1981 Garden State Bowl
# 1981 Garden State Bowl

The 1981 Garden State Bowl, part of the 1981–82 bowl game season, took place on December 13, 1981, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The competing teams were the Tennessee Volunteers, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Wisconsin Badgers, representing the Big Ten Conference (Big 10). In what was the final edition of the game, Tennessee won 28–21.

## Teams

### Tennessee

The 1981 Tennessee squad was undefeated at Neyland Stadium but finished 2–4 on the road. The Volunteers lost to Georgia, USC, Alabama and Kentucky. They accepted an invitation to play in the Garden State Bowl against Wisconsin following their loss to Kentucky on November 21. The appearance was the first for Tennessee in the Garden State Bowl and their 23rd overall bowl appearance.

### Wisconsin

The 1981 Wisconsin squad was 5–2 at Camp Randall Stadium, and 2–2 on the road to finish the regular season 7–4. The Badgers lost to UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois and Iowa. The appearance marked the fourth overall bowl appearance for Wisconsin and their first non-Rose Bowl Game.

## Game summary

Tennessee drove 74-yards on their opening drive and Fuad Reveiz connected on a 22-yard field goal to give the Volunteers a 3–0 lead. On the following possession Wisconsin took a 7–3 lead after Jess Cole scored on a three-yard touchdown run. The lead was short-lived as Willie Gault returned the ensuing kickoff 87-yards to give Tennessee a 10–7 lead. The Volunteers extended their lead to 13–7 at the end of the first quarter after Reveiz connected on a 44-yard field goal. Tennessee extended their lead further to 21–7 at halftime after a 43-yard Steve Alatorre touchdown pass to Anthony Hancock and a successful two-point conversion in the second quarter. After a scoreless third quarter, the teams traded fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Badgers scored on Randy Wright touchdown passes to Jeff Nault and Thaddus McFadden and the Volunteers on a six-yard Alatorre run.

Scoring summary :

| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Tennessee | Wisconsin |
| 1 | 10:17 | 13 | 74 | 4:43 | Tennessee | 22-yard field goal by Fuad Reveiz | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | 6:14 | 9 | 68 | 3:57 | Wisconsin | Jess Cole 3-yard touchdown run, Mark Doran kick good | 3 | 7 |
| 1 | 6:03 | 1 | 87 | 0:11 | Tennessee | 87-yard kickoff return by Willie Gault, Fuad Reveiz kick good | 10 | 7 |
| 1 | 1:44 | 4 | | | Tennessee | 44-yard field goal by Fuad Reveiz | 13 | 7 |
| 2 | 5:34 | 4 | 87 | | Tennessee | Anthony Hancock 43-yard touchdown reception from Steve Alatorre, 2-point pass good | 21 | 7 |
| 4 | 13:40 | 9 | 80 | | Wisconsin | Jeff Nault 6-yard touchdown reception from Randy Wright, Mark Doran kick good | 21 | 14 |
| 4 | 8:23 | | | | Tennessee | Steve Alatorre 6-yard touchdown run, Fuad Reveiz kick good | 28 | 14 |
| 4 | 5:29 | | | | Wisconsin | Thaddus McFadden 11-yard touchdown reception from Randy Wright, Mark Doran kick good | 28 | 21 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 28 | 21 |
