1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

}} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} In 1981, Iowa played eight conference games, missing one opponent. The government of Iowa mandated that they resume their series with Iowa State. Iowa did not play Ohio State in 1981; OSU was also 8-3 and 6-2 in the Big Ten to tie for the conference title. The Buckeyes won their bowl game, the 1981 Liberty Bowl over Navy, and finished at 9-3. Iowa was awarded the Rose Bowl berth because it had not been to Pasadena since the 1958 season, while Ohio State went two years earlier. ==Rankings==

No. 7 Nebraska • Sources: Box Score At Iowa State • Sources: Box Score and Game Story No. 6 UCLA • Sources: Box Score at Northwestern • Sources: Box Score and Game Story Indiana • Sources: Box Score At No. 5 Michigan • Sources: Box Score and Game Story The Hawkeyes won 9-7 at #5 Michigan, their third victory over a top ten team during the 1981 season. It was Iowa's first victory over the Wolverines since 1962. Minnesota • Sources: Box Score and Game Story At Illinois • Sources: Box Score and Game Story Purdue • Sources: Box Score and Game Story The 33-7 win was Iowa's first over the Boilermakers since 1960, and secured the Hawkeyes' first winning season since 1961. At Wisconsin • Sources: Box Score and Game Story Michigan State • Sources: Box Score and Game Story Iowa earns first Rose Bowl since 1958 with Michigan's loss to Ohio State, which was announced with 6:14 left in the first quarter. Statistics • Phil Blatcher 27 Rush, 247 Yds vs. No. 12 Washington (Rose Bowl) • Sources: ==Roster==

Iowa tallied 2,153 rushing yards and 1,422 passing yards in 1981. On defense, they held opponents to 953 rushing yards and 1,834 passing yards. The team limited opponents to only 79.7 rushing yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry, both of which remain Iowa single-season records. The team's individual statistical leaders included: • Gordy Bohannon completed 72 of 142 passes (50.7%) for 999 yards, six touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 113.9 passer rating. Freshman Chuck Long completed one pass for 15 yards. • Phil Blatcher led the team with 737 rushing yards on 145 carries for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Blatcher ranked second on the team in soring with 48 points. • Linebacker Mel Cole led the team with 94 total tackles. • Defensive back Lou King led the team with eight interceptions. His eight interceptions remains tied for the Iowa single-season record. Total attendance at home games was 360,381, an average of 60,063 per game. It was the first team Iowa drew an average of at least 60,000 spectators per game. ==Awards and honors==

Two Iowa players were selected as consensus first-team All-Americans. Defensive end Andre Tippett, a team captain, set Iowa's all-time record in 1980 with 20 tackles for losses totaling 153 yards and received the consensus All-America recogniation in 1981. Punter Reggie Roby broke the NCAA record with an average of 49.8 yards per punt and also received consensus All-America recognition. Roby averaged 55.8 yards per punt against Nebraska on September 12, 1981. Linebacker Mel Cole, the team's leading tackler, was selected as the team's most valuable player. Hayden Fry was selected by the media for the Big Ten Coach of the Year award. He was the first Iowa coach to receive the honor. Seven Iowa players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) or United Press International (UPI) on the 1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Tippett (AP-1, UPI-1); Roby (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive linemen Pat Dean (AP-1, UPI-1); linebacker Mel Coe (AP-1, UPI-1) guard Mark Bortz (AP-1, UPI-2); guard Ron Hallstrom (AP-2, UPI-1); and defensive back Lou King (AP-1). The team had five co-captains: defensive back Tracy Crocker; quarterback Pete Gales; offensive tackle Bruce Kittle; defensive end Andre Tippett; and defensive end Brad Webb. ==1982 NFL draft==