Their shrieks and shouts flow through the streets of Beaver Canyon every fall. Then, by the end of January, they disappear as quickly as they came.

They wear seasonal colors in two varieties. Some have a gold trim, while others sport hunter green, but both species share black as a one of their primary colors.

These beasts who roam the State College streets every fall are the fans of Pennsylvania's two professional football teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. The passion of the fans of these two teams has been the cause of many chants and fight songs in State College. Sometimes, the fans' passion for their respective teams comes to a head.

"People get in each other's faces," Katie Francia (junior-bioengineering), a Steelers fan from Monessen, said.

Gavin Keirans (freshman-business management) said his love of the Eagles has made him a target.

"Some guy told me I was gay because of the Eagles fight song," Keirans said.

Despite the rivalry's more heated moments, it is a friendly one for the most part, Francia said.

"Most of my friends are from Philly," she said. "We had a Super Bowl party at my apartment this year. One of them rooted against the Steelers, but most of them didn't."

Erin Plute (senior-psychology), a lifetime State College resident, said the intrastate rivalry is usually a docile one.

"I guess it really only comes out during football season," Plute said. "It's kind of expected. I think it's all good-natured."

Chris Piassek (freshman-professional golf management), a New Jersey native, said that compared to other sports rivalries, this one is tame.

"They're not really trying to kill people," Piassek said. "They're both in the same state, but it's not as intense as the New York-Boston rivalry."

Though in State College the rivalry may seem large, Francia said she had no hard feelings toward the fans of the Eagles before she came to Penn State.

Matt Thomas (senior-civil engineering), a native Philadelphian, said he was also surprised that fans of the teams had a rivalry in the State College area.

"It wasn't brought to my attention until I came here," Thomas said.

Part of the reason the rivalry is considerably less passionate in the teams' home cities may be the fact that the teams rarely play each other. Because they are in different conferences, they are only scheduled to play every four years unless they meet in the Super Bowl.

Beyond the football aspect of the rivalry, Thomas said the differences between Philadelphians and Pittsburghers may also be culturally based.

"Pittsburgh is a smaller city," Thomas said. "It's definitely an established city, but it's a little more rural. People from Philadelphia, in and around the area, it's more of an urban environment."