Michigan

Big House. Big Loss.

I have dreamed for years about my first experience in the infamous Big House.  In my dreams, the atmosphere is electric, the fans loud, and the Huskers prevail.  If only those dreams were a reality this week…

Our last regular season away game trip to Ann Arbor to face our Legends conference rival proved to be one for the ages:  our biggest loss of the season. The hype, the anticipation, and the pressure in hopes that Nebraska could salvage our season for a chance at the B1G Championship game was gone almost as quickly as my brief trip to Michigan’s campus.

My best friend in Chicago, Ranee, and our friend from Los Angeles, Jess, loaded up Ranee’s car on Friday afternoon for the 4-hour drive into Ann Arbor.  Our drive started off as rocky as the Huskers on the field when we had to pull off the road 20 minutes after our departure to fix the loose undercarriage.  A roll of duct tape, a few lottery tickets, and some assistance from the Indiana gas station locals put us right back on track. 

We arrived at the Red Roof Inn around 8:30 PM and met up with my sister, Amy, who flew in from Raleigh earlier in the day.  We stocked up for our tailgate pregame at the local grocery store complete with hot tea bags from the bar manager’s personal stock and honey from McDonalds for my hot toddys designed to cure my sinus infection brought on by too many weekends traveling.  We called a cab and made instant friends with our cab driver, and we decided that he would be our personal chauffeur all weekend.  Our Husker crew hit downtown to meet up with friends from LA at the Brown Jug, a popular Michigan student bar where the drinks flowed aplenty!  Our cabbie picked us up, and we turned in for a quick nap before our long day of football.

The Sirius tunnel walk helped to start our morning off right, and we caught the bus to our tailgate at the golf course next to the stadium.  As we walked up the hill to meet Amy’s best friend, Lisa, and her husband, Tarek, at their prime tailgate spot, I was in awe of the sheer number of maize and blue tents and flags spanning miles upon miles across the golf course.  We were welcomed with open arms, and Tarek’s friend, Jonny, had quite the setup!  Full grills, a fire pit, flat screens, and more coolers than I could count.  I have never seen so many sets of cornholes in my life.  I played a few sets with Lisa’s mom to keep warm, as it was absolutely freezing that day.  Thank goodness I brought my long Eskimo coat!  We were positioned in the 2^nd row right under the end zone “M,” the perfect spot for our inaugural trip to Michigan.

Pregame flew by, and we headed across the street to the stadium just in time for some peppermint hot cocoa and kickoff.  As we entered the Big House, I was in awe yet again.  Despite the advice I received from friends near and far about the cozy Wolverine home, I was shocked by how small the stadium seemed in person.  Beaver Stadium, where I sat just a week earlier, seemed at least twice the size, but I quickly realized why when we took our seats in the corner of the end zone 62 rows up:  the seats are 3 inches smaller per seat!  We were thankful for the closeness given the chill in the air, and we cozied in with all 113,718 of our closest friends for a long ride.

With a 3 ½ point spread for Michigan with home field advantage, the game was a draw…that is until Denard Robinson got the ball.  The Robinson-led offense did whatever they wanted against Nebraska’s D.  First down after first down, it seemed like Lavonte David was the only Blackshirt who showed up on Saturday.  A 54-yard bomb pass from Martinez to Kinnie in the 2^nd quarter for a touchdown followed quickly by Maher’s 51-yard field goal tied the game at 10, and it looked like our ‘Skers might turn the game around.  We made friends with a couple of Michigan fans behind us, and I guaranteed them Maher would make it at that distance.  I beamed when he did.  Robinson ran it in for another TD before the half leaving the Huskers behind 17-10 going into the lockers.  It was within reach.

Michigan’s Marching Band put on the most odd halftime show I have ever witnessed.  As the big screens finally gained power, the images across the screen confused and stunned the crowd.  A compilation of the most viral YouTube videos of the last year, the band played and danced to the dancing gerbil and “double rainbow” accompanied by a rainbow flag corps display across the field.  The ENTIRE stadium united in stunned disbelief; was this really happening?!?!  The final formation spelled out their sole purpose:  MMB [Michigan Marching Band] Goes Viral.  The feeling of stunned disbelief was unfortunately a preview for the entire second half.

Michigan came out of the half on fire.  An immediate touchdown set the stage for the rest of the game, The Wolverines didn't waste many chances against Nebraska, turning a close game into a rout with 21 straight points after it was tied in the 2^nd quarter at 10 allowing just one more touchdown from Nebraska before closing out with two more TDs in the fourth quarter.  There were a few moments of hope in the second half, but those were pretty much squashed when our worst penalty of the game was met with a roar from the field of blue.  Just just when it looked as if Nebraska might get some momentum in the game, shutting down Michigan on consecutive drives, Wil Richards was called for roughing the kicker on a punt and the Wolverines put the game out of reach. Nebraska led in one aspect of the game, though:  turnovers.  Bell’s fumble on the kickoff was one of 3 that we literally handed to Michigan.  As I said after the Wisconsin game, you cannot win football games when you make that many mistakes.  Today just wasn’t our day.

As the game verdict became clear, a new image appeared on the big screens:  the Michigan “M” smashing into a corn on the cob and popping the corn.  The Wolverines LOVED that, so much so that they replayed it three times!  “Welcome to the Big House” lingered on the screens, and the crowd began shouting “Beat Ohio” as they gained momentum against my poor Big Red.  Ranee and Jess headed back to our tailgate early, and Amy and I hung our heads at the end of the game as we exited the Big House past the columns and across Stadium and Main back to our golf course tailgate.  The Michigan fans could not have been more gracious, though, as they all thanked us for making the trip and wished us luck in the rest of the season.

The postgame party nearly made us forget the loss as our Michigan friends welcomed us with open arms.  “Hail to the Victors” caused dance parties to erupt across the field and the Jamaican hat on Ranee’s head kept me laughing all afternoon.  Our fire pit was the hit of the party as the temperature continued to drop. 

We walked down Main Street downtown and took the long way to The Arena after a few failed attempts at closed bars.  The Arena was packed, and we settled in for dinner, drinks, and a Nebraska Hail Varsity sing along led by Lisa. 

By the time night drew near, we decided it was time for some live music and dancing and headed on to the next watering hole.  I danced all night in my stocking cap before our cab driver took us to Jimmy Johns and back to our hotel.  Despite the massive loss earlier in the day and my lost bet to my coworker Bob, we had an absolutely incredible time.  Can’t wait to come back for redemption in two years.

Morning came all too soon, and we hit the road early to get back to Chicago.  Along the way, we got the gambling itch and decided to make a stop at Four Winds Casino in Indiana.  Our luck was about as good as the Huskers, as $40 each into the Wheel of Fortune slots left all 3 of us empty handed within about 15 minutes of our arrival.  We tried our hands at the Blackjack table and could not believe our eyes as our dealer hit 21 after 21 with 4 and 5 cards each hand.  It was like I was watching Denard Robinson passing against us all over again!  Another $60 in the hole, and I decided to call it a day.  Apparently lady luck was not on our sides all weekend long.  At least the duct tape from Friday was holding up!

Exhausted and run down on the drive home, I could not help but reflect on the past 11 weeks as I head into Nebraska’s last regular season game at home against Iowa.  Three losses puts us out of reach for the B1G Championship, a game I thought was ours for the winning at the start of the season.  Although I’m disappointed I won’t be driving to Indiana next weekend, I must admit that my friends and my bed in Chicago are thrilled to have me home for a weekend. 

We started the season ranked #10 in the BCS and head into our final game ranked #21 in the BCS.  Not at all how I thought the season would go, but the reality of the B1G shakeup week to week has bore down on the Big Red.  This is our new reality, and we better start getting used to it, as we are here to stay.

I arrived home to a lovely surprise from my college friend, Adrienne, who stayed at my place over the weekend: flowers, wine, and snacks!  What a wonderful homecoming after an exhausting weekend.

With one more game, I now find myself hoping for a decent bowl game.  Outback?  Holiday?  Anything but the Sun Bowl.  I find myself more committed than ever to finishing my journey with the Huskers wherever we end up.  Just hoping it is somewhere sunny. J