This is a story about the time Nebraska played Wisconsin for the Big Ten Championship.
It’s a night Husker Nation would love to forget but the gruesome events that transpired on December 1, 2012 will be forever seared into the collective psyche of the unfortunate souls who witnessed the massacre at Lucas Oil Field.
While I was lucky enough to not see a single second of the game live, I felt nearly every Badger gut punch in real-time.
On that fateful night, two of my favorite things collided. It was a classic case of the unstoppable force vs the immovable object. In one corner you had the Huskers’ showdown with Wisconsin and in the other, my biggest cyclocross race of the 2012 campaign. It was getting late in the season and I was locked in a vicious battle for a mediocre ranking in a mediocre division. It was a race I couldn’t afford to skip. (Full disclosure: amateur bicycle racing has about as much at stake as a slow pitch softball league.)
My race started at 5:15, the same time as kickoff. With a little luck, I could make it to the watch site in time for the second half. The only snag in the plan was the weather. It was as bad as it could get for Los Angeles in December, low 50’s and rain flying in all directions. Thanks to a couple of ill-timed crashes late in the race, I plummeted out of a spot comfortably in the top ten and crossed the finish line in a battered 21st place, soaking wet and covered in mud from head to toe. For the record, it was a very hard fought 21st place. I didn’t quit and kept racing to the end.
As soon as I recombulated myself, I made a beeline to the car and dug out my phone to get an update on the game.
36 new texts were waiting for me. Immediately, my mind start racing about I how could possibly fill all the requests for Rose Bowl couch space without ending up divorced.
Then I started reading the messages.
They started out hopeful. Some Huskers! and GBRs! around kick off. My brother sent me a pic from his seats at the game. An enterprising buddy who knew of my personal crisis recorded T-Magic’s ridiculous touchdown run off his TV and sent me the video.
He closed his message by saying “It’s still early. Hope the Huskers can make a comeback.”
Wait, what? Taylor’s run made the score 14 – 7. The Huskers were only down a TD. So what. They’ve come back from much worse.
Then I checked the current score. 35 – 10 Wisconsin.
If the Huskers could get to 17 by the half, a victory for the Big Red would not be out of the picture. By the time I finished my comeback calculations, they staggered off the field down 42 – 10.
I was so stunned I didn’t know what to do. I was all packed up and ready to go watch the game but I wasn’t about to schlep over Hollywood just to be the muddy faced weirdo who randomly showed up for the second half.
In a daze, I walked back over to our team’s area on the race course. There would be beer there. I was greeted by a teammate who went to CU and was in the stands for the Huskers meltdown in 2001. “I saw the score. Sorry man. I don’t even know what to say. It’s just brutal.”
We then hugged it out as only people who understand the misery of college football can do.
Texts continued to pour in. Even friends who couldn’t pick a Husker uniform out of a police line up were checking on my well being.
We’re at a bar and saw some scores on the TV. Nebraska’s your team, right? Hope you’re OK. If you need anything give us a call. We’re here for you.
Hey dude. Holla back so I know you’re still with us. Suicide is never a good option.
Stay strong buddy. It’s only a game.
Sorry about the Huskers. Do you have any connections for Rose Bowl tickets?
What happened to the Huskers? Sorry we keep racking up the score. Not.
 That’s what revenge is all about!
Do you have any room at your place if we come out for the Rose Bowl? We promise we won’t wear any Badger gear in the house.
As luck would have it, half my family hails from Wisconsin. Most are UW alums and all are avid sports fans. Packers, Brewers, and the Badgers and apparently not just for basketball.
I never heard a peep out of any of them about Badger football until Nebraska first met Wisconsin as a member of the Big Ten. Once they blew out the Huskers on their home field, the floodgates opened. Seriously, they could teach a class on Reddit about how to troll for maximum effect.
When Nebraska returned the favor the following year, I took the TO high road and didn’t say a word and neither did they. Unfortunately, their silence just meant they were working on material for the championship game.
It got so bad I turned my phone off midway through the third quarter and didn’t turn it back on until sometime Sunday afternoon.
A text from my brother was waiting for me. It was short. Simple. And to the point.
Dude. I was so depressed I went back to the hotel and ate a $60 steak with my bare hands.
And fuck those cheeseheads!
Can’t wait to see how Saturday plays out.
GBR.
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