1981 UTEP Miners football team

The 1981 UTEP Miners football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the Western Athletic Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. After an 0–2 start to the season, fifth-year head coach Bill Michael was fired and replaced with assistant Billy Alton.[1][2] The Miners then ended the season with one win and eight more losses and finished with an 1–10 record.[3][4]

1981 UTEP Miners football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Record1–10 (1–6 WAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumSun Bowl
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 BYU $ 7 1 0 11 2 0
Hawaii 5 1 0 9 2 0
Utah 4 1 1 8 2 1
Wyoming 6 2 0 8 3 0
New Mexico 3 4 1 4 7 1
Air Force 2 3 0 4 7 0
San Diego State 3 5 0 6 5 0
UTEP 1 6 0 1 10 0
Colorado State 0 8 0 0 12 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 5New Mexico State*L 7–1425,600[5]
September 12Texas A&I*
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
L 15–3717,600[6]
September 19No. 13 BYU
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
L 8–6519,400[7]
October 2at UtahL 10–3826,851[8]
October 10at New MexicoL 3–2618,367[9]
October 17at WyomingL 12–637,982[10]
October 24Colorado State
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
W 35–2911,200[11]
October 31at Arizona*L 15–4835,642[12]
November 7Hawaii
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
L 7–359,600[13]
November 21at San Diego StateL 14–5920,824[14]
November 28UNLV*
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
L 20–272,312[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

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  1. ^ "Texas-El Paso dismisses coach". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 14, 1981. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  2. ^ Daughters, Ann (April 29, 2012). "John L. Smith and the 10 worst interim coaches in college football history". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "1981 UTEP Miners Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020 UTEP Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Texas at El Paso. 2020. p. 72. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  5. ^ "McAlister paces NMSU to victory". Albuquerque Journal. September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Hoggies crush UTEP, 37–15". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "BYU continues winning string". The Daily Spectrum. September 20, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Utah cruises to 38–10 victory over hapless UTEP". The Daily Herald. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "New Mexico raps UTEP, 26–3". The Odessa American. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Wyoming rips UTEP". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Hey! Miner Billy finally has a ball". The El Paso Times. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "UA unearths first-half offense for victory". The Arizona Daily Star. November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "UTEP: Hawaii rumbles on 35–7". The El Paso Times. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Kofler leads Aztecs to a 59–14 win over UTEP". The Los Angeles Times. November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Rain, Rebs drown Miners". The El Paso Times. November 29, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.