With emotions running at a fever pitch for that last trot out onto the turf at Camp Randall, a Wisconsin win over Iowa held many possibilities. Not only were there ambitions to send the senior class out with a victory, but the Badgers were playing for their first winning Big Ten season since 1999 and, most importantly, a New Year’s Day bowl bid.

Unfortunately for the Badgers, all of these ambitions were quickly erased on a rushed fourth-down pass from freshman third-string quarterback John Stocco from the Iowa four-yard line. With Iowa free safety Sean Considine breaking up the last goal-line pass, the Hawkeyes raced across the field in celebration. Tampa was to be painted black and gold.

“It is real tough,” junior team captain Jim Leonhard. “This senior class has done so much since they have been here. To not have them go out with a win — it really hurts. We have a lot of guys taking this to heart, and we have a long time to think about it.”

“I didn’t win the game,” Stocco said. “That’s the object when you go out there. It’s just real disappointing that I couldn’t send the seniors out on their day. That’s really all there is to say. I didn’t win and I didn’t step up when I needed to.”

But the weight of the game can’t solely be placed on Stocco’s shoulders. The inconsistencies of backup Matt Schabert and the seemingly wasted use of several time outs on the part of the Wisconsin coaching staff contributed to the Hawkeyes’ roaring comeback. With Jim Sorgi shut down with a concussion early in the second half, the Badger offense was simply inept. For a senior who had played the best ball of his life over the last two weeks, Saturday was an especially bittersweet affair.

“He just said, ‘Keep your head up,’ ” Stocco said of the words Sorgi passed along to him after the game. “I apologized to him for not being able to send him out the way he wanted to go.”

Despite all of the heartbreak, one senior found the day to be his finest in a Wisconsin uniform. Kyle McCorison, a relatively anonymous linebacker, was inserted into the starting lineup and made the best of the opportunity. The senior paced the Badgers with 10 tackles, 2.5 of them for a loss, including one sack, two quarterback hurries and one interception.

In short, it was the game of McCorison’s life. After making his primary contributions on special teams for four seasons, McCorison made sure the fifth start of his career would be a memorable one.

“I just made a play when I had the opportunity,” McCorison said. “I was just in the right place at the right time sometimes. That’s just how it goes. If the play comes to you, you’ve got to make it.”

Not only did McCorison make plays, but he made them when the team needed them.

After a 23-yard sweeping rush from Iowa tailback Fred Taylor at the start of the second quarter, Hawkeye quarterback Nathan Chandler forced a pass over the middle that ended up in the hands of McCorison. Instinctively, the linebacker took the ball to the right sideline to find his blockers, returning it 33 yards down the right sideline. The turnover set up Matt Schabert’s first drive of the game, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run from Dwayne Smith to give the Badgers a cushy 21-7 lead.

“Kyle played his butt off,” fellow senior linebacker Jeff Mack said. “I love him to death. He made a lot of plays, and that’s what you expect from him. I don’t expect anything less from Kyle.”

Late in the game, McCorison made a huge sack, coming around the line uncontested to sack Iowa quarterback Nathan Chandler on third down, halting the Hawkeyes’ drive and knocking them out of field-goal range.

“I definitely take pride in how I played, but everyone else played really well as well,” a modest McCorison said. “We just didn’t make enough plays in the end like we needed to and we just fell short. You have to give credit to Iowa. They are a heck of a team and they did a really good job. It has been great playing with these guys. That is the hardest part, knowing that it’s your last time here.”

McCorison made the most of it, doing everything he could to put his team in a chance to win. For a Senior Day that went so unfulfilled for so many of his teammates, McCorison made the day one his teammates were very proud of. After four seasons of relative obscurity, McCorison left the field holding his head high.

“He finished his last game at Camp Randall I’m sure the way he wanted to,” Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “I’m real proud of his performance.”