HUDSON - If Chuck McDade's milking skills are anything like his blocking, the Panther defense may be in for a long evening.

The Nicholls State center, along with the rest of the football team from Thibodaux, La., toured the Jay and Jeanne Hansen dairy farm Wednesday afternoon near Hudson. They will clash tonight with the University of Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome.

When Jeanne asked for volunteers to enter a milking contest, the thirst for competition got the best of McDade. The 300-pound sophomore from Houston, Texas, didn't care that he'd never touched a cow before, or been on a farm for that matter. He just wanted to win.

Facing off against fellow offensive lineman Spenser Langthorn, the duo had a minute to see who could coax the most milk out of a Holstein. Teammates cheered - with some laughing - as each tugged and pulled on the cows' teats.

When time was up, McDade's 8-ounce plastic cup was practically full. Langthorn's, not so much.

"I thought it was amazing. It's the first time I'm ever milked a cow," McDade said. "You have to get a little rhythm going."

He won a MooRoo T-shirt, the name of the family's dairy store, for the effort.

When players heard they would be visiting a dairy farm shortly after their plane landed in Waterloo, coaches said the news wasn't well received at first. The team often takes a side trip every time they travel to reward players for hard work and to expose them to new experiences. The team temporarily was displaced by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav and had two games canceled as a result.

During a trip to Memphis, Tenn., two weeks ago, the team visited Graceland and sang the school's fight song on the steps of Elvis Presley's home.

Nicholls' wide receiver coach Kent Keith, who takes care of team travel, thought a visit to a farm instead of a tour of John Deere, which also was considered, would take care of both goals. After all, Louisiana isn't exactly awash in dairy cows. There are only 29,000 head in the state, according to government statistics, compared with 213,000 in Iowa.

"They (players) kind of questioned us. But we thought this would be a little more hands-on than walking through a factory," Keith said.

The Hansens, who sell their own milk, ice cream and other dairy products in the Cedar Valley, made sure of it. Nearly 100 players, coaches and support personnel got a chance to milk a cow.

And judging by reactions of the players, the vast majority loved it.

Players clapped and cheered as defensive end Kyle Hughes got a taste of milk directly from the tap. Blake Hansen squirted some milk into his mouth upon request.

"It was hot," Hughes said, as fresh milk dripped off his chin. "But I've done this before. It brought back a lot of memories."

Hughes is one of the few players, who mostly come from Southern states, to have farm experience. He grew up on a cattle ranch near Kirbyville, Texas.

Unlike Ivan Ledet. The outside linebacker from New Orleans never visited a dairy farm either until Wednesday. Players visited where the cows live, get milked twice a day and watched milk being processed.

"The coaches definitely make it interesting for us," Ledet said.

That's the intent, head coach Jay Thomas said. Football is more than just tackling and touchdowns, he said. There's no reason it can't be educational as well.

"They'll be talking about this at school on Friday," Keith said.

It didn't take that long. Just prior to getting back on the bus to visit the UNI-Dome for the first time, the players already were reminiscing.

"Chuck was pulling the hell out of those things," Hughes said.

"I filled up a whole cup," McDade quickly added, after taking a swig of Hansen's milk. "This is like the best milk I've ever had. Usually I have to put chocolate in it."

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.