# 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. Led by fourth-year head coach Dave McClain, the Badgers compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 6–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the Big Ten. Wisconsin was invited to the Garden State Bowl, where the Badgers lost to Tennessee. The team played home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
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.
* 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.
Wisconsin made its first bowl game appearance since the 1963 Rose Bowl.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | No. 1 Michigan | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | W 21–14 | 68,733 |
| September 19 | No. 9 UCLA* | No. 20 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | L 13–31 | 71,496 |
| September 26 | Western Michigan* | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | W 21–10 | 67,196 |
| October 3 | Purdue | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | W 20–14 | 68,603 |
| October 10 | No. 18 Ohio State | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | W 24–21 | 78,973 |
| October 17 | at Michigan State | No. 14 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | L 14–33 | 67,352 |
| October 24 | at Illinois | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | L 21–23 | 67,413 |
| October 31 | Northwestern | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | W 52–0 | 70,035 |
| November 7 | at Indiana | | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | W 28–7 | 44,218 |
| November 14 | Iowa | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (rivalry) | L 7–17 | 78,731 |
| November 21 | at Minnesota | | Memorial StadiumMinneapolis, MN (rivalry) | W 26–21 | 47,125 |
| December 13 | vs. Tennessee* | | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, NJ (Garden State Bowl) | L 21–28 | 53,220 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • Wisconsin | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
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.

### At Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Wisconsin | | | 0 |
| Minnesota | | | 0 |
at Memorial Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: November 21, 1981
* Game attendance: 47,125
Head coach Dave McClain inserted backup Randy Wright in the fourth quarter after Minnesota took the lead for the first time, on the reason "because Cole was not having a good day throwing." Following the victory, Wisconsin accepted the bid from the Garden State Bowl to play Tennessee.
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Jess Cole | 6/17, 84 Yds |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | | |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | | |
| Minnesota | Passing | Mike Hohensee | 17/34, 254 Yds, TD |
| Minnesota | Rushing | | |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Chester Cooper | 6 Rec, 123 Yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | WISC | MINN |
| 4 | | | | | Minnesota | Chester Cooper 4-yard touchdown reception from Mike Hohensee, Jim Gallery kick good | 20 | 21 |
| 4 | 1:05 | | | | Wisconsin | Michael Jones 7-yard touchdown reception from Randy Wright, 2-point | 26 | 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. | 26 | 21 |

## 1982 NFL draft

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Von Mansfield | Cornerback | 5 | 122 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Jerry Doerger | Tackle | 8 | 200 | Chicago Bears |
| Guy Boliaux | Linebacker | 11 | 283 | Chicago Bears |
| Dave Levenick | Linebacker | 12 | 315 | Atlanta Falcons |