Roadtrip expirence to psu

Submitted by hailtothevictors08 on
So i made my first ever trip to happy valley for the game saturday ... clearly the loss made the 14 hrs of driving awful but i had some observations... first off, i know we discuss OMG RAWK music all the time and i have been on record defending it and its use at michigan stadium ... this trip made me see otherwise ... the penn state band literally played in pregame, halftime, and maybe once a half ... other than that, they played a ton of bad pop songs after every play (it wasnt even like it was zombie nation that often) .... this surprised me a ton because i thought psu was all about traditon ... their game presentation seemed very fake, kinda like a bad nfl game ... after watching it, i really only want to hear the band... also, i was really looking forward to my first night game, and to be honest, i didnt like it either ... the student section never even finished filling up (maybe its the 12+ hours of pregaming), this really worries me for what ours will look like next yr against nd ... also i didnt think the night added anything to the atmosphere (however as i said above i was just dissapointed in general with it)... also, their "walmart" type fans were just funny, one guy in particular was telling us about how great his university of pheonix degree was ... also while i expect to get some shit from students and most were fine, i didnt enjoy getting hit in the face with a dildo while waiting in line for the restroom... positive comments: their older alumni fans were amazing ... i couldnt walk by more than a few cars tailgating with my other couple michigan fans from school without being called over for a bit of food, drink, and friendly banter ... i have never seen a more welcoming fanbase on the adult side... also the drive and backdrop for the stadium is absolutly beautiful

MGoAndy

November 1st, 2010 at 2:47 AM ^

i also went to the game ... rawkmuzik was terrible ... i thought the night atmosphere was very cool ... beaver stadium is like a shitty frat party in a house built with kenex ... down on the field for the end of the game and was blown away by the intimidation of the stadium ... disappointing trip but glad i made it to happy valley ... ... ... oh yeah sorry my dildo hit you in the face 

fballcoach12

November 1st, 2010 at 3:47 AM ^

I made the trip as well.......I do agree with Andy the drive in there was just absolutely gorgeous. I did read somewhere that someone thought it looked like a cruish ship on the port and I totally agree! But i really dont think it was a dump. I thought the atmosphere there was one of the best I have ever been to in the big ten beside OSU. ( that was for a michigan game of course) Here is what I liked about the experience:

1. The stadium and night game atmosphere was awesome. I really enjoyed that part, cant wait till Notre Dame next year.

2. Their student section was amazing, the white out is everything people say it is. It was pretty cool to see them get going. They were all into the game, it was a late arriving group, nonetheless, they impressed me.

3. They had a much better variety of food at the conecessions, and was alottttt cheaper than what I would pay at Michigan Stadium.

4. The older crowd was awesome, minus the 2 ladies that sat to the right of me. Sorry to any woman on here, but if you dont know much about the game please just keep your mouth shut! Also, there was 2 kids behind me with their parents, they were all Michigan fans. While PSU was doing their " We are Penn State " chant , the kids got annoyed and started yelling, " We are Michigan" lol. One of the ladies got annoyed and turned around to tell them to Shut the F*** up! Really?? The kids were maybe 6 years old. I let her know that was wrong and so did the mom. The mom was more hostile, deservedly so too.

5. The woman! lol thought the girls looked good and were very friendly. They had no problem with our crew being Michigan fans. Heard someone complaining about the leggins and boot look that the girls were wearing. Yea I have to agree I hate seeing a nice ass in tight black spandex.

What I didnt like:

1. The younger punks, I can tolerate little comments, thats not a big deal. Some who would get real close or wanted to touch me, I would shove, did that a few times. Then they would come to the conclusion that neither I or the guys with me are ones to try to mess with. So scare them and they back off.

2. The rock music i was mixed about. I thought it amped up the crowd alot!! But, at the same time  im big on hearing the band play and doing your traditional game day chants. I wish the Big House would do it more often maybe before a big play, but, definitely not the way Penn State used it. It seemed like there was a song playing after every play! Also, can "Sweet Caroline" stop being played at college football games!! Please, someone end that nonsense!

3. Parking, it seemed like if u didnt have a permit( Dont know what kind of permit they wanted) you werent able to get in and park where all the good tailgating was, instead, we had to park a good distance away from the stadium for 40 dollars on a hill, where it was very hard to set up a good tailgate. Was pissed at that.

4. The "We are Penn State" chant! Veryy annoying! Im glad they know who they are.

Overall tho, I dont regret going there, I think every Michigan fan should make it out there for a game in your lifetime. I just wish we would have won. Would have made the drive home a lot easier! Well 4 big ten stadiums down , 8 more to go counting Nebraska. 

mooseman

November 1st, 2010 at 7:50 AM ^

-Most PSU fans pregame were cordial. I saw very few people getting a hard time. At the game the older, alums were very nice people. A few morons, once again mostly young.

-Really made me appreciate the aesthetics of Michigan Stadium. The place looked like an erector set. After walking thru the gate there was like a dirt area with picnic tables. It looks like what it is, a place that has been added on multiple times.

-Way overboard with the rawk music. I guess I'm a happy middle guy. They play a lot of pop/techno stuff that prompts the fans to do whatever it is that they do (usually some variation of We are Penn St). --If I ever hear that again I might commit a crime.

-They do a good job of making noise but with our uptempo offense, I thought the PA system bordered on interference as it played during the snap count.

-Overall, glad we went. Would have been much better with a win. But its a been there, done that type of thing.

SlymCyke

November 1st, 2010 at 8:55 AM ^

This was my first time at State College as well, and I can pretty much echo the sentiments.  Most PSU fans were nice, especially during the tailgate.  Didn't really have any bad encounters with any of their fans, didn't hear too much smack talk after the game either.  The view of Beaver Stadium from the tailgating area was cool, the whole area scenic, but I wasn't too impressed with the inside of the stadium.

Overall, it was a good experience (a win would have made it great), and I would definitely go again. 

Feat of Clay

November 1st, 2010 at 9:00 AM ^

Interesting comments about their stadium.  I thought, on TV, it looked like a pro venue.  I guess it was the thin line of electronic whatever ringing the stadium.  It looked really out of place to me in a college stadium.

Indiana Blue

November 1st, 2010 at 9:15 AM ^

I parked in the yellow lot next to where the band practices ... and there wa a good number of M flags flying with mine in that area.  Huge parties in our row.  Right across from us were 6 M dudes and about 8 PSU coeds (see earlier posts about the tight leggings !).  I am certain those M guys had a great time.

Best was the coed who asked to put her jacket under my tailgate table cause she didn't want beer thrown all over it.  It was a pleasure as her top rolled up with the jacket as she removed it .... my buddy and I simply watched intently in amazement ... and quietly said WOW. 

ps  - The wife is still pissed ....

Go Blue !

Beavis

November 1st, 2010 at 9:39 AM ^

On the night game atmosphere:

I was at the MIzzou / OU game over a week ago and it was louder than any Michigan game I've ever been to.  Granted, yes, there were some fans that did not make it into the game - but most of the student section was filled up 30 minutes before kick off. 

Basically - it depends on the fans.  If the game is big (either in terms of your opponent or the fact that you've never done a night game before) - people will fill the seats.  I have no doubt that the ND game next year will be absolutely nuts. 

naijablue

November 1st, 2010 at 9:41 AM ^

I was there too. Have been to a few games there. The worst part for me was the replays on the scoreboard. They almost NEVER showed damn replays!!!! A great play would happen and the scoreboard would be showing some fool with a Halloween mask for the 20 seconds before the next play!!! That was really pissing me off.

Tubes

November 1st, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^

First time for me in Happy Valley as well, and we had an absolute blast.  I was shocked at how friendly everyone from Penn State was, as I had several conversations with fans throughout the course of the afternoon and during the game.  There was one guy being a dick in our section, but somebody must have told him to shut up because he was silent after the first quarter.

I even took like a 20-minute walk across campus to head to a different tailgate by myself and the only thing that happened was a Penn St fan hitting me in stride with a pass.

The RAWK music definitely takes away from the gameday experience.  It is not an exaggeration to say the band was only audible about twice each half.  We got into the stadium about an hour and ten minutes prior to gametime and they played top 40 songs the entire time up until kickoff.

The student turnout was awful.  I'm assuming it was due to people getting hammered and deciding not to go to the game, but there were seriously like 2,000 empty seats at the top of the section (students are general admission).

Also, was it just me or was Beaver Stadium not as loud as the Big House?  I was expecting it to be deafening but was generally not impressed with the overall level of noise.

All in all it was a great trip.

indyeagle

November 1st, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^

Mostly, FACT.

I've received multiple reports that it sounded absurdly loud on TV, so maybe noise was lost in the upper corner of the stands.

Also, I received one unconfirmed report that Lloyd Brady was in the front row.  Can anyone confirm?  If not, a front row photoshop will do.

dr eng1ish

November 1st, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^

But seriously thanks for the trip log OP, and everyone else.  I always enjoy reading these things and trying to get a sense of what it was like to be there.  Of course it's much more fun after a win but I guess that goes unsaid.

Also glad you've seen the light re: rawk music

Ben Mathis-Lilley

November 1st, 2010 at 11:39 AM ^

Almost all the PSU fans were friendly before the game. The piped-in music during the game was aggravating; I didn't mind it before the game as much when there was nothing else to do but try to get hyped up. I actually enjoyed the oddness of the stadium being this massive Frankensteined thing in the middle of a valley. The whole setting was quite scenic with the Appalachians and the trees changing color.

They put Michigan State-Iowa on the big screen in their baseball stadium, which is right across the street from the football stadium, before the game, which was a nice touch. They also opened the baseball concessions, and they had coffee, which was crucial given the long time we spent tailgating before kickoff.

We were in section NKU in the upper deck and it was awesome to be with the fellow hardcore M fans, who were almost exclusively very positive and kept making noise during the whole game. The few PSU fans in our section were friendly and knowledgeable and I enjoyed shooting the shit with them. Two of them wished us good luck the rest of the year as we were filing out.

The only downside to the whole thing was that the students we had to walk by downtown after the game were pretty uniformly dickish. And the transportation options were pretty limited as far as getting us out to the spot we were staying which was 2 miles from downtown. Shoulda just paid the huge parking fee.

Oh, and there were all those third-down rollout passes to the tight end. I guess I could've done without those too.

dnak438

November 1st, 2010 at 3:46 PM ^

 

A Penn State fan dressed in a blue and yellow Halloween costume sustained a possible broken nose Saturday at 9:25 p.m. after he was assaulted by four unknown Penn State fans at Beaver Stadium, police said.

The men attacked, police said, because they thought the victim was a University of Michigan fan.

There's a post by Dr Saturday about it.  

Stuey04

November 2nd, 2010 at 11:10 AM ^

I echo just about everything everyone else is saying. MOST of the fans were very cordial and even welcoming, but there were a few (mostly younger) that were just jerks. The stadium was very cool. I loved the setting of the mountains.