Penn State Featured in This Week's Sports Illustrated

by BSD on Oct 28, 2008 5:14 PM EDT

The people at Sports Illustrated were kind enough to alert me that an article recapping the Penn State-Ohio State game will be appearing in this week's magazine due to hit the news stands tomorrow. Here is a brief excerpt.

But rather than carp at the offenses, let us celebrate a clean, close, exceptionally hard-hitting game that seemed-dare we say it?-SEC-like in its intensity. Let's give it up for a pair of stout, swarming defenses, one of which was just a little bit stouter. Yes, the Nittany Lions committed zero penalties, but that was their second most remarkable statistic from this game; that they held Ohio State's monster junior running back, Chris (Beanie) Wells, to 55 yards on 22 carries was even more impressive. And with the game slipping away from the visitors, it was a fumble forced by Penn State that kept its unbeaten season alive.
Having passed their sternest test of 2008, the third-ranked Nittany Lions (9-0, 5-0 in the Big Ten) now seem to find themselves in the HOV lane to the BCS Championship Game, to be played on Jan. 8 in Miami. Following a bye week, they travel to 5-3 Iowa, then finish up with home games against 3-5 Indiana and surging 7-2 Michigan State. Top-ranked Texas and No. 2 Alabama have tougher schedules remaining and will need to survive conference title games.

The article will also appear on SI.com tomorrow for those interested. I'll try to remember to post a link.

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by Elihu on Oct 28, 2008 7:23 PM EDT 0 recs

I thought

the game was Jan 9th?

JoePa in '09

by JGuiher on Oct 28, 2008 7:39 PM EDT 0 recs

NM

It is the 8th at 9pm

JoePa in '09

by JGuiher on Oct 28, 2008 7:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

Plane tickets

Are looking to be about $225 right now. Ba-ching. And I fully intend in trying to not completely get wasted that day – that fateful day in January ‘06 was a blur, and I’m furious at myself for it. I didn’t even get to my seat that day until the band had already played and the kickoff was a minute away.

by blogue20 on Oct 29, 2008 9:38 AM EDT up 0 recs

I say that every week

and every week, I end up cracking open my first beer by 8am.

I bleed Blue and White.

by Horse N Buggy on Oct 29, 2008 10:13 AM EDT up 0 recs

Its gonna be hard

I thought I was going to make an effort to stay coherent for the Orange Bowl but we were in the Dolphin Stadium parking lot at 9am that day, by noon I was 8-10 beers deep, then my buddy busted out Mr. Daniels, and all was lost. The biggest sporting event I’ve ever attended thus far, and I don’t remember much of the first half outside of being annoyed after the Willie Reid punt return td.

by blogue20 on Oct 29, 2008 10:26 AM EDT up 0 recs

That sux!

I’m glad I limited my alcohol intake that day to 3, maybe 4 beers. I would never have made it to the end. And it was an awesome end.

by PSU Jen on Oct 29, 2008 11:35 AM EDT up 0 recs

Hah

That was my intention, or at least pacing myself to a couple per hour. But I guess thats what happens when you start drinking, you can’t tell time anymore. Thats where the day shifted. All I remember before kickoff was following my buddy to our seats and commencing the screaming. I couldn’t talk by halftime.

by blogue20 on Oct 29, 2008 12:04 PM EDT up 0 recs

So sad...

keep the beers to a minimun on Jan. 8th!!!

by PSU Jen on Oct 30, 2008 9:45 AM EDT up 0 recs

I'd say thats my plan

but I really can’t see myself holding to that promise

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 10:42 AM EDT up 0 recs

yes, much like a sunday hangover

when you feel like total shit, and you promise yourself you will NEVER EVER drink again. But as soon as Friday rolls around, there you are once again with a beer in hand.

Just TiVo the game or have someone do it for you. Then you can watch it after for the details, but still gloat that you were actually at the game. That’s my plan, at least.

Also, if anyone else is going down to the NCG, maybe we could arrange a BSD bus trip as an alternative to flying.

I bleed Blue and White.

by Horse N Buggy on Oct 30, 2008 10:52 AM EDT up 0 recs

Or

just like many Saturday mornings with nasty hangovers, I promise myself I’ll take a reasonable sabbatical from alcohol. Which typically ends up being less than 12 hours.

A BSD bus trip to SoFla – genius!! It would be relatively cheap I imagine, especially since I could see the bus being filled to capacity. My guess is that PSU will bus students down there, so I can’t see a reason why BSD can’t do the same! I know Mike is in Texas, but Kevin where are you? I know RUTS is in eastern PA. Lets do this!

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 11:05 AM EDT up 0 recs

I am in NJ, but maybe the best idea

would be to all meet at State College and take the bus from there

I bleed Blue and White.

by Horse N Buggy on Oct 30, 2008 12:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

flying out of where?

just curious….

by PSU Jen on Oct 29, 2008 11:36 AM EDT up 0 recs

Pittsburgh

by blogue20 on Oct 29, 2008 12:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

Currently

I’m seeing $249, Pit-Ft. Laudi Jan 7th-Jan 10th. I checked a Friday return, but the only cheap ones are early AM flights, and THAT would just be asking for a missed flight the morning after. Flights in and out of Miami are much more expensive, and the Ft. L is closer to the stadium than Miami is. I hate putting the cart before the horse in relation to the last month of the season, but these things have to be planned ahead for!

by blogue20 on Oct 29, 2008 12:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

Thanks!

I’d fly out of Philly or Newark and in ’05 I flew to Tampa and drove w/ friends who live there. Flights were so much cheaper.

by PSU Jen on Oct 30, 2008 9:47 AM EDT up 0 recs

god, don't remind me of flying out to the Orange Bowl

I flew out of Philly on New Years Day on a 6 am flight (I took the alumni association package). Yay not being able to really party on new years eve, can’t drink, and have to leave right after the ball drops! At least the NC game is a week later.

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 30, 2008 10:03 AM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah I heard flights from there were much cheaper

Flights in general are pretty cheap to Ft. Lauderdale, not to mention I know Tampa is about a 4 hour clip down I 75 and across Alligator Alley. I was living down there in ’05, I thought it was nice of Penn State to come to me instead of having to go to them. Very convenient!

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 10:36 AM EDT up 0 recs

ha, yeah

I probably shouldn’t have drank as much as I did before the game. That, combine with the case of mono that I had (I found out about a week later), combined with screaming at the top of my longs for long stretches at a time, probably explains a big part of why I nearly blacked out when we were trying to get that safety.

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 29, 2008 1:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

same

i later found it amusing as i was watching the replay the amount of plays i blacked out. i remembered many FSU fans arriving late to tailgating, and shaking my head.

the irony is that they remember the game(from inside the stadium) and many of us don’t.

http://glassesofjoe.blogspot.com/

by psudrozz on Oct 29, 2008 5:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

Ironic

And I also remember getting into the parking lot at 10am, and the only people there so far were PSU fans. Since the parking lots are first come first serve, the people parked close to the stadium were all PSU fans and the further you walked away from the stadium the more FSU fans there were. They just don’t get what tailgating was all about.

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 10:38 AM EDT up 0 recs

that

combined with the ratio being like 70% Penn State people to 30% FSU people at that game (in their own state, no less!) made it quite interesting. I think the first FSU people I saw that whole trip were once I got off the bus and started walking to the stadium through the sea of Blue & White tailgaters. I had a bunch of FSU girls come over and ask to get their picture with me. I figured they were gonna do something to make fun of me, the opposing fan, but they didn’t do anytihng obvious at the time. Perhaps they photoshopped it later, I dunno, but they actually seemed nice after the picture and chatted for a while.

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 30, 2008 11:25 AM EDT up 0 recs

Those FSU girls sounded hot

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 11:30 AM EDT up 0 recs

Iowa and MSU

These two may be our toughest games of the year. I bet there are bulleting boards in Iowa City and East Lansing that are chalk full of things that say “defacto BigTen title” and “Penn State is on the HOV lane to Miami.” As tough as OSU may be, these two teams are going to come at us with even more of a nothing-to-lose mentality. Hope the boys rest up this week, because there is still a lot of football to be played no matter what SI or other news sources say.

by The IC Lion on Oct 29, 2008 8:58 AM EDT 0 recs

expedia

I booked round trip airfare Baltimore to Ft Lauderdale and 2 nights hotel along with rental car for $670 for 2 people off expedia.com I went with the plan ahead beat the crowd plan. All I need are 2 tickets, ( and PSU in the game) Either way I will be in Florida on Jan 08.

"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things." -Joe Paterno

by pslion on Oct 29, 2008 12:14 PM EDT 0 recs

Still holding out...

I am damn sure going to try to go but if (AND I SAY IF AS IT IS THE WORST CASE SCENARIO) we end up in the Rose Bowl I only live 45 minutes from it and it would be a bitter, albeit closer, consolation prize

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

by TheMightyErik on Oct 29, 2008 5:39 PM EDT 0 recs

You WANT to spend that money; you NEED to spend that money

on that cross-country flight! If you spend it, they will go.

Florida beckons you…

pax et amor

by jtothep on Oct 29, 2008 5:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

What is everyone on here's take on getting tix to the NC game

Better to try to arrange stuff now, or wait until we know?

Also, what are you guys looking at as far as tickets go? Buying them off of scalpers/internet, or trying to do the alumni package, or what?

From what I gather, they sold tickets to people with “Orange Bowl season tickets”. Not sure if that means Miami or Dolphins. Also, apparently Florida residents could buy an Orange Bowl package for a bit over $1000 that included 2 tix to both the NC game and the Orange Bowl. Not sure if those are still available, though.

Then the other available tickets would be on sale through the respective schools.

I remember when we went to the Orange Bowl I bought through the alumni association, and I got the cheapest package available, which was still I think $1300/person (everything included). I don’t know if I could arrange a flight, rental car, hotel nights, and tickets (if bought through a scalper) for much less than that, but I also don’t know if I would have enough “points” this time to qualify through the alumni association (I imagine people will be coming out of the woodwork to go to this one). Finally, who knows what they’ll charge for this one. Maybe they’ll jack up the prices to significantly more.

Still being in grad school, and the money I’ve spent on tix so far, I obviously don’t have a lot of cash laying around, but I AM going to this game.

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 30, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up 0 recs

I've got 4 locked up for sure

2 via my season tickets, and 2 via my brother and sister to who to PSU but won’t be going to the game, they’re going to get one apiece for me. Ba-ching. All face value, which is huge. More money to spare for the alcohol fund. Couple that together with being able to stay with a friend in Davie, I’m going to be spending all my money on partying.

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 10:41 AM EDT up 0 recs

well I'm looking for 2

so if you come across 2 more, let me know.

Also, since you have season tickets, when do they alert you on when you can buy the bowl tix? I know a few people who have season tickets who probably won’t be going down, so maybe I can get it through them.

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 30, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up 0 recs

Its usually pretty quick

after the bowl game is officially announced. I definitely suggest checking with other season ticket holders, thats about the only way I know of to get face value tickets (naturally).

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 4:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

I know face value for NC tickets last year was $175

by blogue20 on Oct 30, 2008 10:42 AM EDT up 0 recs

I got mine through the Orange Bowl Committee

which I joined in ‘06 after we went to the OB….only thing that sucks is that for 2 tickets, it’s like $1200.
Granted, the tix are face value ($250 each), but for 2 NCG tix, you are obligated to buy:

2 Orange Bowl tickets
Parking pass for both games
2 Budweiser tailgate party passes for both games
2 Fanfest passes for both games
2 official game patched for both games
program for both games
PLUS $100 for the “benefit” of buying tickets through them
and $20 for shipping

I am going to sell my Orange Bowl tickets, but I did that last year for the Kansas – VT game and only got $100 for $400 worth of tickets and extras because it was such a shitty matchup.

I bleed Blue and White.

by Horse N Buggy on Oct 30, 2008 12:51 PM EDT up 0 recs

Great questions

I’ve been wondering the same thing. I’m not sure whether it would be better to buy tickets from 3rd parties now or later. There’s not a whole lot of tickets out there for sale right now so I wonder if i’d have better luck waiting until later when more will be on the market. The going rate right now seems to be $550 at the cheapest.

As I student I’m assuming they’ll have a lottery for our tickets so I might try that. Also are all alumni tickets bundled with packages?

"Boy that student section now is up and really making a gigantic amount of noise. You see the sea of white, the white out. Well they are 2 minutes and 28 seconds away from the whiteout of the Buckeyes here tonight." - Ron Franklin

by rmcmillen50 on Oct 30, 2008 2:57 PM EDT up 0 recs