It was fitting that on Senior Night in Madison, it was linebacker Darryl Peterson to be the one energize the Badgers both on and off the field.
In Peterson's last game at Camp Randall, he powered the Badgers to a 27-10 victory over No. 21 Illinois with his play and his words. Not only did he finish the game with three sacks, he also provided the key halftime speech that fueled Wisconsin's clutch second half.
"That was my message--let's have that killer instinct," said Peterson. "Let's finish them. We got them right where we want them. Let's not be happy because we scored 10 points in the the first half. Let's go score 17 more or however many it takes. Let's go finish them and bury them."
Darryl Peterson continues to provide spark for Badgers late season run
While it's typically head coach Luke Fickell delivering the halftime message, Peterson stepped up on a night that needed every bit of his Herculean effort. After sitting on one sack for the year through nine weeks, Peterson has nabbed 5.5 over his last two games, and has squarely put himself in the NFL Draft conversation.
The Badger defense has stepped up in a major way over the last three weeks, allowing just 17 points per game and racking 15 total sacks. Peterson has been a driving force in the dramatic improvement, and now sits with a career-high 6.5 sacks with one game still remaining in his college career.
So what's next for the Wisconsin senior?
"Everything," he said. "Obviously a five-year Wisconsin Badger--a Badger for life. I want nothing more than to bring the Axe back here for my final game."