Relive Onward State’s Road Trip To Michigan
We meet again, I-80.
Penn State football traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend for a big-time game in the Big House. With both the Nittany Lions and Wolverines winless in Big Ten play heading into the matchup, Penn State was hoping a trip up north could salvage a disappointing stretch of football.
Naturally, the Onward State football beat made the 6.5-hour trip — six hours if you’re Ericka — to the Great Lakes State to watch the likes of Rocco Becht and Tommy Carr battle it out for ultimate college football glory.
Let’s take a look back at the third road trip of the 2026 season.
Friday
Since I didn’t want to miss 9 a.m. racquetball with managing editor Collin Ward, or Spanish, for that matter, we left State College around 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
After I successfully handled driving duties to Northwestern two weeks prior, I figured I’d let Ericka have a go at the wheel.
As fellow former Chappaqua, New York, resident and editor Horace Greeley once said, “Go West, young man.” So west we went.
Leaving State College felt like fleeing Armageddon, as a torrential downpour overcame the Nittany Valley. Luckily, Tina the Tiguan was equipped to handle the storm, fueled up and ready for the journey ahead.
Our drive started similarly to last time by playing the “Name Game.” The rules are simple; the first letter of a person’s last name must be the starting letter of the subsequent first name.
This time, instead of using athletes, we decided to go for a more niche category: Onward State staffers, past and present. We were able to kill about an hour trying to recall legends of the blog.
It was Ella’s birthday, so of course, we had to bring a cake. She noshed on the sweet treat from Giant, while I indulged in an Italian Hero I had purchased earlier at the McLanahan’s Deli.
After no time, we finally crossed into the Ohio border.
Hunger started to creep in as dinnertime approached. Cadyn suggested we stop at Chick-fil-A, and the car gladly obliged.
Cadyn and I decided to try the new-ish s’mores shake, and we were not impressed; the marshmallow flavor was overpowering.
With under two hours to go, vibes picked up as the sun began to set. The beat was eager to settle into our new digs and, more importantly, celebrate the birthday girl in one of America’s most iconic college towns.
Ericka decided to skip every single song that the car had queued up. She claims it was by accident, but we took offense nonetheless.
It only took us four hours, but the Spotify Jam is alive and well. Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Gwen Stefani, and Madonna in the queue
— Jamie Lynch (@jamielynchpsu) October 16, 2026
At last, we finally made it to the great state of Michigan.
Ella’s mom so graciously contributed to our hotel accommodations as a birthday present, so when we opened the door, we were in awe of what awaited us.
The kitchen was huge, the bedroom was huge, and the place was spotless. Oscar was stoked that he’d get to sleep on a pull-out couch, rather than a half-inflated air mattress. Plus, both rooms had TVs.
We could’ve stayed there forever. Instead, we fled immediately and went to the bar.
Good Time Charlie’s was our first stop, and the boys split a jug of “Blue Balls” that Cadyn somehow got for free. The name of the drink became a running joke for the weekend. We are college kids, after all.
We then tried out The Brown Jug, a bar themed after Michigan’s historic rivalry with Minnesota. Word got around that we were celebrating a birthday, so a generous Wolverine fan bought us all celebratory lemon drop shots.
After walking around campus and meeting up with former managing editor Ashley Connington at Conor O’Neil’s, an Irish pub, we took an Uber back to the Homewood Suites and went to bed.
Well, most of us did, but that’s beside the point.
Saturday
Gameday.
We got a decent night’s sleep and enjoyed our hotel buffet-style breakfast. With kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m., the five of us decided to head over to the stadium on the earlier side to soak in all the energy.
We were fairly disappointed.
The tailgating scene was relatively nonexistent in the paved lots, and the overall vibe was just dead. We did a lap around the stadium to see if we were missing anything, and while we did come across some tents in the grassy fields of a local high school, the scene still paled in comparison to State College, Pennsylvania.
We did, however, encounter Onward State staffers Peter Williams and Brandon Collica. Electric.
Oscar and I collect college football mini helmets, so we went into a nearby merchandise shop while the rest got lattes and additional breakfast items from Drip House Coffee, the café next door.
After securing our iconic maize and blue winged helmets, the two of us bought scrumptious tacos from a food truck. If you couldn’t tell, this beat likes to eat.
It was finally time to enter Michigan Stadium, one of the cathedrals of our sport. As a die-hard college football fanatic, walking into the Big House was nothing short of awesome.
Oscar, Cadyn, and I explored the hallowed walls, while Ericka and Ella went to prepare for team arrival.
Everybody knows how the game went.
Rocco Becht turned the ball over three times, as Penn State dropped its fourth straight game. We did appreciate watching Chase Sowell’s career day, however, and the unpredictable defensive performance had us on the edge of our seats, capped off by a highlight-reel interception by true freshman Josiah Zayas.
The three of us in the press box got lost trying to find the media room after the game, spending 15 minutes sprinting through 110,731 exiting fans in a bit of a panic.
I will give Michigan Stadium this: the crowd was great. As a proud Michigan hater, I have spent many years ragging on how quiet the Wolverine faithful is. And while the volume level was nowhere near that of Beaver Stadium, the crowd pops were deafening. I guess that’s the Carr effect in action.
After wrapping up our siders and taking our last pictures, we walked back to the hotel.
It was late, almost midnight, but how often are we going to be 21 years old on a college road trip? We went back to Good Time Charlie’s, had our fair share of Guinness, and called it a night.
Sunday
Ondo Bakery, you changed my life.
The place was located in downtown Ann Arbor and featured a wide variety of beautiful pastries. I treated myself to a matcha (yes, you can make fun of me), while the others ordered coffee and iced tea.
The drive home was relatively uneventful, to be quite honest.
We stopped at a Chipotle, where Cadyn somehow jammed the water button on the fountain drink machine, making for a funny moment.
We also brainstormed Valentine’s Day pickup lines that are a play on Penn State football players’ names. It never hurts to look ahead.
Our next trip will not be on the road, but via air. See you soon, Washington!
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