The hard-hitting senior safety was the focal point of a painful, lasting image seared into the memories of Spartan players, coaches and fans.

Trailing 42-39, Wisconsin lined up to punt the ball away and give MSU an opportunity to tie or win it with less than two minutes remaining. MSU head coach Mark Dantonio turned Lewis loose off the edge in an attempt to block the punt, but when Lewis dove fractions of a second too late, the crown of his helmet grazed the underside of Badger punter Brad Nortman’s thigh.

Some potentially strategic embellishment from Nortman resulted in him twirling to the ground. Almost instantly, the move was accompanied by a yellow flag on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.

Lewis was penalized for roughing the kicker, a return from Keshawn Martin inside the Wisconsin 5-yard line was negated and the Badgers promptly drained the clock.

From that point, no Spartan has longed to return to Indianapolis more than Lewis. Although he was far from the reason MSU lost that game, Lewis craves the chance to settle the score in the arena just a 15-minute drive from where he grew up.

As No. 10 MSU prepares to square off with No. 2 Ohio State for the Big Ten championship, Lewis is afforded the exceptionally rare shot at redemption in sports that typically only plays out in Hollywood.

“I just want to go back and win this game,” Lewis said bluntly. “I had a bad taste in my mouth two years ago, (it) didn’t go how I wanted it to go. Bad things happened. I just don’t want to have a replay of that.”

Dantonio immediately claimed sole responsibility to send Lewis after the punt after the 2011 loss, repeating that it was his call to gamble on the block attempt.

His willingness to deflect criticism from his then-sophomore safety endeared Dantonio in Lewis’ eyes and reminded him of the reason he pledged his commitment to MSU as a four-star recruit out of Ben Davis High.

“A lot of questions were asked about that,” Lewis said. ”(Dantonio) had my back the whole way, and the whole team had my back the whole way. I appreciate them for that.

Senior linebacker Max Bullough and senior cornerback Darqueze Dennard, fellow members of MSU’s 2010 recruiting class, remember Lewis was in rough shape as he coped with the loss.

Bullough felt obligated to ensure his close friend understood that the weight of the loss wasn’t exclusively on his shoulders.

“I think (Lewis) really took that hard, at least right away, right after the game,” Bullough said, noting the narrow difference between Lewis’ lowest point and a program-altering moment.

“He blocks that punt, Isaiah is a hero and Coach D is the best coach ever.”

The moment MSU began preparing for the 2012 season, Dennard noticed a difference in Lewis. He cranked up his work ethic, refocused himself and worked to become a better player and leader, Dennard said.

“After the championship game, Isaiah was hurt,” he said. “I’m a great friend of Isaiah. We always hang around with each other, and talking to him after that game, he was like, ‘this is never going to happen again.’”

Lewis has a chance to permanently bury the bad memories by earning the Spartans’ first Rose Bowl berth since 1988. The chances football players have to return home during the season are few and cherished. The stage is set for Lewis to flip the script in the highest-stakes homecoming of his career.

“I don’t want it to be just about me,” he said.

“I want it to be about the team — us getting back there.”