Blue White Illustrated

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The outcome of the game almost didn't matter to the thousands of fans who swarmed into northern Florida to support the belea- guered but beloved 2015 Penn State foot- ball team in its last hurrah. They have been accustomed to this team losing in the past few weeks. Many had hoped that trend would end against an opponent with its own problems and without the head coach who had re- cruited its players. Georgia didn't coop- erate, as a trick-play touchdown opened up the scoring gates, but the Nittany Lions didn't change either. Bungled plays. Interceptions. Penalties. Missed tackles. A dearth of overall talent. And when the quarterback the fans were all rooting for, Christian Hacken- berg, went out of the game late in the second quarter, they feared it was over. It wasn't. The team went out with swords slashing, rallying back from a 24- 3 deficit and falling only aBer a failed Hail Mary on the last play of the game. The fans were grateful for the valiant effort at the end. Disappointed yes, but happy that this team took it down to the end. Certainly, Hackenberg deserved better, and so did the six seniors who are the last to play for Joe Paterno. The fans deserved better, too, espe- cially those who were here trying their best to make the TaxSlayer Bowl remi- niscent of all those great games in which Penn State played nearly every year aBer rising to national prominence the late 1960s. Perhaps those glory years will re- turn, but no one can be sure in this era of multimillion-dollar coaching salaries and instant expectations by everyone. They came mostly from up and down the East Coast by car, plane and bus, driving on their own or as part of the few special tours that flew or bused in from Pennsylvania. That included a large con- tingent from Florida, which boasts the largest concentration of Penn State alumni outside of Pennsylvania. Georgia fans outnumbered the Penn State fans in the bars, restaurants and stadium, which was expected because of their alma mater's proximity to Jack- sonville. But that didn't curtail then en- thusiasm of the Nittany Lion fandom. Some 2,000, wearing their blue and white, proudly gathered for a bowl-orga- nized pep rally on New Year's Day at the Jacksonville River party palace known at Jackson Landing. Most of them were there long before the 2 p.m. start, stand- ing three- to-four deep on the ground level, steps and second-story walkway overlooking a large Christmas tree. The intermittent rain and falling tempera- tures didn't stop the cheers for the Blue Band, Nittany Lion mascot and the Penn State hierarchy who spoke, led by uni- versity president Eric Barron. Two hours later, the Georgia pep rally was a dud, as the Bulldogs' turnout was dismal compared to Penn State's. Sure, it rained a little harder, but there was little enthusiasm in the small crowd, and the Georgia band was in and out so quickly that anyone who ducked out to one of the bars for a refresher might easily have missed it. However, there was something missing at the Penn State rally that had many fans grumbling later in the bars and hotels: No players and no coaches were there. There was a definite objective to keep the players away from the fans. The hotel that served as Penn State's team head- quarters – the Omni Amelia Island Plan- tation – is a plush resort on Amelia Is- land, about 45 minutes from downtown Jacksonville, which is where the media and tour groups stayed. It reminded this writer of several hotels in the heart of Miami Beach where Penn State teams of the Paterno era stayed, mixing with the hundreds of fans who always were around, whether they were hotel guests or not. It was part of the tradition, the Penn State Way. The Omni was isolated, behind iron gates manned by a no-nonsense security force that had to clear anyone entering. The practice field was 15 minutes farther away at a local high school. A few Penn State fans tried to talk to some players near the school locker room but were thwarted by the university's own security people. Even the media was allowed only at selected times, just like at University Park. That meant driving all the way from the riverfront – not the best work- ing logistics in an age of instant commu- nication. So, now the fans have to wait more than four months to see the 2016 Nittany Lions for the first time at the annual Blue- White Game. Most will remain loyal to the new team, cheering as loudly for the players as they always have. And if there's a bowl game in December or January, they will be there once again supporting the team. It's the Penn State Way. J A N U A R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 13 L O U   P R A T O     O P I N I O N Penn State fans enjoy the experience, if not the outcome HIGH SPIRITS Rachel Reiss performs with the Blue Band dur- ing a New Year's Day pep rally. Photo by An- nemarie Mountz

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