Rockin' the House

I'm sure you've heard the word "rockin'" to describe exciting events. Maybe it was a "rockin' party" or another event where the "place was rockin". I got to experience that literally on Saturday afternoon in State College, PA. After a hurried morning of cleaning my car (of course) I met up with relatives and friends for the big football game we had all been waiting to experience for months - Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams were at the top of the standings in the Big 10 Conference going into the game. A lot was riding on the outcome.

We arrived at Beaver Stadium around 1 pm. Eleven of us were split up in three different vehicles and none of us quite knew where the others were. The parking situation was daunting, thousands of people everywhere. Thankfully, we all had cell phones (one of the most indispensable devices of the modern age). After some touch and go, we finally found each other and proceeded to enjoy our own little tailgating party replete with mouth watering bar-b-qued ribs, chicken, baked beans, coleslaw and potato chips. It was finger lickin' good (to use the Colonel's phrase) . It was another two hours until game time but already a low roar lifted skyward from the stadium in the distance. Excitement was building!

We entered the stadium at Gate D and proceeded to wind our way higher and higher into the sky. Our seats were at the very top of the highest wings. It was like ascending the Tower of Babel. But the views were awesome! We could see out across the valley as the warm afternoon sun drenched it in autumn light. We took advantage of some of the photo opportunities our climb afforded. I was thinking how great a cardio workout this climb was before we reached our seats.

The crowd was pumped. And so were we. It was hard to wait until the kickoff launched the first quarter. Finally, the Lions emerged from their lair with a roar that erupted from the adoring masses. The Badgers lined up. It was show time! It was as if the Penn State fans were determined to propel their team to victory through force of noise if necessary. The volume was deafening as nearly 110,000 people in essence became unified with the team, a mighty army bound for victory. Play after play, score after score the army persisted. At times the concrete and steel that was the stadium became almost organic as the place actually moved up and down from the wild reaction of the fans. Standing still you could feel the floor beneath your feet rising and falling. It felt like a couple of inches of flex. Badgers fans that were sitting down during these moments were literally bouncing up and down on their seats several inches. Penn State was rocking them right out of their seats. Stangers were hugging strangers, high fiving, and screaming like there was no tomorrow. It was wild! The victory was decisive - Penn State smashed Wisconsin 35-14. Records were broken, not only in the play of the game but in crowd size. We learned that the roughly 110,000 attendance was the largest college football crowd anywhere in the United States that day.

As the game ended we were all pretty much worn out, vocal chords stretched to the limit, legs aching from standing and jumping for hours. But victory was sweet. What a fun day that I'll never forget.

Related: AP Poll - Penn State jumps from number 10 to number 6.
Story: Penn State Routs Badgers