1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

{{about|the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game|the Division I-A (now FBS) champions|1981 Clemson Tigers football team}}

{{infobox college football game

| game_name = NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship

| subheader = I-AA National Championship Game
Pioneer Bowl

| football_season = 1981

| football_division = NCAA Division I-AA

| year_game_played = 1981

| date_game_played = December 19

| visitor_school = Eastern Kentucky University

| visitor_name_short = Eastern Kentucky

| visitor_nickname = Colonels

| visitor_record = 12–1

| visitor_conference = Ohio Valley

| visitor_coach = Roy Kidd

| visitor_rank_NCAA = 1

| visitor_seed = 1

| visitor_1q = 3

| visitor_2q = 6

| visitor_3q = 7

| visitor_4q = 7

| home_school = Idaho State University

| home_name_short = Idaho State

| home_nickname = Bengals

| home_record = 11–1

| home_conference = Big Sky

| home_coach = Dave Kragthorpe

| home_rank_NCAA = 2

| home_seed = 2

| home_1q = 7

| home_2q = 21

| home_3q = 0

| home_4q = 6

| stadium = Memorial Stadium

| city = Wichita Falls, Texas

| attendance = 11,002

| us_network = ABC Sports

| us_announcers = Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color){{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kglsXoD7J08 |title=Highlights from the 1981 1-AA National Championship Team---the ISU Bengals |date=February 24, 2018 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=YouTube}}

| different_previous = 1980

| different_next = 1982

}}

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.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/20/sports/no-headline-139857.html |title=Idaho State Takes Title, 34-23 |agency=AP |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 20, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=nytimes.com}}

The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31452495/pioneer_bowl_comeback_today/ |title=Pioneer Bowl Comeback Today |newspaper=Rutland Daily Herald |location=Rutland, Vermont |page=24 |date=December 19, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} 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.

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1981 I-AA Playoffs, which began with an eight-team bracket.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28229079/meac_gets_berth_in_iaa_football/ |title=MEAC gets berth in I-AA football playoffs |first=Barry |last=Cooper |newspaper=Tallahassee Democrat |page=23 |date=May 1, 1981 |accessdate=February 9, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

=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.{{cite web |url=http://cfbinfo.com/team/eastern-kentucky-colonels/1981 |title=Eastern Kentucky Colonels 1981 Schedule |website=cfbinfo.com |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |archive-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511052820/http://cfbinfo.com/team/eastern-kentucky-colonels/1981 |url-status=dead }} Ranked first in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31452418/ncaa_division_iaa/ |title=NCAA Division I-AA |agency=AP |newspaper=The Morning News |location=Wilmington, Delaware |page=B2 |date=November 25, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://cfbinfo.com/team/idaho-st-bengals/1981 |title=Idaho State Bengals 1981 Schedule |website=cfbinfo.com |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |archive-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511052812/http://cfbinfo.com/team/idaho-st-bengals/1981 |url-status=dead }} Ranked second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll 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.

Game summary

=Scoring summary=

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart |VisitorName=EKU|HomeName=ISU|state=}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=1

| Time=

| Team=EKU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=

| DriveTime=

| Type=FG

| yards=21

| Kicker=Jamie Lovett

| Visitor=3

| Home=0

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=1

| Time=3:07

| Team=ISU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=80

| DriveTime=

| Type=RecTD

| Receiver=Chris Corp

| QB=Mike Machurek

| yards=17

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Case deBruijn

| Visitor=3

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=

| Team=EKU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=

| DriveTime=

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Ed Hairston

| yards=3

| kickresult=failed

| Kicker=Lovett

| Visitor=9

| Home=7

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=

| Team=ISU

| DrivePlays=6

| DriveLength=52

| DriveTime=

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Dwain Wilson

| yards=6

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=deBruijn

| Visitor=9

| Home=14

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=

| Team=ISU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=80

| DriveTime=

| Type=RecTD

| Receiver=Chris Ewing

| QB=Machurek

| yards=9

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=deBruijn

| Visitor=9

| Home=21

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=2

| Time=2:52

| Team=ISU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=38

| DriveTime=

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Wilson

| yards=6

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=deBruijn

| Visitor=9

| Home=28

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=3

| Time=5:17

| Team=EKU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=71

| DriveTime=

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Nicky Yeast

| yards=2

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Lovett

| Visitor=16

| Home=28

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=4

| Time=14:__

| Team=ISU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=74

| DriveTime=

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Paul Fite

| yards=2

| 2pt type=run

| 2pt result=failed

| Visitor=16

| Home=34

}}

{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry

| Quarter=4

| Time=8:13

| Team=EKU

| DrivePlays=

| DriveLength=

| DriveTime=

| Type=RushTD

| Runner=Yeast

| yards=4

| kickresult=good

| Kicker=Lovett

| Visitor=23

| Home=34

}}

{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31473571/easterns_mistakes_lead_to_3423_loss/ |title=Eastern's mistakes lead to 34-23 loss in I-AA title game |first=Stan |last=Sutton |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |location=Louisville, Kentucky |page=C 1 |date=December 20, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31473680/easterns_mistakes_lead_to_3423_loss/ |title=Eastern's mistakes lead to 34-23 loss in I-AA title game (cont'd) |first=Stan |last=Sutton |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |location=Louisville, Kentucky |page=C 4 |date=December 20, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

=Game statistics=

{{Linescore Amfootball|

|Road=Colonels

|R1=3 |R2=6 |R3=7 |R4=7

|Home=Bengals

|H1=7 |H2=21 |H3=0 |H4=6

}}

File:Wichita Falls October 2015 81 (Memorial Stadium).jpg, site of the 1981 I-AA title game]]

{{AmFootballGameStatistics

| Visitor = Eastern Kentucky Colonels

| VisitorDisplay = EKU

| Home = Idaho State Bengals

| HomeDisplay = ISU

| VisFirsts = 19

| VisPlaysYds = 75–386

| VisRushing = 47–167

| VisPassYds = 219

| VisPassing = 14–28–1

| VisTOP =

| HomeFirsts = 24

| HomePlaysYds = 77–482

| HomeRushing = 31–102

| HomePassYds = 380

| HomePassing = 31–46–0

| HomeTOP =

}}

{{AmFootballGameTopPlayers

| Visitor = Eastern Kentucky Colonels

| VisitorDisplay = Eastern Kentucky

| Home = Idaho State Bengals

| HomeDisplay = Idaho State

| VisPasser = Chris Isaac

| VisPassStats = 14–28, 219 yds, 1 INT

| VisRusher = Nicky Yeast

| VisRushStats = 10 car, 58 yds

| VisReceiver = Steve Bird

| VisReceivingStats = 5 rec, 81 yds

| HomePasser = Mike Machurek

| HomePassStats = 29–44, 380 yds, 2 TD

| HomeRusher = Dwain Wilson

| HomeRushStats = 12 car, 58 yds, 2 TD

| HomeReceiver = Jerry Bird

| HomeReceivingStats = 9 rec, 139 yds

}}

{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31466613/idaho_state_wins_iaa_football_title/ |title=Idaho State wins I-AA football title |first=Joe |last=Stroop |agency=AP |newspaper=The Morning News |location=Wilmington, Delaware |page=D11 |date=December 20, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31466766/pioneer_bowl/ |title=Pioneer Bowl |newspaper=El Paso Times |location=El Paso, Texas |page=8C |date=December 20, 1981 |accessdate=May 11, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

References

External links

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kglsXoD7J08 Highlights from the 1981 1-AA National Championship Team—the ISU Bengals] via YouTube
EKU vs Idaho State - 1981 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zXRv3oDnLM Part 1], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8llYOLxVs44 Part 2], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=885qiaiYpVQ Part 3], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTaJHDN-hfU Part 4] via YouTube

Championship Game

Category:NCAA Division I Football Championship Games

Category:Eastern Kentucky Colonels football games

Category:Idaho State Bengals football games

Category:American football competitions in Texas

Category:Sports in Wichita Falls, Texas

NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Teams

=Eastern Kentucky Colonels=

=Idaho State Bengals=

Game summary

=Scoring summary=

=Game statistics=

See also

References

Further reading

External links