1981_NCAA_Division_I-AA_Football_Championship_Game
1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
Postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Idaho State Bengals
The 1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Idaho State Bengals. The game was played on December 19, 1981, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Idaho State, 34–23.[3]
| 1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| I-AA National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 19, 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Wichita Falls, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 11,002[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC Sports | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,[4] a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls. The Colonels were making their third consecutive appearance in the I-AA championship game.
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1981 I-AA Playoffs, which began with an eight-team bracket.[5]
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Eastern Kentucky finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (8–0 in conference); their only loss was to Navy of Division I-A.[6] Ranked first in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded first in the tournament, the Colonels defeated seventh-seed Delaware and fourth-seed Boise State to reach the final. This was the third appearance for Eastern Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1979 and having lost in 1980.
Idaho State Bengals
Idaho State finished their regular season with a 9–1 record (6–1 in conference); their only loss was an away game at Montana.[8] Ranked second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded second in the tournament, the Bengals defeated eighth-seed Rhode Island and third-seed South Carolina State to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Idaho State in a Division I-AA championship game.
Scoring summary
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Game statistics
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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| Colonels | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
| Bengals | 7 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
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| Statistics | EKU | ISU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 75–386 | 77–482 |
| Rushes–yards | 47–167 | 31–102 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 380 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–28–1 | 31–46–0 |
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing | Chris Isaac | 14–28, 219 yds, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Nicky Yeast | 10 car, 58 yds | |
| Receiving | Steve Bird | 5 rec, 81 yds | |
| Idaho State | Passing | Mike Machurek | 29–44, 380 yds, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Dwain Wilson | 12 car, 58 yds, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Jerry Bird | 9 rec, 139 yds |
- Stroop, Joe (December 20, 1981). "Idaho State wins I-AA football title". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. AP. p. D11. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Highlights from the 1981 1-AA National Championship Team---the ISU Bengals". Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- "Idaho State Takes Title, 34-23". The New York Times. AP. December 20, 1981. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via nytimes.com.
- "Pioneer Bowl Comeback Today". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. December 19, 1981. p. 24. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Cooper, Barry (May 1, 1981). "MEAC gets berth in I-AA football playoffs". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 23. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Eastern Kentucky Colonels 1981 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- "NCAA Division I-AA". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. AP. November 25, 1981. p. B2. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Idaho State Bengals 1981 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- Sutton, Stan (December 20, 1981). "Eastern's mistakes lead to 34-23 loss in I-AA title game". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. C 1. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Sutton, Stan (December 20, 1981). "Eastern's mistakes lead to 34-23 loss in I-AA title game (cont'd)". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. C 4. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Pioneer Bowl". El Paso Times. El Paso, Texas. December 20, 1981. p. 8C. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "1981 National Champions". isubengals.com. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- Glorfield, Chase (September 29, 2011). "Remembering the 1981 National Championship". Idaho State Journal. Pocatello, Idaho. Retrieved May 11, 2019.