“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.
◊◊◊
When we got back to Madison, we found an excellent German restaurant and enjoyed Wiener schnitzel, a breaded veal cutlet served with lemon slices. For dessert, we had enormous slices of Black Forest cherry cake. The dads got brave and drank boots of beer—huge glasses shaped like a boot. We all laughed when Tim’s dad got drenched. He made the mistake of drinking it with the foot of the boot pointed up. When it got far enough down for air to slip into the foot, it caused a tidal wave of beer to surge into his face. The other dads learned from his mistake.
◊◊◊ Sunday September 4
I woke up and smiled. It felt good to wake up on a recruiting trip and not be hungover or wondering if everyone was okay. After I got up, I sent the guys a text to get their butts downstairs so we could go run. I’d talked to Dawn, and she agreed to guide us. I warned her we kept a good pace, but she assured us she could keep up.
We met in the lobby and found she had fourteen girls with her. They were taking advantage of the hotel’s free breakfast when we saw them. The manager stepped out to stop me before I went in to talk to them.
“Are they with you?” she asked.
“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t know she was bringing so many people,” I admitted.
Dawn came out when Wolf told her I was having to talk to the manager.
“Hey, we’re the University of Wisconsin basketball team.”
“If it’s a problem, add it to my bill,” I said.
“If you put in a good word for us on social media, we can overlook it.”
I imagined she would write it off as free advertising.
“Sounds good. Thanks for understanding. Athletes see food, and they have to stop to partake.”
“I understand. Thanks for staying with us,” she said and left us.
“Sorry, I’m afraid they’re animals sometimes,” Dawn said as she pointed her chin at her teammates.
“It’s all good. Let’s go run. I need to be on campus for my tour at ten.”
Our hotel had a view of Lake Mendota, and it was a short run to the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. It was a beautiful, enjoyable run and gave us a chance to talk to more girls who could tell us about athletics at the University of Wisconsin.
“Hey, one of the girls told me there are some Frank Lloyd Wright homes here in Madison. Do you think we can take a look at them before we leave?” Tim asked.
“I don’t see why not. If I remember right, we’re done at three today,” I assured him.
I pulled Wolf over so I could talk to both of them.
“Hey, I want you guys to know that if you want to do something, we can do it. You don’t have to ask me,” I said, trying to be serious.
“You do control the car,” Wolf pointed out.
“Okay, if it’s something stupid I might veto it.”
“He’s always bossing us around,” Tim whined.
“I have pictures of you and Amy,” I reminded him.
“You sure you want to play that game? At some point, you might need us to cover for you,” Wolf reminded me.
“I don’t plan on doing anything I have to have cover for,” I shot back, knowing full well I was full of it.
“Puh-lease. All it will take is for someone to click an innocent picture that doesn’t look so innocent, and you’ll be begging us to tell Brook nothing happened,” Wolf said.
“How about this: we all have veto power,” I offered.
“Thank God. This way, he can’t drag us to some ‘art’ film or play,” Tim said.
“I’ve never taken you to anything like that,” I complained.
“There’s always a first time,” Tim said.
I just gave them the stink eye, and we finished our run. The girls climbed into their cars to go back to campus. Dawn gave me her number in case I had any questions. I think she wanted mine, but I didn’t need her boyfriend stalking me.
◊◊◊
The campus tour showed us that Wisconsin would be a comfortable place to go to school. It had everything you might want as a student. I think Dad wanted to go try out their golf course. I filed that away for subsequent trips. He might as well enjoy himself while he was doing this with me.