1981 Tennessee Volunteers football team

1981 Tennessee Volunteers football
Garden State Bowl Champions
Garden State Bowl, W 28–21 vs. Wisconsin
Conference	Southeastern Conference
1981 record	8–4 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Majors
Offensive coordinator	Bill Pace
Defensive coordinator	Bobby Jackson
Captain	James Berry
Captain	Lemont Holt Jeffers
Captain	Lee North
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium

1981 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#7 Alabama +	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	2	–	1
#6 Georgia +	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
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
LSU	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Ole Miss	1	–	4	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses (8–4 overall, 3–3 in the SEC). The Volunteers offense scored 244 points while the defense allowed 265 points.

Schedule

Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	at #10 Georgia		Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA		L 0–44	79,600
September 12	at #5 USC*		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA		L 7–43	62,147
September 19	Colorado State*		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 42–0	93,972
September 26	Auburn		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 10–7	92,612
October 10	Georgia Tech*		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 10–7	94,478
October 17	at #15 Alabama		Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)		L 19–38	78,550
October 24	at Memphis State*		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN		W 28–9	51,668
November 7	Wichita State*		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 24–21	94,155
November 14	Ole Miss		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 28–20	90,955
November 21	at Kentucky		Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY (Battle for the Barrel)		L 10–21	54,604
November 28	Vanderbilt		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 38–34	92,824
December 13	vs. Wisconsin*		Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (Garden State Bowl)	Mizlou	W 28–21	53,220
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll.

• Reference:^[1]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Anthony Hancock	Wide Receiver	1	11	Kansas City Chiefs
Brian Ingram	Linebacker	4	111	New England Patriots
LeMont Holt Jeffers	Linebacker	6	153	Washington Redskins
Terry Daniels		10	265	Washington Redskins

• References:^[2]

References

1. "Tennessee Football History and Records: Tennessee Results 1980–89". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
2. "1982 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.