One of my priorities when I knew I was coming back to Pennsylvania this fall was heading to Penn State for a football weekend. Of course, once I looked at the calendar and realized PSU football had a bye week and an away game, I was only left wondering how the hell I would EVER get tickets for the Michigan v. Penn State game, which would be my only opportunity while I was on the mainland. Now, if you aren’t tuned into college football, this all probably means nothing to you, but if you’ve been following along – you know this was a huge game for Penn State. At the time, I had no idea Penn State would be walking into the game undefeated and Michigan would be hungry from an ugly loss to Michigan State.
By a dumb stroke of luck (my mom booking a dinner event the same day as the game) I was able to use their tickets (parents are the best). As the game got closer, it was announced that it would be a night game (always fun), and then a White Out (the best thing in college football across any conference) and then…College Gameday. Lee Corso + Co. was coming to Happy Valley and it was like all the stars were aligning for it to be the biggest game day ever for my Nittany Lions…and I was getting to go!
I asked my friend Allie if she wanted to go with me and, of course, she was in! We headed up armed with champagne and snacks, ready for a good game.
The game didn’t kick off until 7:30, so it was plenty of time to walk around Penn State’s beautiful campus, see old friends (some of which I worked with when I worked at PSU Football) and eat yummy tailgate food. If you were following along on my Instagram stories, you probably saw all the fun!
If there’s one thing Penn Staters know how to do, it’s throw an amazing tailgate. Everywhere surrounded the stadium there are miles and miles of tents, campers, RVs, pop-up tables and truck beds filled to the brim with liquor, beer, food, snacks and people having a good time getting excited about the game. It’s an atmosphere I really can’t describe, but I firmly believe there’s nothing else quite like it. Plus, for October in Pennsylvania – we couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the temps ranged between 70 and 75 all afternoon, then only got slightly chilly that night in the stadium. It was perfect!
Beaver Stadium hosted a record-setting 110,823 fans on Saturday night and I was so excited to be part of it! The sunset as we walked into the stadium was GORGEOUS!
After a full day of tailgating, students camping out for a week to enter the stadium to get good seats and alumni and fans coming from all over to watch the game, the only way I can describe the feeling in Beaver Stadium is…electric. Everyone dressed head to toe in white, sound decibels sky high, the team coming out with their arms linked. Can you tell I just really love college football and my Nittany Lions?
It was a great game for Penn State and they walked away with a big win. Being at the game and seeing friends I haven’t seen in so long only reignited the desire I have to move closer so that football season can mean seeing more games, more often with Dane and our families close by.
Who do you cheer for during college football?