The 1981 Garden State Bowl

Garden State Bowl

The Garden State Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from 1978 to 1981...

, part of the 1981 bowl game season, took place on December 13, 1981, at Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...

 in East Rutherford

East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. The competing teams were the Tennessee Volunteers

1981 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1981 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Volunteers offense scored 244 points while the defense allowed 265 points. At Neyland Stadium the Volunteers were undefeated, while they compiled a record of 2–4...

, representing the Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 (SEC), and the Wisconsin Badgers

1981 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 1981 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1981 college football season.-Schedule:-Team players in the 1982 NFL Draft:...

, representing the Big Ten Conference

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 (Big 10). In what was the final edition of the game, Tennessee won 28–21.

Tennessee

The 1981 Tennessee squad was undefeated at Neyland Stadium

Neyland Stadium

Neyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games. The stadium's official capacity is 102,455...

 but finished 2–4 on the road. The Volunteers lost to Georgia, USC, Alabama and . 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

Camp Randall Stadium

Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...

, and 2–2 on the road to finish the regular season 7–4. The Badgers lost to UCLA, , and Iowa

1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1981 college football season. The Hawks were 6-2 in conference play and were Big Ten co-champions. Iowa went to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 23 years. Their previous appearance was following the 1958 season,...

. The appearance marked the fourth overall bowl appearance for Wisconsin and their first non-Rose Bowl Game

Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

.

Game summary

Tennessee drove 74-yards on their opening drive and Fuad Reveiz

Fuad Reveiz

Fuad Reveiz is a former placekicker for the Miami Dolphins, the San Diego Chargers, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played for Miami Sunset Senior High and was voted one of the top high school football players from Miami of all time by the Miami Herald...

 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

Willie Gault

Willie James Gault is a former American football wide receiver and Olympic athlete. Gault played in the National Football League for 11 seasons for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Raiders. He was a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX, and was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team...

 returned the ensuing kickoff

Kickoff (American football)

A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...

 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

Anthony Hancock (American football)

Anthony Duane Hancock is a retired American football wide receiver. He attended the University of Tennessee. He also played with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League....

 and a successful two-point conversion

Two-point conversion

In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...

 in the second quarter. After a scoreless third quarter, the teams traded fourth quarter touchdowns. The Badgers scored on Randy Wright

Randy Wright

Randall Steven Wright is a former professional American football quarterback who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1984 to 1988.-High school:...

 touchdown passes to Jeff Nault and Thaddus McFadden and the Volunteers on a six-yard Alatorre run.