A short trip ahead of a key Big Ten game has apparently turned into a very long day of travel for the Michigan State football team.
The Lansing State Journal’s Cody Tucker passes along the news that the Spartans will not be taking a one hour flight to the Chicago area after their plane was grounded due to unspecified issues. Instead, the team will instead be bussing over to Evanston.
I'm being told MSU is bussing to Evanston after the team's plane showed "error" before two takeoff attempts. ETA now 7 p.m. CST.
— Cody Tucker (@CodyTucker_7220) October 27, 2017
The team was supposed to do a typical day before walk through at Ryan Field but it seems that plan has been scrapped thanks to the slower form of transportation into the area. Google Maps says the 240 mile trip typically takes about three hours and 53 minutes but traffic -- especially on a Friday in Chicago -- could push them past the 7 p.m. arrival time. The game is set for kickoff at 2:30 local time on Saturday.
This isn’t the first time a Big Ten team has had issues with their plane in recent years but thankfully all is well in this case even if the Spartans reach Northwestern via a slightly slower and more uncomfortable way.