The hype for Penn State’s much-anticipated matchup with Ohio State started Friday night with Rally in the Valley at Medlar Field hosted by the Blue & White Society.

Upon entering the gates, Blue & White Society members handed out free “Rally in the Valley” tee shirts and white shakers to all the students, alumni, and families who attended.

The pep rally kicked off with a pump up video on the scoreboard featuring highlights from every Penn State sports team. Next, the Penn Statesmen took the field to sing one of Penn State’s classic fight songs, “Hail to the Lion,” but with an a capella twist, earning well deserved applause from the audience.

Members from the fencing team, gymnastics team, baseball team, and Blue & White Society all took the field and made sure to thank all the Nittany Lion faithful who showed up on this cold autumn evening. They all correctly stated that Penn State fans are the most dedicated in the nation and the crowd surely agreed.

Nittanyville members made the short trip across the street from Gate A to join in the fun and perform a little game on the field. One member flung tennis balls up in the air while another member had to catch them in an umbrella. Nittanyville president Sara Butcher spoke to the crowd, thanked them, and urged every student in attendance to participate in Nittanyville at least once before they graduate.

Next was game prediction time. Fans got to share with the crowd their official game prediction for tomorrow, and all of them were confident in a Penn State victory, especially one fan who predicted a 409-0 blowout. Mike the Mailman joined in the fun and gave his official game prediction of 43-39, Penn State.

Of course, no pep rally would be complete without an appearance from the Symbol of our Best, the Nittany Lion. The Nittany Lion came sprinting onto the field to chants of “we want the Lion” and hyped up the crowd with 35 one handed pushups and a standing backflip.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, and the wrestling team added to the school spirit by leading the crowd in a cowbell chant while everyone clapped along. Getting people even more anxious for game day, a hype video recapped the highlights from the 2014 White Out game vs. Ohio State.

For the grand finale, a firework show illuminated the night sky. The fireworks were deafening, but not nearly as loud as Beaver Stadium will be tomorrow night.