ORLANDO, Fla. -- He stood majestically next to his seat, clad in bright orange from head to toe. The orange and white pom poms he used as a wig were unmistakable.

Nestled amid a wave of blue and white in section 115 near the south end of the bowl, 24-year-old Steve Carroll was extremely noticeable. He was the consummate Tennessee fan.

"I bleed orange," Carroll said midway through the fourth quarter. "It's a fraternity -- look how many people we have in the stadium. Even though we lost, it doesn't matter -- it's all fun and games."

However, it appeared as if the Nittany Lion fans had the most fun at the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl contest. There was plenty to cheer about in the second half as Penn State continually shut down Tennessee's offensive juggernauts. The victory was well intact.

"Joe (Paterno) has them apparently cranked for the game," said J.J. Moore, a 1960 Penn State graduate. "We had a good pep rally and they had their game faces on today. They were ready to play football."

Moore watched most of the Lions' 31-13 trouncing of Tennessee from one of the many aisles overlooking the Citrus Bowl field.

"Our seats are way up in seat heaven," Moore said. "My wife can't walk up the steps."

Most Penn State fans didn't care where their seats were, just as long as they could see Paterno work his magic. Ken Martin (junior-criminal justice) sat in the last row of section 313, near the very top of the bowl facility. But Martin wasn't complaining.

"Since you're all the way up here, what would it mean to be halfway down there?" he said. "At least we have a back rest up here."

Martin's friend, Gary Malinoski -- the brother of Penn State offensive lineman Mike Malinoski -- had vivid memories of the last time the Vols met the Lions in the 1992 Fiesta Bowl. Although the bowl sites offered contrasting environments, Gary admits that some things don't change.

"The areas are totally different," he said. "From a desert in Arizona to a theme land or fun land in Orlando. The fans are sort of the same, though -- Tennessee fans are the same obnoxious people."

Like Malinoski, many Lion supporters felt the Orlando area offered a variety of entertainment aside from the Citrus Bowl. From EPCOT Center to Disney World, there was an abundance of things to keep the football fans occupied in and around central Florida.

The Penn State contingent continued to celebrate the Lions' triumph well into the night at the Boola Bowl Post-Game Party at Church Steet Station in downtown Orlando. Live entertainment and Penn State cheers filled the air. It was also a time for 1974 graduate Jack Crouse to reflect on the day's accomplishment by his alma mater.

"I'm not superstitious," the Virginia resident said. "But I'm glad the drum major made both flips and I'm glad we won the coin toss. When that happened, I knew we had Tennessee right where we wanted them."