If there’s one summer day that warrants a 6:30 a.m. alarm clock, it’s coming next week.
Penn State football student tickets go on sale beginning Monday, June 24, when they become available to seniors. Juniors, sophomores, freshmen and graduate students follow on consecutive days. The sale for each class lasts from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m on each day, though the tickets are usually gone in a matter of minutes, so be ready at 7 a.m.
The schedule is as follows:
Seniors, June 24
Juniors, June 25
Sophomores, June 26
Freshmen, June 27
Graduate students, June 28
The day each student can purchase tickets depends on their total credits as of May 30. Here’s the breakdown.
Tickets are $218, same is in 2012, for seven games. Penn State takes on Eastern Michigan, UCF (6 p.m.), Kent State, Michigan (5 p.m.), Illinois, Purdue and Nebraska at Beaver Stadium.
That $218 gives each student one ticket per game, which go directly on their Penn State id+ card. Upon entrance to the stadium before a game, students are handed paper tickets designating where their seats are. It’s first come, first serve seating, but if a group of friends show up together, their seats will all be together. When purchasing tickets, you'll be asked for quantity and location. Choose (1) and "General Admission."
All season ticket purchases are final, although up to four tickets are allowed to be sold through the Student Ticket Exchange throughout the season.
Some students loan their id+ card to a friend on gameday as a means of selling their ticket, but it’s really hit or miss. It works sometimes, but other times can lead to the confiscation of the card and denial of entrance into the game.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when getting up early to purchase your season tickets:
-Create a TicketMaster account in advance and put in your credit card information (U.S. issued only) prior to the sale date. This way, all it takes is a few clicks and your student ID number (nine digit).
-Only use Internet Explorer 8 or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher. Google Chrome and Safari won’t work. Neither will smartphones.
-Don’t panic. If you are ready to go right at 7 a.m. and follow all the instructions, there’s no reason you won’t get tickets. Do not refresh any pages or hit the back button during the process. That will screw it up and start it all over again.
-Although there’s nothing listed now, go to this Ticketmaster page to find the seats on your day. Select the event, then find tickets, choose the ticket and enter your nine digit Penn State ID number when asked for a password.
-After that, enter the security code. If you have done everything correctly, you’ll get a confirmation number, then a confirmation email.
-Call 1-800-NITTANY with any questions, or if you complete the purchase but don’t get a confirmation email.
-Have another computer or friend available in case things go wrong.
Bill O’Brien and the Nittany Lions secured a major commitment Saturday from IMG Academy quarterback Michael O’Connor, multiple media outlets reported.
The pro-style signal-caller from Bradenton, Fla., is a four-star prospect as rated by Rivals and is ranked the No. 8 quarterback in the nation in the 2014 class. The 6-foot-5, 223 pounder had offers from a litter of other programs like Michigan State, Rutgers, South Florida, and others.
When O’Connor arrives on campus he’ll be competing to start under center with junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson and incoming 2013 quarterback Christian Hackenberg. There’s no indication yet of who will start off the 2013 campaign.
O’Connor becomes Penn State’s eleventh verbal commitment of the 2014 class.
Penn State is favored in four, an underdog in three and a toss-up in the other of games Golden Nugget Las Vegas has released betting lines for. These lines give a general idea of how highly oddsmakers regard teams before the season.
The Nittany Lions are 6.5-point favorites against Syracuse at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 31, the only spread released for any of their nonconference games. Golden Nugget did not release a line on their Big Ten opener against Indiana, either.
Penn State will return home on Oct. 12 as a 2.5-point underdog against Michigan, and then travels to Ohio State where the Lions are 16-point underdogs on Oct. 26.
After that, the Lions are 19-point favorites against Illinois, 8-point favorites at Minnesota, and 13.5-point favorites against Purdue.
To close out the season, Penn State and Nebraska are a pick’em, and the Lions are 9-point dogs at Wisconsin on Nov. 30.
Ohio State is favored by double-digits in all of its games except two --- 8-point favorites at Northwestern and 6-point favorites at Michigan. The Buckeyes are among the top three teams favored to win the national title, as well.
Northwestern is favored in all of its games except two, and is a 13-point favorite against Syracuse on Sept. 7.
Here is Penn State's full schedule.
Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse at Metlife Stadium (-6.5)
Sept. 7 vs. Eastern Michigan
Sept. 14 vs. UCF
Sept. 21 vs. Kent State
Oct. 5 at Indiana
Oct. 12 vs. Michigan (+2.5)
Oct. 19 BYE
Oct. 26 at Ohio State (+16)
Nov. 2 vs. Illinois (-19)
Nov. 9 at Minnesota (-8)
Nov. 16 vs. Purdue (-13.5)
Nov. 23 vs. Nebraska (pk)
Nov. 30 at Wisconsin (+9)
Penn State football fans can now narrow their countdown from days to exact minutes until the 2013 season begins.
Penn State will take on Syracuse at 3:30 p.m. at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 31, it was announced today. Regional coverage will be on ABC, while the rest of the country can see the game on ESPN2.
Penn State and Syracuse haven’t met since 2009.
It is fourth kickoff time announced for the 2013 season. The Nittany Lions will host Central Florida at 6 p.m. on Sept. 14 on the Big Ten Network, Michigan at 5 p.m. on Oct. 12, and visit Ohio State on Oct. 26 for an 8 p.m. start.
Tickets to the Syracuse game are now on sale for Nittany Lion Club members, and general customers who wish to sit in the Penn State sections can get their tickets starting June 17 at 10 a.m. by calling 1-800-Nittany.
Penn State coach Bill O'Brien will hit the small screen Tuesday as one of four stories being spotlighted on HBO's newsmagazine "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," according to HBO.
Airing at 10 p.m., reporter Andrea Kremer goes one-on-one with the second-year head coach to discuss the turmoil Penn State has been through in the past year and a half and how the coach led his team to success. O'Brien will also discuss how he learned resilience through his son, Jack, who suffers from a brain disorder.
In his first season, the first-year head coach guided the football program through unprecedented sanctions levied by the NCAA -- including a bowl ban, loss of scholarships and vacated wins -- and rallied the team to an 8-4 record. He was also named the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year.
Along with highlighting O'Brien, "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" will also feature three other stories Tuesday: a look at a marathon to honor those who lost their lives in the Oklahoma City bombings, a glimpse at violence against referees, and an analysis of the changing landscape of horse breeding.
Penn State football fans can get a taste today of what the 2014 Big Ten schedule will look like under its realignment – Maryland and Rutgers join the conference next year.
The Nittany Lions will travel to old east coast rival Rutgers for the conference opener for the first time in more than 50 years on Sept. 13, 2014. Penn State has clashed with the Scarlet Knights nine times in New Jersey, the latest six of those meetings being played at Giants Stadium.
Beaver Stadium will host the Terrapins later in the season on Nov. 1, 2014, reigniting a rivalry that ceased in the early nineties. Against Maryland, Penn State is 35-1-1 and has recorded an all-time record of 22-2 vs. Rutgers.
Maryland and Rutgers will join the East Division as part of the realignment along with Penn State, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. The West Division includes Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin.
Here’s Penn State’s full schedule:
Aug. 30 TEMPLE
Sept. 6 AKRON
Sept. 13 *at Rutgers
Sept. 20 UMASS
Sept. 27 NORTHWESTERN
Oct. 11 *at Michigan
Oct. 25 *OHIO STATE
Nov. 1 *MARYLAND
Nov. 8 *at Indiana
Nov. 22 at Illinois
Nov. 29 *MICHIGAN STATE
* East Division game
There are two bye weeks in the schedule as it stands and a non-conference game which still needs to be scheduled. Remember: the Big Ten will play an eight-game conference schedule until 2015. During the 2016 campaign, the Big Ten will move to a nine-game conference schedule.
Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench has upcoming visits to several schools including South Florida, NC State and Mississippi State, according to multiple reports.
ESPN.com’s Joe Schad reports Bench will visit USF and NC State this week and will take a trip to Mississippi State after that.
Because of the NCAA sanctions levied against Penn State last summer, Bench will be immediately eligible to play at whichever school he decides to transfer to, without sitting out for a season.
Bench made the decision to leave Penn State in April, saying he wasn’t sure where he was headed. But the Nittany Lions were no longer for him.
“I want to be at a school that will give me the best chance of being a starting quarterback,” he said following his transfer announcement. The Georgia-native added at the time that he would “preferably” transfer to a school in the south, but also noted he wouldn’t rule out any schools.
At Penn State, junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson and incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg will battle it out for the starting spot at quarterback.
For the second time today, a class of 2014 recruit verbally committed to coach Bill O'Brien and Penn State's program.
Linebacker Jared Wangler, of Warren, Mich., tweeted earlier today that he committed to the Nittany Lions. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound recruit is rated three stars by Rivals and passed on offers from Michigan State, Ohio, and others.
Wangler was recruited by linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden and becomes the ninth player to commit to the class. He's the fourth defensive player to commit, joining Troy Reeder, another linebacker, and defensive backs DaQuan Worley and Marcus Allen. Allen committed earlier today.
Wideouts Troy Apke, DeAndre Thompkins and Chris Godwin, along with running backs Nick Scott and Mark Allen, round out the class.
He is rated a four-star prospect by Scout.com and 247sports, and a three-star by Rivals.
The Upper Marlboro, Md., native becomes the eighth player in Penn State's 2014 class. He hadmore than 20 offers according to his rivals profile, and chose the Nittany Lions over Pittsburgh, Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State, Maryland, Rutgers and Wisconsin, among others. He was recruited by defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
Allen took an unofficial visit during Penn State's Blue-White game April 20, according to Lions247.com.
The 6-foot-1, 187 pound safety is the third defensive player to verbally commit to coach Bill O'Brien for 2014, joining defensive back DaQuan Worley and linebacker Troy Reeder. Rounding out the class are wide receivers Troy Apke, DeAndreThompkins and Chris Godwin, along with running backs Nick Scott and Mark Allen. All eight are rated three stars or better by both Rivals and Scout.
Rumors swirled for weeks regarding the destination of three-star cornerback recruit Daquan Worley, who was considering Penn State among other programs like Rutgers and Georgia Tech.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back and running back from Coatesville, Pa., was recruited by linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden. He becomes the seventh verbal commit of Penn State’s class of 2014.
The Nittany Lions’ recruiting class also includes receivers Chris Godwin, De’Andre Thompkins and Troy Apke; linebacker Troy Reeder, running back Mark Allen and athlete Nick Scott.
As a running back in his junior year, Worley rushed for 1,779 yards and 20 touchdowns, according to his Rivals.com profile.
