Tag: Beaver Stadium

Parker Washington’s best games in Beaver Stadium

Parker Washington had some big games in Beaver Stadium for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State has really started to produce some high level prospects at the wide receiver position in recent years. Specifically under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], we have seen some earning as high as the first round like we did last year with [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag].

[autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag]has a chance to join him in that elite company in 2023 after declaring for the draft after the conclusion of the regular season.

Washington was a playmaker for a sometimes lethargic Penn State passing attack this past season. They were able to get the ball in his hands early and often whether it be with short routes or gadget plays. They knew what they had in Washington and he will be missed as he heads to the NFL to pursue his dreams.

The best way to show respect is to look back on his great performances in front of the Penn State fans in Beaver stadium.

Survey says Penn State has the toughest road environment in college football

Ranking college football’s toughest road environments

As if Penn State fans needed to be told this one more time, Penn State is viewed as the home of college football’s most challenging road atmosphere for opponents. The latest survey to come to this realization was organized in a collaborative effort by Goodyear and The Player’s Tribune.

The survey was conducted with responses from 68 former FBS college football players spanning the country, and Penn State easily took the top spot on the list for toughest road game atmosphere. Penn State claimed the top spot over LSU and a handful of other programs.

Seriously, was this any real contest here? This video should end the argument here and now.

Penn State’s whiteout was also ranked as one of the toughest road game traditions to face by the same former players. The whiteout was ranked fifth on the list. Iowa‘s pink locker rooms took the top spot and was followed by Wisconsin‘s “Jump Around” before the start of the fourth quarter and Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman” team entrance.

Fans are being a given to share their opinions on this conversation through The Goodyear Road Tested Sweepstakes.

Here are the toughest road game environments as determined by this survey.

Villanova QB said Beaver Stadium crowd wasn’t that intimidating

Villanova QB said Penn State fans weren’t nearly as loud as expected

The Villanova Wildcats left Beaver Stadium on the wrong end of a 38-17 final against Penn State in Week 4, but you won’t find anyone in the Villanova locker room suggesting the crowd was a factor. In fact, one player even suggested a bunch of leaf blowers were noisier than the Penn State fans in Week 4.

For some proper context, it is important to understand the background story to this comment. All week during Villanova’s practices leading up to their road trip to Happy Valley, the Wildcats practiced with staff members walking the practice field with leaf blowers. The idea was to prepare Villanova for the increased decibels they were sure to encounter in Beaver Stadium. For a program that plays in front of no more than 25,000 most weeks, that’s not a bad strategy.

Did it work? Only Villanova players can tell you for sure. And Villanova quarterback Daniel Smith wasn’t shy about suggesting the leaf blowers in practices had more of an impact on the players than the crowd assembled inside Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

That would be two consecutive opponents who traveled to Beaver Stadium or a game leaving with no complaints about the crowd noise. Of course, both of those teams also left with losses to lament.

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LOOK: Penn State designates one seat in Beaver Stadium for POW/MIA

LOOK: Penn State reserves empty seat in Beaver Stadium to honor POW/MIA

Penn State’s Beaver Stadium will be welcoming fans back through the gates for the first time since 2019 when Penn State hosts Ball State in Week 2. And while James Franklin may hope every one of the 107,000+ seats are filled to the brim for every home game this season, Penn State will now always have one seat remain empty.

Penn State announced this week that one seat in Beaver Stadium will remain vacated as a tribute to the nation’s members of the armed forces who have been Prisoners of War or Missing in Action. As a tribute to those who for one reason or another never returned home to the country they swore to defend.

It is a fitting tribute as the first game of the Penn State football home schedule will be played on September 11, a day that saw events unfold this nation should never forget.

Penn State hosts Ball State for a Week 2 matchup at 3:30 p.m.

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Penn State welcomes fans back to Beaver Stadium for first meeting with Ball State

After a win on the road, Penn State prepares to welcome fans back to Beaver Stadium as Ball State heads to town.

After a thrilling season-opening victory on the road in Big Ten play against Wisconsin in Week 1, Penn State finally returns to Beaver Stadium for the home opener in Week 2. The Nittany Lions host Ball State in Week 2 as they are already climbing in the polls and rankings. It’s going to be a fun scene in Happy Valley.

Penn State has never faced Ball State before, but the Nittany Lions have a pretty solid overall track record against schools in the MAC. Penn State is a pretty comfortable favorite at home this weekend, but fans will hope to see a faster start out of the offense.

Oh yeah, don’t forget that there will be fans in the stands this year!

James Franklin has labeled this weekend’s game as the biggest family reunion. This will be the first time that Beaver Stadium will have fans in the stands since November 2019. Beaver Stadium, along with every other Big Ten stadium, was closed off to fans last season due to to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

As for the game itself, Ball State isn’t exactly a pushover, and Franklin is well aware of that. During his Tuesday press conference, Franklin was complimentary of the Cardinals program, who will come to Happy Valley this weekend as an experienced program.

For Ball State, obviously got a lot of respect for Coach [Mike] Neu and what he’s been able to do there at Ball State. You’re talking about 21 starters returning with 16 super seniors, I think that’s the fourth most in the country. Sixteen super seniors coming back from a MAC championship team.
So it’s going to be a tremendous challenge. We look forward to the opportunity. Kevin Lynch on offense is doing a really good job. I think Coach Neu has an influence there as well.

Penn State and Ball State are scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on FS1 with Aaron Goldsmith and former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich on the call.

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Penn State AD Sandy Barbour says no proof of vaccination required to attend games in Beaver Stadium

Penn State will not require fans attending football games to show proof of vaccinations this fall, but masks will be required indoors

The college football season is quickly approaching and schools and conferences are hoping to make this season go much smoother than last year’s bumpy ride during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some schools around the country are opting to require proof of being vaccinated to attend football games this fall, no such proof will be required at Penn State.

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour spoke to members of the media on a conference call Saturday to address how attendance at Beaver Stadium will be handled this fall. While Barbour said there are no suggestions anything less than a fully open Beaver Stadium will be available at this time, Barbour also announced fans will not be required to provide proof of vaccination to attend a game in the 107,000-seat stadium this fall.

Barbour did confirm fans will be required to wear a mask in indoor areas at Beaver Stadium, but masks will not be required in outdoor areas, including the seats of the stadium.

If the state of Pennsylvania or Centre County (where Penn State is located) tells officials at Penn State to reduce their capacity, Barbour said the following;

“What we’ve learned, last year we obviously went through a ton of planning for capacity sizes we still have, it’s not been forgotten or thrown out,” Barbour said. “That doesn’t mean we won’t have to make some tough decisions, but that’s not what we’re planning.”

As of now, Penn State is expecting to have 107,000 inside Beaver Stadium for the 2021 season with their first home game being on September 11, when they take on Ball State.

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Sean Clifford excited to play in sold-out stadiums again in 2021

Penn State QB Sean Clifford says he is really excited to see fans at Big Ten games again this fall

The buzz is back about college football now that people can be back in the stadiums for the upcoming season. And after being forced to play in front of an empty Beaver Stadium and around the Big Ten last season, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is one of many who is looking forward to playing in front of packed houses once again.

Clifford spoke about the excitement of playing in front of a sold-out Beaver Stadium crowd for the 2021 season after not having fans in the stadium in 2020 due to COVID19 on a recent Zoom call with the media.

“Really good, happy to have everyone back. Really excited to have everyone back,” Clifford said when asked about playing in front of fans again. “I’m excited to have our fans back.”

The last time that Penn State played in front of a Sold Out Beaver Stadium was November 2019, when Penn State took down Rutgers.

Penn State will officially welcome fans back to Beaver Stadium on September 11 for the 2021 home opener against Ball State. Penn State’s stadium-wide whiteout has been announced for the following weekend when Auburn comes to town.

Penn State’s season kicks off on the road against Wisconsin on September 4.

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Will the Buffalo Bills play games in Penn State’s Beaver Stadium?

The Buffalo Bills are exploring the possibility of playing some home game sin Penn State’s Beaver Stadium if necessary.

The Buffalo Bills are currently in the process of getting plans together for a brand new stadium. And with time becoming an issue with a stadium lease expiration date coming up in 2023. With a new stadium not expected to be ready until at least two years after that lease expiration, the Bills are reportedly evaluating all potential backup plans to play “home” games in other venues. One of the venues mentioned has been Penn State’s Beaver Stadium.

According to a report from Thas Brown of WROC, the Bills are exploring potential stadium options for Bills home games in Beaver Stadium and in Toronto as a temporary home, or perhaps temporary homes.

From the WROC report;

However, the team is prepared to consider other options for home games. News 8 has been told that Toronto and Penn State are both possibilities for the Bills should they need a temporary home. It’s still a path the Bills would undoubtedly prefer to avoid.

This would certainly be a worst-case scenario for the Bills. Playing home games nearly four hours away in the middle of Pennsylvania is far from an ideal situation for the Bills. Toronto is significantly closer to Buffalo, but that is still an hour and a half away and requires traveling across the border. But again, these are worst-case scenarios for the Bills. It is very much expected the Bills will be able to work out a deal to continue using their current home until a new stadium is ready to be opened. It makes too much sense for all parties involved.

The Penn State connection is not surprising, however. Obviously, Beaver Stadium has a seating capacity to host an NFL game with a seating capacity that is roughly 35,000 seats more than Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium. And by the time the Bills would have to play games in Beaver Stadium, Penn State should have completed some facility upgrades to the stadium to make Beaver Stadium more accommodating for fans.

Penn State is also an expected option to be explored given the relationship between the university and Bills ownership. The Bills are owned by Terry and Kim Pegula. The Pegulas have been highly invested in the growth of Penn State’s hockey program. The Pegulas donated $102 million to the university for the construction of the Pegula Ice Center, helping to allow Penn State to grow its club teams into full-fledged NCAA sports. Terry Pegula is a Penn State graduate.

If NFL expands schedule, will Steelers and Eagles play in Penn State’s Beaver Stadium?

The discussion about Beaver Stadium potentially hosting any NFL game is nothing new. The expansion of the NFL’s regular-season schedule has opened the door to a possible neutral-site game for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. Surely, Pegula would revel in the opportunity to see the Bills take the field in Beaver Stadium as well. But Penn State has suggested in recent years that updating Beaver Stadium first is essential before hosting any marquee events outside of Penn State football, specifically referring to an event like the NHL’s Winter Classic or Stadium Series. Former Penn State running back and current Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders said he would love to see a Super Bowl in Beaver Stadium.

But the Bills in Beaver Stadium? File it under the category of “Sure, it could happen.”

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What Pennsylvania’s governor had to say about Penn State bringing Beaver Stadium to full capacity

Penn State has yet to announce its attendance plans for Beaver Stadium this fall.

Reopenings around the country continue to be spreading as the nation gets through what will hopefully be the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sports stadiums and arenas welcoming back larger capacity crowds are returning more and more, and all eyes in Happy Valley are on what will happen with Penn State’s Beaver Stadium.

Earlier this month, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the state’s COVID restrictions will be lifted on May 31, with the exception of the mask mandate. The mask mandate will remain in place until 70% of the state has been successfully vaccinated.

So what does that mean for Penn State football? Simply put, it means can begin to expect to return to Beaver Stadium for football games this season, and perhaps with near-capacity crowds, if not full capacity.

Governor Wolf visited State College earlier this month and was asked about his thoughts on Beaver Stadium returning to a full 110,000-fan crowd.

“We want to make sure that they are safe,” Wolf said.

We are still waiting to see what Penn State is going to do about having a sold out Beaver Stadium for the season, but the trends around the state and nation, and the Big Ten, continue to be encouraging for fans itching to attend a Penn State football game in 2021. Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State are among the Big Ten schools anticipating and preparing to allow full capacity crowds for football games this season. The Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia 76ers have already rolled out plans for full capacity crowds for June as well.

The last time Penn State played in front of a sold-out Beaver Stadium was November 30, 2019, when Penn State took down Rutgers.

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LOOK: Infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway could fit every Big Ten football stadium

Just how big is the infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Pretty B1G!

Memorial Day weekend brings with it a host of traditions. Among them is the Indianapolis 500, one of the signature IndyCar series races. The race carries its own history of traditions, including a bottle of milk for the winner. And if you thought Beaver Stadium and other Big Ten football stadiums were large, you haven’t been to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a seating capacity of 250,000, but attendance for a race can bring in nearly 300,000 fans when adding fans to the infield section of the track. With a 2.5 mile long track, that leaves a lot of room on the infield of the speedway. There is so much room, in fact, you could fit every Big Ten football stadium inside the track.

Of course, if you didn’t want to fit just Big Ten football stadiums like Beaver Stadium, Ohio Stadium, and Michigan Stadium into the infield area, there are a number of other landmarks you could squeeze in.

Indy 500: 8 landmarks that could fit inside the ginormous Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indy 500 is expected to draw the largest crowd for an event since the start of the global pandemic tied to COVID-19. And with Big Ten schools preparing to welcome back full capacity crowds at football games this season, Penn State is hoping to be able to do the same.

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