Penn State students are known nationwide for their vocal presence at Beaver Stadium -- and that support also follows the team to away games.

Joe Paterno and his players seemed to appreciate the help in the first road game of the 2008 season, as a noisy sea of blue-and-white clad fans cheered the Nittany Lions on to a 55-13 demolition of Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

"You would've thought we were playing at home," Paterno said after the Syracuse game. "It was really amazing down on the field, the crowd cheering, the enthusiasm when we came off the field at halftime, the fans and everybody."

Brian Gramolini, who attended the Syracuse game and was waiting in line for Paternoville Monday, went to every away game except for Michigan last year.

"The trip I had the most fun on was the Illinois trip last year, with the Temple trip coming up a close second," he said. "It was really the place where I got to do the most stuff. I got to interact with a bunch of their fans, and their fans were really enthusiastic about the game."

Gramolini (junior-actuarial science) said he doesn't have to miss class to go to the away games. Instead, he said he leaves after his classes are over Fridays and drives to the game. He added one of the best parts about going to away games was that "you get to meet a bunch of really cool people."

He said he usually will stay at a friends house to save on costs, but will stay at a hotel if he can't work out something with a friend at the opposing school.

Tickets for away games are available at 7 a.m. the Monday preceding the game at Gate B of the Bryce Jordan Center. Students must bring a valid student ID to the ticket sale and pay in cash to get a ticket.

Football team spokesman Jeff Nelson said the allotment for student tickets to the Syracuse game did not sell out.

Sam Albert attended the Michigan game in Ann Arbor last season, and while the game itself was not a success for the Lions, he said he would still go again anyway.

"With the way things are going this year, I would definitely go to another away game," Albert (sophomore-information sciences and technology) said. "I was supposed to go to Syracuse, but I was too sick [that] weekend."

Albert said he made use of some connections to get to the 2007 Michigan game, driving from State College to his brother's place in Philadelphia on Thursday before flying to Michigan on Friday. Several of his friends from his hometown of Armonk, N.Y., attend the University of Michigan, so he stayed with them Saturday night before flying back to Philadelphia Sunday.

Albert said the atmosphere in Ann Arbor was similar to game day in State College, right down to treatment visiting fans might receive.

"It was what I expected, they were not too generous on Penn State fans," he said. "After the loss, all I wanted to do was come back to [University Park] and be with some real fans."

For his part, Gramolini is probably going to keep traveling to see the Nittany Lions on the road.

"I love the experience of going to away games," he said. "You get to see a new place that you're not familiar with. Every college campus is different from State College, and going out there you get to see what it might have been like to go a different school."

First road game

Estimated cost of trip to Purdue game

Tickets: Penn State student tickets are available first-come, first-serve for $46 at the BJC beginning at 7 a.m. Monday.

Source: gopsusports.com

Gas: Filling a 10-gallon tank four times should cost about $150 to drive the 1,100 miles round trip.

Source: gasbuddy.com

Parking: Visitors may park free in "A," "B" and "C" areas after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, unless otherwise posted. Parking is also available in the Grant Street Parking Garage, across from the Purdue Memorial Union, with a maximum of $10 per day.

Source purdue.edu/parking

Lodging: Nearby hotels average about $121 per night.

Source: hotels.com

Iowa

"In Heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here."

Penn State students will likely hear this lyric near the end of the Nov. 8 game against University of Iowa, Phil Haddy, sports information director said. The band plays a polka version of "In Heaven There Is No Beer," close to the end of the game, he said.

"They've been playing it for years and years," he said.

Students traveling to Iowa for the game can expect to see a "good Big Ten football game," Haddy said.

"Between 2002 and 2005 we had a 22-game home winning streak. We play well at home and they can expect to be treated with respect and courtesy," he said.

Iowa won four home games each during the 2006 and 2007 seasons and has won all three home games so far this season.

Purdue

"Boiler Up!"

Purdue football games are known for two things -- this slogan and its celebrity appearances, said Tom Schott, assistant athletics director for communications at Purdue University.

Between the third and fourth quarter Purdue has a different guest celebrity to lead "Shout" by the Isley Brothers, Schott said.

"It's always a big secret," he said, adding that past celebrities have included names like Neil Armstrong.

Schott said he hopes Penn State students would enjoy the atmosphere of a Purdue game on Oct. 4.

"We're not exactly angels, we have some people who are rude sometimes. But for the most part people are down to earth and show good sportsmanship," he said. "We hope they will enjoy Midwestern sportsmanship."

Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium is known for withstanding tremors -- but it's just the student section bouncing to House of Pain's "Jump Around."

The band comes out into the end zone and the entire student section joins in the dance, said Brian Lucas, assistant director of athletic communications at University of Wisconsin.

"When we're in the press box you can feel the entire stadium shaking," Lucas said.

Penn State students attending the Wisconsin game on Oct. 11 will experience something special, he said.

"It's going to be a night game so that is a unique thing," he said. "We don't have very many night games at our stadium."

Ohio State

The Buckeyes are revamping their football experience this year.

Penn State students who have been to Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, will notice a few changes when the Nittany Lions play Ohio State on Oct. 25, Wendy McReynolds, associate director of marketing at Ohio State University said.

"If they've been here before they will see a difference in our game atmosphere," she said.

The band has new songs, the fans have new cheers and the student section is now 30,000 strong, Reynolds said.

"[Now] we have students on both ends of the stadium rather than in one block," she said.

However, Buckeye traditions remain the same.

The Block "O," a 65-year-old student organization dedicated to energizing the fans, will continue to lead cheers and organize card stunts, in which each student has a card and together they create a logo or graphic, Reynolds said.