Rose Bowl Pregame 001
By 10 a.m. Pacific Time on game day, fans from both Rose Bowl teams were at the stadium tailgating in advance of the 2:10 p.m. kickoff.
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The official Penn State tailgate, hosted by the Penn State Alumni Association in a Rose Bowl-determined location on the grounds of a golf course adjacent to the stadium, was heralded by arches of blue and white above the many thousands who attended.
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Roger Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association, greeted the tailgaters and introduced the event's entertainers, Beaver Stadium's announcer, the cheerleaders and the Blue Band.
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The Blue Band marched their way into the tailgate site, much to the delight of game-day attendees.
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Led by the "Mike Man," Penn State's cheerleaders got the tailgate crowd warmed up to support the Nittany Lions once they were inside the Rose Bowl nearby.
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The colorful westside press box of the Rose Bowl, the only interior field-view section of the stadium, offered shade for many of Penn State's contigent, which began at about the 50-yard line and swung around to the northern end zone, with additional pockets of fans on the northeast side of the stadium, according to the white-clothed fans.
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Penn State fans prepped for the nationally televised Rose Bowl game with signs, the majority of which were written in support of Coach Joe Paterno.
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A veritable sea of white-clad Penn State fans made their presence known by their vocalizations of spirit as much as by their attire. The 12th man was loud and clear from the field, as chants of "We Are ... Penn State" resonated and seemed to ricochet inside the Rose Bowl.
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Around 1:30 p.m., as they lined up for their pregame performance as the ABC on-field broadcast stage loomed in the background, members of the Blue Band silks demonstrated their school spirit.
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The ABC on-field booth was right in the thick of Penn State territory. During the game, the roof of the stage descended to the desk's height by hand-operated cranks so fans' views of the game weren't obstructed.
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Former Nittany Lion standout Michael Robinson came to Pasadena from his NFL-home San Francisco and joined Jay Paterno on the field during the team's warm-up. He was one of several football alumni on the sidelines to offer support to the players.
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One of the Nittany Lions' warm-up drills in Penn State's end zone, near the ABC broadcast stage, involved players jumping toward their "tacklers," who lifted the players in the air. It was an impressive display of physical strength.
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Nittany Lion fans had front-row seats to that warm-up drill, but they were most vocal moments later as the Blue Band announced the official arrival of Penn State onto the field from the opposite end zone.
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Blue Sapphire P.J. Maierhofer performed a grand leap in front of the Blue Band as the Nittany Lions announced their presence on the Rose Bowl field in Pasadena.
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The front line of the Blue band stretched across the line of scrimmage as they performed their traditional pregame routine.
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Two fans with front-row seats seemed right at home in Pasadena, eager to kick off the game and see the gridiron action up close.
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The U.S. Air Force's B-2 bomber reappeared at the end of the pregame performances and flew twice over the Rose Bowl, in opposite directions.
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Wrapping up the pregame festivities, Penn State's cheerleaders ran across the field to their position in Penn State's end zone.
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Fired-up Penn State fans brought the 12th man to the Rose Bowl, revving up the volume heard on the field. Despite the wide-open feel of the stadium and the disadvantage of not being the local team, some 25,000-plus Penn Staters reverberated the sounds of home-game spirit to the field at Pasadena.
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Several diehard fans with familiar "faces" came across the country to support the Nittany Lions, which made the West Coast setting feel a bit more like a sunny home game in September.
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