Gameday Observations: Ohio State
Another year, another loss to Ohio State.
The pain continued Saturday afternoon when Penn State collapsed in the fourth quarter en route to a 44-31 loss to the Buckeyes. Despite a raucous Stripe Out crowd behind them, the Nittany Lions just couldn’t get the job done…again.
However, there were plenty of other things we noticed on a once-hopeful day in State College.
Big Noon Kickoff Comes To Town
To everyone’s displeasure enjoyment, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff made its way to Happy Valley for the Saturday matinee. Reggie Bush, Urban Meyer, and the rest of the gang set up shop outside the Bryce Jordan Center ahead of the Nittany Lions’ battle with the Buckeyes.
It was Big Noon’s first-ever trip to Penn State as the show continues to try to gain popularity with college football fans. In this case, however, it just pissed Penn Staters off because it just meant another home noon game for a matchup that many believe should’ve been under the lights in prime time.
Military Flyover
Flyovers before the game are so cool, man.
Prior to kickoff, two aircraft flew over Beaver Stadium and oversaw a Stripe Out crowd in what was a pretty sick moment.
Nothing fires up a crowd like a pregame flyover, folks.
Ohio State Marching Band Makes The Trip
The Ohio State Marching Band made the trip to Happy Valley for the game and was met with a smattering of boos throughout several portions of the game, especially during its halftime performance.
Prior to the game, the band took the field and formed the word “OHIO” across the field. From the press box’s perspective it spelled “OIHO,” which led to our writers raising some questions.
It spells “OHIO” from the other direction, blog. Get a grip.
Mo Bamba Is Becoming Overplayed
I hate to be that guy, but I’m going to be anyway. Sheck Wes’ “Mo Bamba” is becoming ridiculously overplayed during football games. What was a once-incredible moment has turned into a routine occurrence. The hype song should be reserved for big moments in the game. It shouldn’t be played every other down or what was seemingly at least every defensive third down. It makes it so much less special.
Sure, Mo Bamba will always get Beaver Stadium rockin’, but it’ll really get the crowd loud if it’s saved for important moments in the game.
Ohio State Fans In The Student Section
Somehow, some Ohio State fans snuck their way into the student section. Let’s just say the Penn State faithful weren’t thrilled with this.
Check their wristbands
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 29, 2022pic.twitter.com/HNyz8Ufvv5
Between “Asshole!” chants and boos, the rest of the student section made it known that Buckeyes fans simply don’t belong in the sea of white. Some students even started to throw things at the Ohio State fans, which is obviously never OK and caused security to get involved. It got a bit chaotic for a bit, especially at halftime.
Wristband Debacle
This was the first game since Penn State Athletics announced its new gameday procedures for getting into the student section following the White Out disaster. That included getting a wristband when you entered the stadium through Gate A. Personally, the initial process was smooth for me, as I got there nearly two hours before kickoff and got into the student section without any problems.
However, the wristbands aren’t going to solve all problems…that’s clear. First off, mine literally just fell off at one point without me even touching it. Luckily, I was able to snap it back on, but that was strange. Additionally, my friend’s wristband was put on so loose by security that she could slip it right off.
She didn’t do this, but what was stopping her from potentially giving her wristband to someone else and sneaking that person into the student section? The wristbands have been labeled “nontransferable” by Athletics, but they clearly have the potential to be transferable in the current system.
I definitely appreciate the effort by Athletics to try to create a safer environment, but it looks like there could be some fine-tuning in the cards moving forward.
Stripe Out Looked Good, Atmosphere Was Electric
A Stripe Out crowd of 108,433 created an electric atmosphere in Beaver Stadium Saturday afternoon. The crowd was loud from the very beginning, which made for a really fun gameday experience…up until the final nine minutes of the game.
Fans did a good job creating the Stripe Out this year. To their credit, though, Buckeyes fans travel well. There was noticeably a decent amount of red scattered throughout the stadium, which put a small dent in the usual blue and white stripes.
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