BigTenBadger
Walk-on
Longtime reader, rare poster from another Big Ten West school here!
Just wanted to drop in and say that I'm looking forward to the game next weekend in Madison. Our team will be fools if they don't prepare as hard as they have all season for the matchup against Nebraska. I fully expect this to be one of the most difficult wins to pull off of the year, and would not be surprised at all to see the Huskers catch the Badgers off their game. (That being said, I hope it does not happen!)
You know, I traveled for the first time down to Lincoln back in 2012 hoping to see my Badgers pull off a win in one of the best environments in college football. I left with Joel Stave breaking my heart right at the end of the game, but only after having my expectations far exceeded from a day of fun, hospitality, and lots of tailgating at "The Rez". Husker fans were as nice as advertised and we made many friends that day. We played a ton of beer pong, a weird frisbee/pole game I had never seen, and even grabbed lunch at the Haymarket. One story I will never forget from that day happened as we were entering Memorial Stadium. You see my friend had enjoyed perhaps a few too many drinks tailgating and had somehow figured out a way to misplace her game ticket between leaving the tailgate and entering the stadium. I could not believe it. Mind you, this was about a $300+ ticket at the time for one of the most highly anticipated Big Ten matchups of the season as it was in Nebraska's second year in the conference. It was the first time Wisconsin had played in Lincoln since the 70s.
So there we were, stranded outside of the concourses of Memorial Stadium, obnoxiously decked out in Badger gear, and my friend sobbing inconsolably near the wall of the stadium (mostly because she was so upset for having lost the ticket, but partially because of a few too many beers). All of the sudden, an older gentleman with bright white hair stuffed under a bright red baseball cap walked over to us The thing was that, in place of the expected "W" on his hat, there was a large block "N" proudly embroidered on it. We were all a bit wary, but he seemed nice enough and started asking our small group of friends what was wrong. After we realized he was not there to taunt our tease us, we sorrowfully told him our story which only made my friend cry harder. As we were finishing our story, to all of our shock the old Husker fan reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp, red and silver ticket. He then proceeded to tell us that his wife had decided to stay at their tailgate instead of coming to the game. He told my crying friend that he wanted her to have the ticket so that she could enjoy the game and her first trip to Memorial Stadium. We all stared at him in disbelief as he smiled and placed the (very nicely seated) extra ticket in my friends hand before saying, "Enjoy the game, and Go Huskers!" With that, he walked away, having given away what must have been a $400 - $500 centerfield ticket. But, in doing so, he gave our group another chance to have the perfect game day together. With renewed excitement, we scanned our tickets, then hurried up the stairs of the stadium to our seats all together.
That story sums up Nebraska fans for me and why I'm so glad you all are part of the Big Ten Conference, and that we get the chance to meet each other every year as members of the Big Ten West Division. Each meeting of teams comes with a game and a score, but it also comes with hundreds of stories and exchanges that build something much more important over time. I know that the dissolution of the Big 8 and the Big 12 has been awful for you all to say the least, but given the way things are shaping up (with Texas and OU going to the hated SEC) I still think you all are in the right place. The Nebraska brand and legend will always have power: not because of the national championships or Big 8 championships, but because of the Nebraska fans that I experienced nearly 10 years ago and continue to see to this day. That can never be destroyed, and while these past few years have been tough, it's merely a drop in the bucket of time of all of our universities' storied programs. The Huskers will find their way back eventually and I believe, when all is said and done, the Big Ten West will be the perfect home for us all to compete year in and year out. These end-of-November matchups between you and Wisconsin or Iowa will, at some point, be huge division and/or playoff elimination games, and we will continue to develop strong bonds between our states and wonderful flagship universities which share so much in common.
With that being said, enjoy the game on Saturday!
If anyone is traveling to Madison, have fun and know that I envy you as I'll be up here in Minneapolis watching on television. One of these years, I am determined to make it back down to Lincoln to catch a Badger/Husker game. I know it will be a blast, just as it was last time. Only this time, we'll try to keep better track of our game tickets!
Just wanted to drop in and say that I'm looking forward to the game next weekend in Madison. Our team will be fools if they don't prepare as hard as they have all season for the matchup against Nebraska. I fully expect this to be one of the most difficult wins to pull off of the year, and would not be surprised at all to see the Huskers catch the Badgers off their game. (That being said, I hope it does not happen!)
You know, I traveled for the first time down to Lincoln back in 2012 hoping to see my Badgers pull off a win in one of the best environments in college football. I left with Joel Stave breaking my heart right at the end of the game, but only after having my expectations far exceeded from a day of fun, hospitality, and lots of tailgating at "The Rez". Husker fans were as nice as advertised and we made many friends that day. We played a ton of beer pong, a weird frisbee/pole game I had never seen, and even grabbed lunch at the Haymarket. One story I will never forget from that day happened as we were entering Memorial Stadium. You see my friend had enjoyed perhaps a few too many drinks tailgating and had somehow figured out a way to misplace her game ticket between leaving the tailgate and entering the stadium. I could not believe it. Mind you, this was about a $300+ ticket at the time for one of the most highly anticipated Big Ten matchups of the season as it was in Nebraska's second year in the conference. It was the first time Wisconsin had played in Lincoln since the 70s.
So there we were, stranded outside of the concourses of Memorial Stadium, obnoxiously decked out in Badger gear, and my friend sobbing inconsolably near the wall of the stadium (mostly because she was so upset for having lost the ticket, but partially because of a few too many beers). All of the sudden, an older gentleman with bright white hair stuffed under a bright red baseball cap walked over to us The thing was that, in place of the expected "W" on his hat, there was a large block "N" proudly embroidered on it. We were all a bit wary, but he seemed nice enough and started asking our small group of friends what was wrong. After we realized he was not there to taunt our tease us, we sorrowfully told him our story which only made my friend cry harder. As we were finishing our story, to all of our shock the old Husker fan reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp, red and silver ticket. He then proceeded to tell us that his wife had decided to stay at their tailgate instead of coming to the game. He told my crying friend that he wanted her to have the ticket so that she could enjoy the game and her first trip to Memorial Stadium. We all stared at him in disbelief as he smiled and placed the (very nicely seated) extra ticket in my friends hand before saying, "Enjoy the game, and Go Huskers!" With that, he walked away, having given away what must have been a $400 - $500 centerfield ticket. But, in doing so, he gave our group another chance to have the perfect game day together. With renewed excitement, we scanned our tickets, then hurried up the stairs of the stadium to our seats all together.
That story sums up Nebraska fans for me and why I'm so glad you all are part of the Big Ten Conference, and that we get the chance to meet each other every year as members of the Big Ten West Division. Each meeting of teams comes with a game and a score, but it also comes with hundreds of stories and exchanges that build something much more important over time. I know that the dissolution of the Big 8 and the Big 12 has been awful for you all to say the least, but given the way things are shaping up (with Texas and OU going to the hated SEC) I still think you all are in the right place. The Nebraska brand and legend will always have power: not because of the national championships or Big 8 championships, but because of the Nebraska fans that I experienced nearly 10 years ago and continue to see to this day. That can never be destroyed, and while these past few years have been tough, it's merely a drop in the bucket of time of all of our universities' storied programs. The Huskers will find their way back eventually and I believe, when all is said and done, the Big Ten West will be the perfect home for us all to compete year in and year out. These end-of-November matchups between you and Wisconsin or Iowa will, at some point, be huge division and/or playoff elimination games, and we will continue to develop strong bonds between our states and wonderful flagship universities which share so much in common.
With that being said, enjoy the game on Saturday!
If anyone is traveling to Madison, have fun and know that I envy you as I'll be up here in Minneapolis watching on television. One of these years, I am determined to make it back down to Lincoln to catch a Badger/Husker game. I know it will be a blast, just as it was last time. Only this time, we'll try to keep better track of our game tickets!
