Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 5 at East Tennessee State L 22–317,212 [ 1]
September 12 Northeast Missouri State * W 16–7[ 2]
September 26 at No. 2 Murray State L 10–15[ 3]
October 3 Tennessee–Martin * Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN L 21–24[ 4]
October 10 Akron Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN L 7–108,345 [ 5]
October 17 at Western Kentucky W 14–311,500 [ 6]
October 24 Morehead State Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN W 35–1712,110 [ 7]
October 31 Troy State * Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN W 37–284,360 [ 8]
November 7 at No. 1 Eastern Kentucky L 10–63[ 9]
November 14 Austin Peay Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN W 29–24[ 10]
November 21 at Middle Tennessee W 28–97,000 [ 11]
^ "E. Tenn. St. 31, Tennessee Tech 22" . The News and Observer . September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Mullican kicks Bulldogs" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Murray rallies, nips Tech 15–10" . The Tennessean . September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Pacers edge Tennessee Tech" . The Jackson Sun . October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Strong second half helps Akron defeat Tenn. Tech" . The Akron Beacon Journal . October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tennessee Tech upsets Western" . The Courier-Journal . October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "74-yard punt return triggers 35–17 rout of troubled Morehead" . The Courier-Journal . October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tennessee Tech triumphs" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "No. 1-ranked Eastern marches past Tech" . The Tennessean . November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Bazel leads fourth quarter rally to beat Peay 29–24" . The Daily News-Journal . November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Golden Eagles sting Raiders 28–9" . The Daily News-Journal . November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .