Senior Year Box Set

I was excited to see Lambeau Field, the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. I will say that I was shocked at some of the language and how rude the Wisconsin fans were to the few LSU fans that were able to get tickets. If my experience was representative, I wouldn’t suggest that you bring young kids to any of their games. It might have been all the beer they’d consumed before the game, but you can only hear so many f-bombs before it becomes tiresome.

It was a perfect day for football, and the game was being nationally televised on ABC with a 2:30 kickoff. I was told this was the first college football game at Lambeau Field in more than 30 years. The stadium was a sea of red as the Badger faithful had filled it. We were behind the bench with seats ten rows up on the 40 yard line. It didn’t get any better than this.

“This place is nuts,” Wolf observed.

“Yeah, but I think I could learn to live with it,” Tim agreed.

The game turned into a defensive struggle. Wisconsin had the edge early but seemed not to have enough to get into the end zone. On three trips into the red zone, they were only able to get two field goals, and they threw an interception in the end zone. They went into halftime with a 6–0 lead. That wouldn’t be nearly enough to win this game.

LSU looked inept on offense. Even though this was their first game of the season, you would think with almost all their returning starters, they would be doing better than this. I had to give Wisconsin’s defensive line and linebackers credit. They were the real reason LSU looked terrible.

After halftime, Wisconsin finally put together a scoring drive that found them running the ball in from the five. All the fans seemed to relax a little, but LSU started to play better. On the next Wisconsin possession, they threw an interception that was returned twenty-one yards for a touchdown.

Three plays later, Wisconsin fumbled, and LSU only took two plays to go up 14–13. It looked like Wisconsin would implode at that point, and LSU had finally used their defense to turn the tables on them.

During the break between the third and fourth quarters, all the Wisconsin faithful stood and began to cheer.

“What the heck is going on?” Dad asked.

“Wait for it,” I said, holding up a finger.

Sports Illustrated called it the best tradition in college football, ‘Jump Around,’ where the students bounce to the House of Pain song of that name. The music started, and the student section began to jump up and down. Even the old folks around us were bouncing. It was funny as hell to see so many white people jumping up and down and rapping. Of course, we got into it and began to jump up and down to the beat. Several of the LSU players on the sideline were joining in. That moment made my entire day.

The next four possessions, LSU and Wisconsin traded punts. Wisconsin’s tight end made his mark in their lore with catches of twenty-one and eleven yards to set them up for a field goal. The whole stadium held its breath as their kicker drilled it to take a 16–14 lead.

LSU’s quarterback had been an inconsistent passer throughout his career, and this game was no different. He had two good completions on the next drive, one for nineteen yards and another for a critical first down. But the bad quarterback showed his face a few plays later when he forced one into coverage. He threw it right into the arms of a Wisconsin defensive back to seal the win for the Badgers.

On that play, I witnessed one of the dirtiest plays I’d ever seen on a football field. As the defensive back got up to celebrate and run to his sideline, an LSU lineman flattened him. For a moment, I thought he might have seriously hurt the kid. The brutal play would be shown repeatedly on television and unfortunately would overshadow Wisconsin’s huge win.

Later, the lineman would only be given a one-game suspension for the vicious hit, and his coach would come out and say what a good boy he was. I lost a lot of respect for LSU after that. I’m not sure what the appropriate punishment should have been, but making the kid sit against a no-name opponent where it didn’t matter seemed too easy on him.

After the game, Wisconsin stayed out on the field, and the fans cheered their historic victory. I think we were all swept up in the moment as the band played. I don’t think anyone left the stadium—well, except for the LSU fans.

“What do you think?” Dad asked.

“I like it. I could see playing here,” I admitted.

Until that moment, I hadn’t taken Wisconsin seriously. I might have to learn to drink, but I could see coming here. They could be the kind of team where I could make a real difference. If they used their tight end like they had today, Wolf could be a star. Their defense was also better than I expected. Tim would be a welcome addition.

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