STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Welcome to Happy Valley. Or should that be Hostile Valley?
It depends on whom you ask.
The last time Ohio State came to play Penn State here at Beaver Stadium, in 2005, the home fans wore more white than you see at a nurse’s convention. They were loud and they were enthusiastic – too enthusiastic if you asked the Buckeyes.
Members of the Ohio State band said they were physically harassed and verbally abused by Penn State fans. They were pelted with mud balls. Penn State officials issued an apology the Monday following a 17-10 victory, but the Buckeyes haven’t forgotten and the Nittany Lions are expecting another raucous crowd. Fans again will dress in white tonight for the most important college football game of the weekend.
The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have ascended to the No. 1 spot in the nation by taking care of business against a mediocre schedule and taking advantage of losses by every team ranked above them.
Penn State (6-2, 3-2) has won two straight and can move back into the Top 25 with a victory that would throw open the BCS Championship game picture. The Buckeyes, led by linebacker James Laurinaitis, have the best defense in the Big Ten, but the Nittany Lions, led by linebacker Dan Connor, aren’t far behind.
“You will probably see four or five of the best linebackers in the country on the field at the same time,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said.
You also will see one of the nation’s most impressive running backs, Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie” Wells, who had his breakout game against Michigan State, running for 221 yards on 31 carries.
After the Buckeyes’ 24-17 victory over the Spartans, the first thing coach Jim Tressel reminded his team was that their last regular-season loss was that 2005 defeat in Hostile Valley.
“That was the loudest crowd I have ever been around and the most energized I’ve been at going into [a game], going through that pregame,” Connor said. “It was the first huge game I played in here, so it was a great feeling and it should be the same this year.”
Even Paterno has decided to enlist the aid of the fans. Thursday, Paterno and his wife, Suzanne, visited Paternoville, where hundreds of fans have been camping out for days, and delivered pizzas.
“When you go to Ohio State, Ohio State’s crowd is a great crowd and the stadium is built so . . . you’ve got to know what you’re doing out there,” Joe Paterno said. “I hope we can have a crowd that’s really into it every play and they come with the idea they can help us win the football game because I think they can. I think they can help us, particularly with a young team.”
Welcome to Hostile, uh, Happy Valley.