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PREMIERE
the NCAA sanctions in the hope that it
would pump some energy into a de2ated
football program, the Nittany Lions' 2014
season opener against UCF is the 1rst in-
ternational game in their 128-year history
and is set to take place in a city that
beckons visitors with a mixture of history,
folklore, art, literature and myth – a mix-
ture that's meant to be taken in and savored
and maybe chased down with a pint of
Guinness. Maybe a couple of pints.
Irish sporting o4cials are hopeful that
thousands of Penn State fans will do just
that. Croke Park holds 68,000 when con-
1gured for American football, and o4cials
are con1dent that it will be awash in blue
and white on game day. Paraic Du3y, di-
rector general of the Gaelic Athletic As-
sociation, said during a visit to Beaver
Stadium last fall that a sellout is expected,
in large part due to the fan following that
the Nittany Lions have built up over the
years, both in their homeland and overseas.
"You'd be surprised at the level of brand
awareness of Penn State in Ireland," Du3y
said. "It goes back a long way. I'm not sure
why, but if you asked people in Ireland to
name college teams, Notre Dame and Penn
State would probably be the 1rst teams
they would come up with. That's why Penn
State was an easy 1rst choice for us."
Easy or not, James Franklin has expressed
mixed feelings about the decision. The
will begin 3,300 miles from University Park
