Penn State Football: Reflection of a School Year

It was on a recent, end-of-year road trip to Pittsburgh that a buddy and I came to an interesting conclusion about the past year.

Penn State football can be used as a calendar of the academic year, and Blue-White Weekend marks the end of that year.

Each game, home or away, is like a Penn State holiday; it’s not just Blue-White Weekend that marks an important date.

Here is the 2009-10 school year, as remembered through Penn State football:

Sept. 4, 2009 – Penn State Football Eve

Taking place the second Friday of the fall semester, Football Eve truly marked the beginning of a year of great anticipation and expectation, for both our football team and ourselves. Even as juniors, my friends and I made our way to Beaver Stadium to get a taste of the upcoming season and see the 2008 Big Ten Championship banner unveiled. It almost doesn’t get better than Football Eve. It’s like syllabus week for football but wrapped into a brief ceremony. You have no cares, no worries; just the hope for a fun and successful season before the real grind begins.

Sept. 5, 2009 – Penn State v. Akron (31-7 win)

The high from Football Eve carries through the night and into the morning for the noon opener. Maybe it’s that anticipation from the night before that drives you, but it’s exciting. This is truly the first party of the year. I don’t care what one does during syllabus week or the first weekend, but the first football Saturday is always what’s circled on my calendar.If you’re lucky enough to get up in time to make it to the tailgate fields, you see why.

This is the first reminder of the year about why we go to the greatest school in the world. Even going for my third opener, it remains the same. The way the first stadium-wide “We Are” chant smacks you straight in the face, you feel at home amongst the 110,000-plus fans. This is truly welcome weekend.

Sept. 12, 2009 – Penn State v. Syracuse (28-7 win)

Two weeks into the season, three weeks into the school year, it just doesn’t seem like work yet. The game’s result mirrors exactly how you feel about your first three weeks back. You’ve dominated. The team is rolling and you’re still cruising along in class. Some of us are still going out every chance we get. The game is dubbed ’70s day and the crowd is clad in tie-dye apparel. Kind of accentuates the party theme, eh?

Sept. 19, 2009 – Penn State v. Temple (31-6 win)

By now you’ve settled into your routine, classes are starting to be a grind, and so are the football games. Like an 8 a.m. class, your desire to get up early enough to tailgate for another noon game against a weak opponent is minimal at best. You go because you want to, not because you have to, and the team rewards you with another strong performance. But just like your brief quizzes on Angel, you really don’t know how well you’re doing until the upcoming test. For both students and the football team alike, the first exam is set for the upcoming week.

Sept. 26, 2009 – Penn State v. Iowa (21-10 loss)

About a month into the semester, the first week of exams has arrived along with the first real test of the football season. As you study, so do the Blue and White warriors of Beaver Stadium. As you prepare, so do they. Only a solid performance after such effort would be satisfying and that’s exactly what you should expect. Adding to this week was the anticipation for the White House, ESPN College GameDay, and the first weeklong Paternoville campout.

Paternoville was absolutely nuts this week – a weeklong party with the most devoted fans the student body has to offer. If you ever have the chance to camp out for an early season weeklong, you won’t be disappointed. Despite the rain, Beaver Stadium is white as can be and all seems well. Chaz Powell’s long touchdown on the Lions’ first play from scrimmage is like the gimme question you nailed to open the test earlier in the week. But it was all downhill from there for the Lions as they dropped their first game of the year. Hopefully you fared better on your exam.

Oct. 10, 2009 – Penn State v. Eastern Illinois (52-3 win)

This game feels a lot like Temple and the boring, repetitive grind you’ve gotten engaged with for school. But as boring as it may have been for you, it was the first of two games I’d have to miss for hockey – this weekend every year marks our opening games.

I remember so clearly the drive to Philadelphia. Three kids, three hockey bags, and overnight clothes packed in the trunk and backseat, all cursing the world as we struggled to get out of the gates. Even better was our genuine joy as Penn State exploded late in the second quarter to put the game out of reach. If only our hockey team had that killer instinct against a lesser opponent. If you had to miss any game during the season, this was it.

Oct. 17, 2009 – Penn State v. Minnesota (20-0 win)

At this point in the semester, everyone has the class that they hate going to, but know they might miss something interesting if they don’t go. That was this game. Slow, boring football but exciting action in the stadium. We had just gotten our first serious snowfall of the year and the students seemed pretty pumped about it, launching snowballs left and right from the student section (I think this is the only reason I even remember the snow). Some nearly nailed refs, the cheerleaders, coaches and players. JoePa even eventually turned and gave a dirty look to the crowd. Maybe someone got a little too close to him with a powdery ball of snow.

Nov. 7, 2009 – Penn State v. Ohio State (24-7 loss)

After two straight away weekends, including Halloween, the boys are back at Beaver Stadium in the most anticipated game of the year. This is likely a week after your biggest test or paper before finals week since most instructors at this fine institution love to load up on the students right before or right after Halloween. So like any good students, we’re ready to let loose. Like the football team, you’re on a roll, having nailed your last set of quizzes and you’re ready for the big one. You know this exam could define your semester, or at least the grade you hope to get in that class and it’s no different for the football team. A win clinches a share of a second straight Big Ten title, but again they come up short. This weekend is marred with bad memories. Everything you hoped for went wrong and so did everything you couldn’t have imagined – like Terrelle Pryor throwing a long touchdown pass and taunting every one of us in the crowd.

Nov. 14, 2009 – Penn State v. Indiana (31-20 win)

Senior Day. It marks the end of the home schedule and the nearing of the end for the fall semester. In this case, it comes a week before Thanksgiving break, but we know what’s on the horizon. Get past this and there isn’t much left to accomplish. Just two weeks of class and finals to get through.

It’s the same for the football team. Two games left and then final exams on the gridiron (also known as bowl season). I have never been fortunate enough to be in town for a Senior Day game thanks to hockey, but I still know that this game means the fall is pretty much over. It’s time to bear down and finish up strong and head into the New Year.

At this very moment, football can no longer truly act as a timekeeper. For the rest of the school year, only Blue-White Weekend remains on the calendar and it hangs over your head. It marks what should be everyone’s least favorite time: the end of a Penn State school year.

April 24, 2010 – Blue and White Game

When Blue-White rolls around, we know that it’s it. It’s our last hurrah for the year. It’s one big party. If we’re blessed by good weather, it’s even better. There is really no way to describe a Blue and White weekend to someone who has never participated in it. It’s different than a true football Saturday. There are no worries (although this year we all may be concerned about the quarterback position) and it’s all about reflecting on the year with your friends and tailgating with the best people in the world.

So for the entire Penn State community, students, faculty, alumni, prospective students, State College community members: enjoy it. It’s the last piece of the football puzzle for the 2009-10 school year. There’s simply no reason to do anything but have a blast. And, like every other football weekend, make it memorable.