CHAMPAIGN, Ill.'With hopes of playing the role of the Homecoming spoiler for a second week in a row, the Badgers' chances fell just short Saturday, losing a heartbreaker to the Fighting Illini 42-35.
After marching down the field and scoring on their opening drive off of a 25-yard Brooks Bollinger run up the middle, it was not until the middle of the third quarter that the Badgers would strike again.
The story of the first two and a half quarters proved to be the pounding Illini offense, fueled by the strength of its tandem kicking corps and its senior quarterback, Kurt Kittner.
'I was really impressed with how poised he was and well he threw the football,' Head Coach Barry Alvarez said of Kittner's performance.
Illini kicker Peter Christofilakos was successful on attempts from 33 yards and 22 yards while John Gockman, used for longer kicks, split the uprights from 48 yards and 43 yards.
Aided by two touchdown passes from Kittner'one to senior running back Rocky Harvey from 22 yards out and the other a 34-yarder to junior tight end Aaron Moorehead, the Fighting Illini held a 25-7 lead with just over 8 minutes to go in the third quarter.
As the third quarter came to a close though, the Badgers' stagnant offense finally came alive.
With quarterback Jim Sorgi at the helm, who entered in the end of the first half in relief of Bollinger'forced to leave the game with a groin injury'UW was able to orchestrate a nine-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard Anthony Davis touchdown.
Illinois quickly responded with another Christofilakos field goal, but five minutes, three touchdowns and two turnovers later, the Badgers suddenly found themselves with the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 35-28.
'The momentum was on our side and we just kept pressing and pressing,' wide receiver Lee Evans said of his team's dramatic turnaround.
The rally was sparked by a Michael Broussard interception, which resulted in an Anthony Davis touchdown two plays later.
Evans, who finished the day with 150 yards receiving and two touchdowns in becoming UW's all-time single-season leader in receiving yardage, praised Sorgi for his efforts.
'That's what Sorgi does,' he said. 'Come in when Brooks has gone down and come in and play a terrific game. He made plays all over the place.'
Sorgi's heroics proved insufficient though as Kittner quickly responded with two touchdowns of his own, including the game winner to Brandon Lloyd with 6:18 remaining in the game.
'It always seems like I get the short end of the stick,' said Sorgi, who over the course of the past two years has had to go head to head with some of the nation's top quarterbacks, match-ups which have all ended in a similar fashion.
Last year it was Purdue's Drew Brees and this year he played well, but still lost, in shoot-outs with Oregon's Joey Harrington and Fresno State's David Carr.
The loss drops the Badgers to 4-4, (2-2 in the Big Ten) while the Fighting Illini improve to 6-1 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten, and find themselves very much in the forefront of the race for the Big Ten title.
The Badgers finally get to play a homecoming game of their own next week when the Spartans of Michigan State (3-2 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) come to town.
