Ryan Algrim's road-trip blog offers behind-the-scenes look at Saluki Football travel experience

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois long snapper Ryan Algrim provides a behind the scenes look at what a road trip is like for a Saluki Football player. He documented his experience during last week's trip to play Samford in Birmingham, Alabama (Sept. 2-3).

Bags packed and ready to go at 5:30 AM

0500 – Wake up

Woke up around 5:00 a.m. and started getting ready for the day. Travel days are usually pretty long, so I try to get moving early and make sure I am not rushed.

0530 – Final packing checks and head to the facility

I did one last check to make sure I have everything I need for the trip. That includes my game-day gear, clothes, chargers, schoolwork, recovery items, and anything else I may need at the hotel. Once I was sure everything was packed, I headed out the door and made my way to the football facility.

0600 – Team meeting

At the team meeting, the coaches went over the travel itinerary and expectations for the trip. This gave everyone a clear idea of where we need to be, when we need to be there, and what the schedule will look like for the next couple of days.

0630 – Breakfast

After the meeting, we ate breakfast at the facility. Today I had eggs, bacon, country-fried steak, and fruit. I ate a bigger breakfast, knowing that it would be a while before we stopped to eat again.

School-work on the bus

0715 – Buses leave

Once we were on the road, I tried to use the time productively. I was able to finish two school assignments before relaxing and watching The Martian. Traveling on a Wednesday is not our usual travel day, so I made sure I got some school work done to make the weekend easier once we get back.

1030 – Stop in Nashville for lunch

We stopped at a Love’s in Nashville for lunch, where we had Mission BBQ. After eating, I like to get off the bus and walk around the parking lot for a little while. Sitting on a bus for several hours makes my legs and body stiff, so I used the stop as a chance to stretch, move around and get my legs loose before getting back on the road.

1100 – Back on the bus

We continued toward Birmingham. I finished watching The Martian, took a short nap, and spent the last hour of the ride reading The Comfort Crisis. I’m almost finished with this book, and it will be my eighth book of the year. One goal I set for this year is to read a book a month; I’ve been staying on track with that so far.

Walk-through at UAB

1400 –  Walkthrough at UAB practice facility

Once we arrived in Birmingham, we stopped at the UAB practice facility for a short walk-through. This is not a full-speed practice, but it gives us a chance to get our bodies moving again after sitting on the bus. We went over the game plan one more time, reviewing different situations, formations, assignments, and reminders so that everyone is on the same page before game day.

1745 – Special teams meeting

At 5:45 p.m., we had our special teams meeting at the hotel. This is one of our final reviews before the game and focuses heavily on what we expect to see from Samford based on our film study. For the punt unit, we go over the calls we have installed for that specific game, review their personnel, and study the type of punt return team they use. We also reviewed landmarks, responsibilities, and reminders for each position on the punt team. As a long snapper, I use this meeting to make sure I understand exactly what the protection and coverage plan is and what adjustments could come up during the game.

1815 – Team dinner

After the special teams meeting, we ate dinner together as a team. This is a time to relax and enjoy good food with your teammates. A special tradition is playing a few games of 20 questions at the table, which keeps everyone in a good mood heading into game day.

1945 – Optional team chapel

Later in the evening, we have the option to attend team chapel. Coach Hill usually leads our group and brings in a verse, chapter, or perspective to share with us. I enjoy having that opportunity on travel weekends because it helps put everything into perspective. Football is obviously the main point of our trip, but chapel gives me time to refocus on my faith, pray, and remember that my identity is bigger than the result of a game.

Ryan Algrim

2000 – Snack and bed

Around 8:00 p.m., snacks and drinks are available, and most of the structured part of the day is finished. I spent some time relaxing in the hotel room. Before going to bed, I knocked out some more reading before turning in early to make sure I got eight hours of sleep before game day.

0715 – Wake up and continental breakfast

I woke up around 7:15 a.m. and headed down for the continental breakfast. I try to keep this breakfast simple and eat some yogurt, a muffin, and a banana. This is also the best time to start drinking water and keeping up with fluids for the whole day.

0900 – Team walk

At 9:00 a.m., we had a mandatory team walk. This gives everyone a chance to get outside, get some fresh air, and loosen up after sleeping. Offense and defense split and do separate walk-throughs. We go and find a good path or sidewalk to get away from the hotel. During this time, I usually hang toward the back of the group and try to take in the nature on our walk, enjoy the quiet and focus.

1000 – Breakfast

During this meal, I ate a larger breakfast to make sure that I have enough fuel to hold me until the pregame meal. One of the biggest things on game day is making sure I am eating and drinking consistently instead of trying to cram everything in right before we leave for the stadium.

1030–1230 – Downtime at the hotel

The late morning is mostly downtime. I stayed off my feet as much as possible and kept things relaxed. I mostly read, do some schoolwork, or scroll through Instagram in my hotel room during this time, keeping my energy saved up for the later kickoff. The goal for me is to stay calm and ready.

Algrim wears wristbands to help keep sweat off his hands.

1330 – Team roll out

Up to this point, most of the day has been pretty relaxed, but now we start transitioning into the football part of the day. While we stretch and roll out, I use this time to visualize in my mind how the game will go; visualizing snaps and coverage in my head is a big help to me because it allows me to get mental reps in and builds confidence.

1400 – Pregame meal

At 2:00 p.m., we have our pregame meal. This is the last major meal before heading to the stadium, so I aim to eat enough to give myself energy for the game without eating too much. I usually stick to chicken, pasta, fruit, and veggies for this meal — basic foods that will give me the fuel I need to perform throughout the whole game. By now, everyone is a little quieter, more focused on the game ahead. After the pregame meal we head to the stadium.

1630 — Warmup

As soon as we get to the stadium, I like to have some time on the field when nobody's really out there, just to take it in. I’ll play catch with our holder, Jace Clark, throwing right arm and then left arm. Then I just sit down on one of the benches and watch other people go through their warmup routines.

Warm-up snaps to P Eli Gorman were on-target.

1700 — Pregame

It’s now one hour until kickoff and we’ve change into full uniform. Specialists are the first ones on the field, and Jace and I will go through a progression of snapping balls to each other and then to our punter, Eli Gorman. When the rest of the team comes out, we switch to field goals. We start with PAT and then work our way back, getting all the kickers their kicks in. I felt like the snaps were coming out good and got some feedback from Eli and Jace about how the snaps were looking from their end.

1730 — Locker room

Once I got back to the locker room, I threw my headphones back in, kept my eyes closed and just visualized the game, visualized snaps and coverage down the field. It hasn't happened yet, but I always visualize myself making tackles, so maybe one time it'll pay off. Right before we head to the field, Coach Hill comes in to talk. For this game, it was about bouncing back from West Florida. We practiced hungry all week, and now's the time to go out there and show who we are and what great a team we have.

Salukis bounced back with a win at Samford.

1800 — Game time

It was a hot night, but the heat wasn't terrible for me. It was more the sweat that was annoying. My biggest issue and worry during these hotter games is having wet hands and trying to snap a ball. I wear wristbands on each arm to help minimize the sweat going down my hands, and then use the little quarterback towel once I'm on the field at the last second to make sure my hands are dry enough to snap the ball.

As a unit, we obviously missed some field goals, and I think all of us have things we can clean up from this past game. Week 1 we made a lot of them, but tonight, we left some points on the board. It hurts that we could have made an impact on the score but didn’t. Not everything goes right all the time, but what matters at the end of the game is that we have more points than the opponent and that we come home with that win. So that was a good feeling to get the first one on the board for the year.

2300 — Heading home

They served us a couple of Chik-Fil-A sandwiches for post game, and then it was time for a long drive home. I packed a blanket and pillow and slept the first half of the trip until we got to Nashville, where we stopped at another Love’s truck stop. After being cramped in the bus seat, it felt good to get up and stretch and walk around a little bit. Then I slept the other half of the bus ride home, and we got back to campus around 5:30 in the morning. It was full day, but satisfying, and I went back to bed. Go Dawgs!