Fighting Irish fans were in no short supply for Saturday's game against the Nittany Lions. But one question remained: How would Happy Valley receive these plaid-clad fans?
Some Notre Dame fans at a tailgate across from Beaver Stadium said they were pleased with their reception for the most part.
One tailgater, Michael Libert, a Notre Dame alumnus of 1995, said even when he and his friends ventured downtown the night before the game, they didn't have any problems.
"Great hospitality [at the bar]," Libert said. "But, of course, they said 'you'll be crying in your beer tomorrow.' "
The tailgate hosts, Chuck and Mary Jo Witmer, of Bellefonte, were in a particularly unique situation. Chuck graduated from Penn State, while Mary Jo graduated from Notre Dame.
They said they would normally root for each other's team, but not for this game. They were on their own.
"Thirty-three years of mixed marriage with Notre Dame and Penn State, and we stuck it out," Mary Jo said, wearing navy and gold Notre Dame earrings.
The Witmer's son, Adam, who grew up in Bellefonte but attended Notre Dame, said his only bad experience was with two women walking down the street.
"I just had two middle-aged women with Paterno masks on tell me to 'f--- myself' and I am severely disappointed," he said laughing.
Scott Mann, Notre Dame alumnus of 1998, said the fans at Penn State are much better than the fans he and his friends have encountered tailgating at Michigan -- Notre Dame's biggest rival.
"We go to Michigan every year, and we have a bad experience every time we go," Mann said. "Michigan is a brutal place. The fans are rude. We immediately leave after the game; we have to. This is the first year we've come to Penn State, and this is good."
Irish fans young and old agreed their time spent at Penn State has been enjoyable. Current Notre Dame junior, Michael Scharf, said he rode the Blue Loop downtown Friday night with his friends and went to fraternities where they were greeted with free beer.
Larry Dwyer, an assistant band director for Notre Dame's marching band, said during a cell phone conversation on a bus back to South Bend, Ind., that the band had a great time. The band was bussed from the Bryce Jordan Center to Beaver Stadium because of problems Ohio State's marching band had with harassment from Penn State fans two years ago.
"Our thanks to the Penn State staff, the Blue Band staff, the police and stadium personnel," Dwyer said. "What most impressed me was that the Penn State audience clapped for our songs at halftime."
Penn State Blue Band Director Richard Bundy said everything went smoothly but he thought some Penn State behavior wasn't very amiable.
Though Penn State fans did clap for the Notre Dame band during halftime, they weren't as receptive to the band during the pre-game show, he said.
"I'm not a big fan of the turning their backs on the band," Bundy said. "I know some places they think that's a fun thing to do and apparently that's become something that Penn State thinks is fun to do. To me, that doesn't seem like the spirit of college football."
As more Notre Dame fans joined the Witmer's tailgate -- some they knew, some even Penn Staters -- Mann said it's all really just about the love of the game.
"It's all about good college football," he said. "You give respect, and it doesn't matter whether you're up or whether you're down."
