Tyrone Parham has seen everything from gun threats to fatal electrocution during home football games, but he said he hopes this weekend will leave more of a pleasant memory.

Parham, University Police assistant director, said State College and the university will both have heightened security because of the Michigan game's 8 p.m. kickoff time and related criminal activity.

"Hopefully people will exert their energy on the game and
not by destroying property," he said.

Four people were arrested for uprooting stadium bleachers during the Penn State-Northwestern game two weeks ago, Parham said.

He added that about 20 people were hospitalized during last year's game against Ohio State -- before kickoff.

State College Police Lt. John Gardner said there will be extra precautions in place for this weekend's game.

Gardner said this weekend will be treated much like the Penn State-Ohio State football game was last year or a Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts weekend. He added that Pennsylvania State police will be aiding local police.

"Let's suffice it to say that everyone here is working," he said after declining to release the actual number of on-duty police officers.

Gardner said police have been planning strategies for this weekend since June.

"Most definitely this is going to be our biggest game to date throughout the year and the busiest game of the season," he said.

He stated that added vehicular and pedestrian traffic, along with the unavoidable excessive alcohol consumption, makes the police force's job more difficult.

"That's lost on a lot of people who just come to town, go out to eat, go to a bar and go home," Gardner said.

However, Gardner said he's a "die-hard Penn State fan" and is still hoping for a victory over Michigan this weekend.

"Our job is much easier when Penn State doesn't win, but I won't say I'm not rooting for Penn State," he said. "Our job was much easier in past years, but when the team is upwardly mobile, we encourage enthusiasm and hype."

However, the culminating excitement surrounding this weekend's game is not necessarily destined to end in tragedy -- either on or off the field.

Captain Nicholas Kuchmay said Alpha Fire Department treats every football weekend the same and, in his six years of service, he has seen nothing "spectacular" while on duty.

Chris Baker (junior-international politics) is currently living in one of about 100 tents at Paternoville and said there has been little police interference with its inhabitants.

Baker said a police officer warned students lingering outside Gate A around 9 p.m. Wednesday not to make any trouble, but no action was taken to punish students who had been lining up more than 12 hours before the administration permitted.

Baker said the only damper to the Paternoville mood was the wind, which blew away more than five tents Wednesday night.

"I'm a little disappointed with the weather and the administration, but it's surprisingly upbeat," Baker said. "It's a lot like the Ohio State Paternoville with less drinking."