Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
1 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Beaver Stadium was ready to go for Penn State's home opener against Ne- vada, just as athletics director Patrick Kraft had promised. The Nittany Lions welcomed fans into the renovated venue for the first time since last December. Three sets of temporary bleachers sit on the west side of the stadium while addi- tional temporary seating is in place in the stadium's northeast and southeast corners. New drink rail seating helped keep capacity near 107,000 fans. Penn State announced an official atten- dance of 106,915 for the game, which the Nittany Lions won, 46-11. That was slightly more than the official capacity of 106,304. "With everything we've got going on with the stadium and everything else, I thought the atmosphere and the fans were great," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "It was a beauti- ful day in Happy Valley. Overall, I was pleased. I thought we came out and played the way we were supposed to play." A week later against Florida Inter- national, Penn State listed the official attendance at 103,818. The reduced size of the crowd may have been attributable in part to the noon kickoff, which left less time for out-of-town fans to drive to State College. Speaking with reporters a few days before the Nevada game, Kraft as- sured that the structure was safe and sound. Nothing that happened during the team's first three games suggested otherwise. The bleachers were built by InProduction, a firm that specializes in temporary seating. They felt sturdy and were comfortable to sit in, and the walkways were spacious. "Prior to the installation, Thorn- ton Tomasetti, a structural engineering company, came by to conduct a thorough review of the existing floor plate of the main concourse level, which is where the temporary seating is," Kraft said. "They wanted to make sure that they could hold the load of the temp seating, first and foremost, so the structural engineers looked at it. Then the structure went into a two-phase check. InProduction put the bleachers up, they look at it, and we bring in an independent third party to come in and look at it. So, the structure is safe. It's been looked at. It's been inspected." Penn State is in the midst of a $700 mil- lion renovation of the stadium. The proj- ect is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2027 season. ■ Stadium Impresses, Even Amid Construction G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M While quarterback Drew Allar and his teammates warmed up prior to Penn State's season opener, fans filed into Beaver Stadium's temporary seats. The ongoing construction has changed the stadium's appearance but has had little effect on its capacity. It can hold 106,304 fans, down only 268 from last year. PHOTO BY MEGAN SMARKUSKY/PENN STATE ATHLETICS