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American college football season
The 1981 UCLA Bruins football team was an
American football team that represented the
University of California, Los Angeles during the
1981 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their sixth year under head coach
Terry Donahue , the Bruins compiled a 7–4–1 record (5–2–1 Pac-10), finished in a tie for fourth place in the
Pacific-10 Conference , and lost to
Michigan in the
1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl .
[1]
UCLA's offensive leaders in 1981 were quarterback
Tom Ramsey with 1,793 passing yards, running back Kevin Nelson with 883 rushing yards, and wide receiver
Cormac Carney with 539 receiving yards.
[2]
This was the Bruins' final season at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , their home field since
1928 , sharing with the
USC Trojans . UCLA moved to the
Rose Bowl in
Pasadena for the
1982 season.
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 12 at
Arizona No. 12 W 35–1849,311
September 19 at No. 20
Wisconsin * No. 9 W 31–1369,212
September 26 at
Iowa * No. 6
KTLA L 7–2060,004
October 3
Colorado * No. 16 W 27–740,347
October 10 at
Stanford No. 17 L 23–2670,103
October 17 at No. 18
Washington State
ABC T 17–1740,000
October 24
California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 34–641,637
October 31 at
Oregon W 28–1124,272
November 7 No. 16
Washington Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 31–041,818
November 14 No. 9
Arizona State No. 18 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 34–2447,361
November 21 at No. 10
USC No. 15 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (
Victory Bell ) ABC L 21–2289,432
vs. No. 16
Michigan * No. 19 L 14–3350,107
*Non-conference game Rankings from
AP Poll released prior to the game
Personnel
1981 UCLA Bruins football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Season summary
At USC
Game information
First quarter
USC – Steve Jordan 38-yard field goal. USC 3–0. Drive:
UCLA – Kevin Nelson 11-yard run (
Norm Johnson kick). UCLA 7–3. Drive:
Second quarter
USC – Steve Jordan 44-yard field goal. UCLA 7–6. Drive:
USC –
Marcus Allen 7-yard run (pass failed). USC 12–7. Drive:
UCLA – Ricky Coffman 23-yard pass from
Tom Ramsey (pass good). UCLA 15–12. Drive:
UCLA – Norm Johnson 32-yard field goal. UCLA 18–12. Drive:
Third quarter
UCLA – Norm Johnson 28-yard field goal. UCLA 21–12. Drive:
Fourth quarter
USC – Steve Jordan 22-yard field goal. UCLA 21–15. Drive:
USC – Marcus Allen 5-yard run (Steve Jordan kick), 2:14. USC 22–21. Drive:
Top passers
Top rushers
UCLA – Kevin Nelson – 26 rushes, 79 yards, TD
USC –
Marcus Allen – 40 rushes, 219 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
Norm Johnson 's game-winning 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked in the final seconds and UCLA lost its opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl.
1982 NFL Draft
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
Player
Position
Round
Pick
Franchise
Luis Sharpe
Tackle
1
16
St. Louis Cardinals
Tim Wrightman
Tight end
3
62
Chicago Bears
[3]
References
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People
Seasons National championship seasons in bold