Penn State students travel to all ends of the country to see their football team play.
They'll drive 20 hours on Interstate-95 to get down to Miami for the Orange Bowl, and they'll gladly drive the seven hours to get to Ann Arbor for a Penn State-Michigan showdown.
One thing an increasing number of the Nittany Lion faithful won't do, however, is find its way into Beaver Stadium for a noon kickoff. It's understandable to shuffle in at game time on a frigid or rainy day. It's another thing altogether when thousands of seats in the student section are still empty at the start of the second quarter.
Sadly, this phenomenon is not limited to 12 p.m. start times, but noon kickoffs are usually the worst in terms of student tardiness and overall atmosphere.
If, as many anticipate, Penn State does end up in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, how many students will be in their seats for the 11 a.m. kickoff?
This brings us to tomorrow's game, which can be described very simply.
Kickoff is at high noon. A spot in a New Year's Day bowl is at stake. But perhaps more importantly, it's Senior Day.
For those unfamiliar with what goes on during Senior Day, here's a brief rundown. The seniors -- scrubs and stars alike -- who have worked for the last four or five years to be a part of this team are brought onto the field, one-by-one, maybe 15-20 minutes before the game. That would be approximately 11:45 a.m. tomorrow.
The ovations are usually long and loud for the Paul Poslusznys and Tony Hunts, but if recent attendance trends continue, how many students will be in the crowd at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning?
Both Hunt and Posluszny committed to Penn State following the 9-4 2002 season, only to win a total of seven games their first two years. Neither was guaranteed stardom or even playing time, but each came with a solid work ethic and eventually won starting spots as well as fervent support of Nittany Nation.
Levi Brown, Jay Alford and Ed Johnson each considered transferring at some point early in their Penn State careers because of discontent with positions they played.
Tim Shaw and Donnie Johnson also struggled with position changes in their first couple years.
This year's seniors had just as much to do with the program's resurgence as last year's, so it's a shame that they may not get the same type of acknowledgement
for their efforts on their Senior Day.
Each could have gone somewhere warmer, somewhere academically easier, somewhere without as many doubters.
But for one reason or another, they all stuck around.
There's a chance that the same will not be said of the fans in tomorrow's student section.
With No. 1 Ohio State taking on No. 2 Michigan at 3:30, some students are planning to leave Beaver Stadium at 3, others after the third quarter -- regardless of status in the Penn State game.
One of the more memorable moments in the disappointing 2004 campaign was when Zack Mills left the field with 4:18 to go on Senior Day, amid a standing ovation, and hugged Joe Paterno as he reached the sideline.
Given Paterno's recent injuries, such an emotional embrace with Posluszny or any other senior on the sideline is unlikely.
Unfortunately, the chances of the majority of the student section showing up early and staying until the end are just as improbable.
