The 1981 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled a 9–3 record (5–2 against conference opponents), finished in a tie for second place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 284 to 170.
Quarterback John Mazur led the team in passing, completing 93 of 194 passes for 1,128 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Marcus Allen led the team in rushing with 433 carries for 2,427 yards and 22 touchdowns. Jeff Simmons led the team in receiving yards with 28 catches for 543 yards and one touchdown. Allen became the first player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award and was also the Pac-10 player of the year.
Schedule
Personnel
Game summaries
Tennessee
Marcus Allen 22 Rush, 210 Yds, 4 TD (sat out most of second half)
Indiana
Marcus Allen 40 rushes, 274 yards
Oklahoma
Marcus Allen 39 rushes, 208 yards
Oregon State
Marcus Allen 35 rushes, 233 yards
Washington State
Marcus Allen 44 rushes, 289 yards
California
Marcus Allen 46 rushes, 243 yards
UCLA
George Achica blocked Norm Johnson's game-winning 46-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds to preserve the USC victory.
Vs. Penn State (Fiesta Bowl)
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