'Paternoville' grows as students prepare for Saturday's game

It started with just a few tents that sprouted up outside Beaver Stadium on Monday morning, but by this afternoon (Wednesday, Oct. 5), more than 30 tents were lined up and filled with students anticipating Saturday's Big Ten football matchup between No. 16 Penn State (5-0, 2-0) and No. 6 Ohio State (3-1, 1-0). The matchup of the two powerhouse programs is the marquee game on ESPN, with a 7:45 p.m. kickoff. All of this has built up the excitement in Happy Valley to a fever pitch, and students are lining up to get the best seats for the game. The tent city, which has been nicknamed "Paternoville" in honor of head Coach Joe Paterno, was visited by some of the players, and even by Paterno and Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. Paterno expressed his gratitude for the students' staunch support this season, and also requested that they be safe and responsible in their celebrations.
For pictures of "Paternoville" go to http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2005_10_05_paternoville/ and for a video promoting positive fan support, go to http://streaming.ois.psu.edu/PIO_WISO_100505.mov
To cast your vote for Penn State in the finals of a Sports Illustrated poll ranking the best tailgating venues in all of football, go to http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/specials/tailgate/2005/footballgrid/