1981 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 1981 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season.
Several Wisconsin players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:
- Quarterback Jess Cole ranked seventh in the conference with 12 passing touchdowns and ninth with 1,180 passing yards.[1]
- Running back John Williams ranked second in the conference with 5.5 rushing yards per carry and seventh with 634 rushing yards.
- David Greenwood led the conference with 156 interception return yards, and he and Matt Vanden Boom tied for second in the conference with six interceptions each.[1]
Schedule
Date |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
Result |
Attendance |
September 12 |
No. 1 Michigan |
|
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
W 21–14 |
68,733 |
September 19 |
No. 9 UCLA* |
No. 20 |
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
L 13–31 |
71,496 |
September 26 |
Western Michigan* |
|
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
W 21–10 |
67,196 |
October 3 |
Purdue |
|
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
W 20–14 |
68,603 |
October 10 |
No. 18 Ohio State |
|
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
W 24–21 |
78,973 |
October 17 |
at Michigan State |
No. 14 |
Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI |
L 14–33 |
67,352 |
October 24 |
at Illinois |
|
Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL |
L 21–23 |
67,413 |
October 31 |
Northwestern |
|
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
W 52–0 |
70,035 |
November 7 |
at Indiana |
|
Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN |
W 28–7 |
44,218 |
November 14 |
Iowa |
|
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI |
L 7–17 |
78,731 |
November 21 |
at Minnesota |
|
Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe) |
W 26–21 |
47,125 |
December 13 |
vs. Tennessee* |
|
Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (Garden State Bowl) |
L 21–28 |
53,220 |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
[2]
Game notes
Michigan
#1 Michigan at Wisconsin
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|
Michigan |
0 |
7 | 7 | 0 |
14 |
• Wisconsin |
0 |
14 | 7 | 0 |
21 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
2 |
| Michigan | S. Smith 4 yard run (Haji-Sheikh kick) | Michigan 7-0 |
|
2 |
| Wisconsin | Neal 17 yard pass from Cole (Doran kick) | Tie 7-7 |
|
2 |
| Wisconsin | Davis 1 yard run (Doran kick) | Wisconsin 14-7 |
|
3 |
| Michigan | Woolfolk 89 yard run (Haji-Sheikh kick) | Tie 14-14 |
|
3 |
5:13 | Wisconsin | Williams 71 yard pass from Cole (Doran kick) | Wisconsin 21-14 |
|
Wisconsin safety Matt Vanden Boom had three interceptions, including the game-clincher with two seconds left at his own 17. It was the Badgers first win against Michigan since 1962 and the first time they scored points against the Wolverines since 1976.
[3]
References
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