Ben Strickland can remember each of the bus trips that he took from Madison to Iowa City during his playing career at Wisconsin. Some were more memorable than others.
The three-hour ride can be quite picturesque at this time of the year with the explosion of fall colors framing the countryside. Yet, the big picture is always on the mind of the riders.
"With a game coming up, you're obviously thinking about a lot," said Strickland, who's now a graduate assistant coach with the Badgers. "On the bus, I'd review the game plan, and go over some stuff on the scouting report. But I'd also take some time to relax and get my mind off football."
Hit rewind to Nov. 10, 2006. On that Friday afternoon, the UW caravan, numbering four buses, took off for Iowa City. But the No. 3 bus encountered some mechanical problems near Dubuque.
The disabled bus was emptied of players, who jumped aboard the No. 4 bus and bumped the supervisory personnel. In order to stay on schedule, the three team buses got back on the road, while the UW administrators, cheerleaders , etc., got some unexpected ground time in Dubuque until one of the buses came back for them.
The moral of this story is:
A) Never assume you're anything but expendable if you're riding the fourth bus of a four-bus caravan and the team mascot is sitting across the aisle;
B) Never leave home without checking your front air brakes;
C) Never sweat the little things;
D) Never doubt the resolve of a first-year head coach (Bret Bielema) and a first-time starter at quarterback (Tyler Donovan) and cornerback (Strickland);
E) Never underestimate the value of chemistry or camaraderie in team sports.
Speaking to the last point then was Strickland, who replaced the injured Allen Langford in the secondary against Iowa. Langford rolled his ankle during that Tuesday's practice, which Strickland had to miss because of a class conflict. So how was the '06 team defined by chemistry or camaraderie?
The three-hour ride can be quite picturesque at this time of the year with the explosion of fall colors framing the countryside. Yet, the big picture is always on the mind of the riders.
"With a game coming up, you're obviously thinking about a lot," said Strickland, who's now a graduate assistant coach with the Badgers. "On the bus, I'd review the game plan, and go over some stuff on the scouting report. But I'd also take some time to relax and get my mind off football."
Hit rewind to Nov. 10, 2006. On that Friday afternoon, the UW caravan, numbering four buses, took off for Iowa City. But the No. 3 bus encountered some mechanical problems near Dubuque.
The disabled bus was emptied of players, who jumped aboard the No. 4 bus and bumped the supervisory personnel. In order to stay on schedule, the three team buses got back on the road, while the UW administrators, cheerleaders , etc., got some unexpected ground time in Dubuque until one of the buses came back for them.
The moral of this story is:
A) Never assume you're anything but expendable if you're riding the fourth bus of a four-bus caravan and the team mascot is sitting across the aisle;
B) Never leave home without checking your front air brakes;
C) Never sweat the little things;
D) Never doubt the resolve of a first-year head coach (Bret Bielema) and a first-time starter at quarterback (Tyler Donovan) and cornerback (Strickland);
E) Never underestimate the value of chemistry or camaraderie in team sports.
Speaking to the last point then was Strickland, who replaced the injured Allen Langford in the secondary against Iowa. Langford rolled his ankle during that Tuesday's practice, which Strickland had to miss because of a class conflict. So how was the '06 team defined by chemistry or camaraderie?
Continue reading Lucas at Large: Badgers' trips to Kinnick an adventure.
