1981 Sacramento State Hornets football team

1981 Sacramento State Hornets football
Conference	Far Western Conference
Record	5–6 (1–4 FWC)
Head coach	Bob Mattos (4th season)
Home stadium	Hornet Stadium

1981 Far Western Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
UC Davis +	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Cal State Hayward +	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Humboldt State	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Chico State	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Sacramento State	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
San Francisco State	0	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1981 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Bob Mattos, Sacramento State compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the FWC. The team outscored its opponents 256 to 186 for the season. The Hornets played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	at San Francisco*	San Francisco, CA	W 47–0	4,517
September 19	Cal Poly Pomona*	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	L 7–14	4,810
September 26	at Saint Mary's*	Saint Mary's Stadium Moraga, CA	W 14–9	4,000
October 3	Redlands*	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 45–8	4,030
October 10	San Francisco State	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 38–17	4,090
October 17	at Cal Lutheran*	Mt. Clef Field Thousand Oaks, CA	L 6–13	1,500
October 24	at Chico State	University Stadium Chico, CA	L 24–34	5,310–5,562
October 31	Cal State Hayward	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	L 10–27	3,461
November 7	Cal State Northridge*	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 33–20	2,503
November 14	at Humboldt State	Redwood Bowl Arcata, CA	L 19–23	1,723
November 21	at UC Davis	Toomey Field Davis, CA (rivalry)	L 13–21	5,600
*Non-conference game