UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State football team plays its 129th home opener on Saturday, Sept. 12, hosting Buffalo for a noon kickoff in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions own a 114-13-1 record in home openers.Some Nittany Lion fans will see an improved ADA parking location, and other patrons will depart their parking lot from a new exit on Saturday and throughout the season.The 1959 Liberty Bowl team will be recognized at the Buffalo game and Penn State will celebrate Community Heroes Day. All community heroes (police, fire, EMT) are eligible for a special ticket package, which includes a pre-game tailgate at Medlar Field with food and beverage available for purchase. Community heroes can secure their special ticket package by calling 1-800-NITTANY (weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.).The Buffalo game also is Youth Football, Cheer and Dance Day. Special ticket packages are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY.Game day parking lots will open Saturday at 7 a.m. As they did all last season, the Nittany Lions will arrive at the intersection of Curtin Road and Porter Road at 9:30 a.m. to walk to Beaver Stadium’s south tunnel through an aisle of fans and family. Members of the Penn State Blue Band, cheerleaders and the Lionettes will help welcome the team in a pep rally along Curtin Road starting at 9 a.m.The student gate will open at 10 a.m., and stadium public gates will open at 10:30 a.m. The Beaver Stadium ticket office, located near Gate E, will open at 8 a.m. Penn State students from all campuses can buy two tickets for $40 apiece, with a valid ID, at the Bryce Jordan Ticket Center (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) or at the stadium box office on Saturday (see below for more information on the special student ticket offer).The Penn State Customer Relations Service Center (1-800-NITTANY) will be open on Saturday from 7 a.m. until one hour after the game.Parking exit changes for two lotsPatrons who park in Lot 12 or the Brown lot will depart the lots from different exits than most fans have used in previous seasons.Fans who park in Lot 12 will exit from the same location they entered the lot off Park Avenue and turn right (westbound).Patrons who park in the Brown lot will exit from the southeast corner of the lot, near the farmhouse, and follow the road to Park Avenue, where they will be able to turn left or right.In addition to the parking lot egress changes, a $3.75 million Beaver Stadium maintenance project began in July and will continue after the 2015 season. The project includes the re-sealing of concrete in the lower bowl, concourses and the north upper deck, as well as the painting of some of the buildings on ground level.Also, the exterior of the Beaver Stadium press box has been painted, and inside there is new carpeting and windows and painting throughout the facility.Improved ADA parking locations for this seasonParking for ADA patrons will be enhanced this season, with several changes being implemented, as announced in January. Shuttle service will be available before and after every game from the ADA parking lots listed below, dropping off and picking up fans near the ADA entrance on the west side of Beaver Stadium near Gate B or Porter Road near Gate A.The post-game shuttle service to return fans to the ADA parking lot will run for as long as there is a line waiting to be serviced after the game ends.Patrons with ADA season parking will be able to park on a first-come, first-served basis in the following ADA lots: Nittany Lion Softball Park, Shields Building and Wagner Building, with overflow being directing to the Katz lot or the East parking deck.• Patrons with pre-paid ADA general/single-game parking will be directed to the Katz Building and the East parking deck. The Katz lot will have nearly 225 ADA parking spaces available, and patrons must access the lot from Park Avenue from Atherton Street. Access to the East parking deck also will be via Park Avenue from Atherton Street.
• ADA patrons with an RV will be able to park in the overnight RV lot along Orchard Road on the shuttle route.
• Patrons with ADA reserved parking will have a reserved location based on Nittany Lion Club points and corresponding giving level.
• Yellow RV pass holders who parked in Katz lot will now be accommodated at the RV/overnight RV lot off of Orchard Road. This lot is accessed from Park Avenue traveling west from I-99/U.S. 322.Fans to save when buying single-game parking in advanceFans with single-game tickets are encouraged to purchase car and RV parking in advance by calling 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at least 10 days prior to the game, or Friday at the Bryce Jordan Ticket Center. The advance rates are $15 (car) and $60 (RV), while the game day parking rates are $40 (car) and $120 (RV), cash only.• Fans are asked to please display their parking permit from their rearview mirror as they enter the traffic pattern. Cars are sorted in traffic by stadium traffic control to lanes leading to appropriate lots;
• Please approach the lot as directed on the back of the parking permit;
• Please come early and arrive at the stadium gates early;
• The family friendly lot (no alcohol permitted) is located at the intersection of Park Avenue and University Drive and should be accessed traveling east on Park Avenue;
• Fan assistance is provided by game-day staff, by texting the word “Nittany” <space> your issue and location to the phone number 69050, or by calling 1-800-NITTANY after 7 a.m.
• The overnight RV lot open Thursdays at 6 p.m. and can be accessed via Orchard Road off Park Avenue.For parking maps, the bag policy, and a complete list of items prohibited from entry into Beaver Stadium, fans should review the Beaver Stadium parking and information guide at Penn State Football Gameday Central at: GoPSUsports.com/Gameday.Special $40 student tickets available for Saturday’s home openerStudents from all Penn State campuses and the World Campus can attend this Saturday’s home opener at a special price — two tickets for $40 each with a valid student ID.Special student and public tickets for the Buffalo game are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY (weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or at the Bryce Jordan Ticket Center (weekdays 9 a.m.-6 p.m.). Public tickets and the special $40 student ticket are also available on Saturday at the Beaver Stadium ticket office (Near Gate E) from 8 a.m. until kickoff at noon.The seats for this special student ticket offer will not be located in the 21,200-seat season ticket student section in Beaver Stadium.Season, partial season and single-game tickets for this year are on sale, with nearly 4,900 new season tickets having been sold. To purchase tickets or for information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY, or visit the Bryce Jordan Ticket Center weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m. Pre-paid single-game parking passes for the game day parking lots are also available at GoPSUsports.com/tickets.The Penn State-Buffalo game will air on ESPN2, the Penn State Sports Network (10:30 a.m. air time) and GoPSUsports.com.