Snowballs were flying and tailgates stretched to Wal-Mart, something Joe Paterno hasn't seen very often in his 44 Homecoming games as head football coach.
Paterno moved to 39-5 in Homecoming games as Penn State blanked Minnesota 20-0 in front of an announced crowd of 107,981, making the Nittany Lions (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) bowl eligible for the fifth straight year.
One of the earliest snowfalls State College has ever seen wiped out about 20,000 parking spaces, forcing some fans to park in area business lots and get shuttled to Beaver Stadium.
Looking out the window of the blue, team bus as it approached the stadium, linebacker Navorro Bowman knew there were logistical issues when parking lots were empty.
"I'm like, where is everybody?" Bowman said. "But I knew there'd be some people there that's dedicated and love to watch us play."
Those braving near-freezing temperatures and wintry mix conditions saw the Lions' first home shutout conference win since Northwestern in 2002 and the return of linebacker Sean Lee, who missed the previous three games with a sprained left knee.
With Lee back in the lineup, albeit only in certain situations, the Lions' defense plugged running lanes and pressured Golden Gopher quarterback Adam Weber enough to disrupt his timing with star wide receiver Eric Decker, who was held to just one catch for 42 yards.
Minnesota (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) ran just 40 plays from scrimmage, totaling 138 yards. Its longest gain on the ground came on a 10-yard scramble by Weber.
"We played our hearts out today," linebacker Josh Hull said. "Every 11 guys played assignment football and did exactly what they needed to do, and we came out with the shutout."
Offensively, the Lions sustained long drives but struggled to finish with touchdowns, as three of the five first-half drives ended with field goal attempts.
With a final chance to pad the lead in the first half, the Lions benefited from instant replay twice. First, an apparent Graham Zug drop was changed to a reception for a first down. Plays later, Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark found wide receiver Derek Moye in the end zone, who dragged his feet while falling out of bounds to haul in the score. That play was also overturned in the Lions' favor.
"You try to make sure that the better team wins," Paterno said about instant replay. "If there's a call in there, sometimes it doesn't happen that way."
Paterno was asked about the loyalty of the Penn State fans dealing with last-minute parking changes and being asked not to tailgate.
As he found out from his niece, his brand of football is something fans don't easily give up.
"One of my nieces, she is from Harrisburg, and they stopped at the Wal-Mart and said they were tailgating at the Wal-Mart and they were bussing them in," Paterno said. "They like to come. They like to have a little fun. They like to see Penn State play. That's a great, great feeling for the kids who play. I know it is for me."
