Tue Jan 1 15:01:17 2008

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Vols outlast Badgers in Outback Bowl

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Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Erik Ainge threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns, leading 16th-ranked Tennessee to a 21-17 victory over No. 18 Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

Backup quarterback Gerald Jones added a rushing touchdown for the Volunteers (10-4), who bounced back from a loss to LSU in the SEC Championship Game and finished the season with six wins in their last seven games.

Ainge completed 25-of-43 passes and was not intercepted on the way to game MVP honors. Josh Briscoe caught six passes for 76 yards with a score and Brad Cottam also hauled in a touchdown pass in the victory.

Tennessee, which lost to Penn State in last January's Outback Bowl, notched its ninth double-digit victory season in Phillip Fulmer's 15-year tenure as head coach.

P.J. Hill ran for 132 yards on just 16 carries for Wisconsin (9-4), while Tyler Donovan battled through numerous hard hits and threw for 155 yards with a touchdown and an interception in defeat.

This was just the second meeting between the two schools. Tennessee also won the first, a 28-21 triumph in the 1981 Garden State Bowl.