Davis (two-point conversion failed). Wyoming 27–14.
WYO – Phil Davis 28-yard run (two-point conversion failed). Wyoming 33–14.
BYU – David Mills 5-yard pass from Jim McMahon (kick failed). Wyoming 33–20.
Top passers
BYU – Jim McMahon – 29/47, 393 yards, 2 TD, INT
WYO – Phil Davis – 5/11, 124 yards, TD
Top rushers
BYU – Scott Pettis – 9 rushes, 58 yards
WYO – Phil Davis – 16 rushes, 140 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
BYU – Scott Collie – 5 receptions, 123 yards, TD
WYO – James Williams – 4 receptions, 114 yards, TD :
   I'd rather lose and live in Provo than win and live in Wyoming.

### At Hawaii

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • BYU | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |

### Utah

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Utah | 10 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| • BYU | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
Jim McMahon passes for 565 yards and becomes the NCAA's career leader in the category.

### Holiday Bowl (vs Washington State)
## Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1982 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL team |
| Jim McMahon | Quarterback | 1 | 5 | Chicago Bears |
| Dan Plater | Wide receiver | 4 | 106 | Denver Broncos |

## Awards and honors

* Jim McMahon – Sammy Baugh Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award