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1981 Idaho State Bengals football team

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1981 Idaho State Bengals football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
Big Sky champion
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record12–1 (6–1 Big Sky)
Head coach
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumASISU Minidome
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Idaho State $^ 6 – 1 – 0 12 – 1 – 0
No. 5 Boise State ^ 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 3 – 0
Montana 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Nevada 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Weber State 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Northern Arizona 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Montana State 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Idaho 0 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Committee poll

The 1981 Idaho State Bengals football team represented Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Bengals were led by second-year head coach Dave Kragthorpe and played their home games at the ASISU Minidome (now Holt Arena), an indoor venue on campus in Pocatello, Idaho.

Quarterbacked by senior Mike Machurek, the Bengals won the Big Sky championship with a 6–1 record and were 9–1 overall in the regular season. The sole loss was at Montana, when Machurek remained in Pocatello with mononucleosis, and backup Dirk Koetter filled in;[1][2] the Griz kicked a late field goal to win by three points in Missoula.[3]

In the eight-team Division I-AA playoffs, Idaho State easily won two home playoff games, then secured their only national championship in the Pioneer Bowl at Wichita Falls, Texas. The Bengals defeated Eastern Kentucky 34–23 in the title game to finish with a 12–1 record,[4] just two years removed from a winless season.[2]

Schedule

[edit]
DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 12Eastern Washington*
W 34–108,005[5]
September 19at Boise State
W 21–1020,486[6]
September 26NevadaNo. 3
  • ASISU Minidome
  • Pocatello, ID
W 23–79,883[7]
October 3Northern ArizonadaggerNo. 3
  • ASISU Minidome
  • Pocatello, ID
W 31–611,284[8]
October 10at Portland State*No. 2
W 28–92,757[9]
October 17at MontanaNo. 2
L 21–249,190[1][3]
October 31at IdahoNo. 3
W 24–1410,500[10]
November 7Montana StateNo. 2
  • ASISU Minidome
  • Pocatello, ID
W 31–310,468[11]
November 14Utah State*No. 2
  • ASISU Minidome
  • Pocatello, ID
W 50–2412,008[12]
November 21Weber StateNo. 2
  • ASISU Minidome
  • Pocatello, ID
W 33–30 3OT13,444[13]
December 5Rhode Island*No. 2
W 51–012,153[14]
December 12No. 3 South Carolina State*No. 2
  • ASISU Minidome
  • Pocatello, ID (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)
W 41–1212,300[15]
December 19vs. No. 1 Eastern Kentucky*No. 2
ABCW 34–2311,002[16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[17][18]

  • The regular season finale against Weber State went to triple overtime;[13] the Big Sky introduced overtime for conference games the previous season, and this was its first-ever usage.[19]

Roster

[edit]
1981 Idaho State Bengals football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
LT Dan Taylor Jr
LG Ken Noel Sr
C Jim Lane Jr
RG Ken Bacon Jr
RT Steve Anderson Sr
TE Rod Childs Sr
QB 19 Mike Machurek Sr
QB 12 Dirk Koetter Sr
FB Rick Ambrosi Sr
TB Dwaine Wilson Sr
FL Charles Ewing Sr
SE Jerry Bird Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LDT Chuck Wiefels Jr
NG George Semons Sr
RDT John Naut Sr
SOLB John Olivia Jr
SILB Lem Galeai Sr
WILB Bill Snapp Jr
WOLB Dave Walser Sr
LCB Matt Courtney So
SS John Berry So
FS Reggie Chapman Jr
RCB Willie Allen Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
PK, P 3 Case deBruijn Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt
Source:[20]

All-conference

[edit]

Five Bengals were named to the all-conference team: quarterback Mike Machurek (unanimous), tight end Rod Childs, linebacker Dave Walser, defensive back Matt Courtney (sophomore), and punter Case de Bruijn. The second team included linebacker Lem Galei (sophomore) and de Bruijn at placekicker.[21][22][23] Honorable mention were wide receivers Jerry Bird and Charles Ewing, tackle Steve Anderson, tailback Dwain Wilson, and linebacker Bill Snapp.[22][23]

NFL Draft

[edit]

Two Bengal seniors were selected in the 1982 NFL draft, which lasted twelve rounds with 334 selections.[24]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
6 154 Mike Machurek Quarterback Detroit Lions
8 214 Case deBruijn Punter/Kicker Kansas City Chiefs

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "ISU's Machurek to miss today's game". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 17, 1981. p. 3C.
  2. ^ a b Emerson, Paul (October 29, 1981). "Kragthorpe's turned Bengals into title contenders in two years". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  3. ^ a b "Montana knocks off Idaho State". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 18, 1981. p. 7C.
  4. ^ "Bengals ride like the wind". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 20, 1981. p. 2D.
  5. ^ "Machurek boosts ISU past Eagles". The Spokesman-Review. September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Idaho St. 21, BSU 10". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 20, 1981. p. 6C.
  7. ^ "ISU topples Nevada–Reno in Big Sky play". The Idaho Statesman. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Bengals crush NAU, 31–6". The Missoulian. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Bengals blitz Viks 28–9". The Sunday Oregonian. October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Emerson, Paul (November 1, 1981). "Machurek guides ISU past Idaho". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
  11. ^ "Idaho State mauls MSU to move into tie for lead". The Idaho Statesman. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Bengals blast Aggies in Utah State's finale". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "ISU clinches title, Boise wants berth". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 23, 1981. p. C4.
  14. ^ "Bengals belt Rhode Island". The Idaho Statesman. December 6, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Bengals bury South Carolina State 41–12". The Idaho Statesman. December 13, 1981. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Eastern's dpwnfall is its ownn mistakes". The Courier-Journal. December 20, 1981. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Division I Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2013. p. 14. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via ncaa.org.
  18. ^ "Idaho State Bengals 1981 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Kasper, John (September 25, 2013). "No. 48 Big Sky Innovation". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  20. ^ "Probable starters". Lewiston Morning Tribune. October 31, 1981. p. 3C.
  21. ^ "Former I.E. stars on Big Sky team". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). December 1, 1981. p. 18.
  22. ^ a b "Idaho's Davis overlooked". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). staff and wire reports. December 2, 1981. p. 1B.
  23. ^ a b "Idaho not ignored on defense". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 3, 1981. p. 3B.
  24. ^ "1982 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.


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