It was a long summer for Penn State students, alumni and football fans. The program and university were repeatedly rocked by a child sex scandal and its ensuing NCAA sanctions. They were constantly in the media spot light…and not the good one. Everyone looked forward to the 2012 season, hoping that success on the field might provide at least some form of escape from it all.
People across the country wondered how Penn State fans would handle the scandal. Would they still support the team? Would they still show up? The answer? YES. More that 97,000 Nittany Lions fans packed Beaver Stadium on Saturday and chants of, “We Are! Penn State!” rang loud and proud throughout the day. The fans weren’t the only ones who came back. Despite being eligible for immediate transfer to any college football program, more than 90% of the team returned to Penn State.
Unfortunately for both parties, Penn State’s winning tradition was among the things that didn’t return on Saturday. A 14-3 half time lead gave way to a 24-14 loss and optimism and hope turned into disappointment and despair. But despite the cathartic victory having to wait at least one more week, fan support remains strong, which is a good thing. Because, wins or not, it’s going to take a quite some time to return to anything even resembling normalcy in Happy Valley.
MICHAEL ADAM RAY 