Aug. 31, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.– The Penn State football team opens its 131st campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2, hosting Akron for a noon kickoff in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions own a 107-21-2 record all-time in season openers.
The Akron game is Youth Sports and Spirit Day and pre-game youth clinics will be held for football (Holuba Hall), basketball (Bryce Jordan Center Basketball practice facility) and cheer and dance (Multi-Sport) Saturday at 9 a.m. Registration for each clinic will begin at 8 a.m. at all three venues.
Penn State Athletics is reminding patrons that Beaver Stadium gates will open two hours before kickoff for all games and strongly encouraging fans to arrive early to Beaver Stadium. Early arriving fans will have an opportunity to receive up to a 20 percent discount at the concession stands, $5 off the official Penn State White Out T-shirt, along with other incentives (see below).
The Beaver Stadium parking lots will open Saturday at 7 a.m. Fan Fest on Curtin Road begins at 8:30 a.m., team arrival is at 9:30 a.m. and the stadium gates will open at 10 a.m.
Fans reminded of Security Screening and Penn State Athletics Bag Policy
Penn State will provide security screening for all guests at the entry gates using metal detection wands. With this security measure in place, all public gates, including the ADA and student gates, will open two hours prior to kick off to provide ample time for all fans to pass through security. Fans will be asked to remove items from their pockets upon entering the stadium. Umbrellas are not permitted in Beaver Stadium.
Backpacks, bags, and purses are not permitted in Beaver Stadium. Personal items can be placed in a clear bag that is no larger than 11" x 11" (one gallon) and wristlets (no larger than 4" x 6" x 1"). Patrons can expedite the entry process by not bringing a bag into Beaver Stadium. For fans with medical or childcare needs, please place those items in an 11" x 11" clear bag or a one gallon clear bag prior to arriving at the stadium gates. All items are subject to inspection. Any items left unattended at the gates will be discarded and unrecoverable.
For parking maps, the bag policy and a complete list of items prohibited from entry into Beaver Stadium, fans should go to Penn State Football Game Day Central: GoPSUsports.com/gameday..
Fans are reminded that they may enter Beaver Stadium at Gates B, C, D, E and F and use the ground level concourse to get to their seating section. ADA patrons should enter the facility at the ADA Gate near Gate B on the west side of the stadium.
Any season ticket holders who have not received their tickets are asked to please contact the Customer Relations Service Center (1-800-NITTANY; Golions@psu.edu), so that Penn State can accommodate their ticket needs immediately for the Akron contest.
Beaver Stadium Ticket Office Opens Saturday at 8 a.m.; 1-800-NITTANY Opens at 7 a.m.
On Saturday, fans who have a ticket issue, or feel they may have a ticket issue, should go the Beaver Stadium ticket office, near Gate E, which opens at 8 a.m.
Fans who printed their tickets from their Account Manager are reminded that they should bring the tickets they printed for entry to the game. For fans who printed their tickets, the bar code on the hard tickets they received from Penn State will not be valid for entry at the stadium gates.
The Penn State Customer Relations Service Center (1-800-NITTANY) also is open on game day at 7 a.m. for noon kicks, and at 8 a.m. for other kick times, until one hour after the game.
Concessions and Penn State White Out T-Shirt Discounts for Early Arriving Fans; Beaver Stadium Gates Open at 10 a.m.
Early arriving fans every Saturday will have an opportunity to receive discounts at the concession stands and watch other college football games on the stadium videoboards. Beaver Stadium gates open this Saturday at 10 a.m.
Some of the incentives Penn State Athletics implemented last year to encourage fans to enter the stadium early will return this season:
- Fans will receive up to a 20 percent concessions discount ($1 off a $5 purchase, $2 off a $10 purchase etc.) during the first 45 minutes after the gates are open. Creamery ice cream and Kono Pizza cones will be available at stadium concessions locations for the first time. Cash, credit card and LionCash purchases are accepted at the concourse concession stands.
- The official Penn State White Out T-shirt will be $5 off at Penn State Bookstore locations inside the stadium during the first hour after the gates open.
- Other college football games will be shown on the stadium videoboards starting two hours before kickoff until approximately 70 minutes before the game. For noon games, highlights of previous Penn State games will be shown on the videoboards.
- In addition, Penn State Championship trophies will be on display on the Pepsi Fan Zone (Above Gate A) when the stadium gates open until 30 minutes before kickoff. Fans are then encouraged to find their seats in time for kickoff.
- Fans also can meet members of the Penn State Dance and Cheer team in the Pepsi Fan Zone during the first hour after the stadium gates open.
Improvements and 31 New Entry Lanes Will Assist Fan Entry at Gates A, C, D, E and F
Penn State has added 31 entry lanes for fans entering the 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium that will greatly assist in getting fans through security measures, ticket scanning and into their seats.
Obstructions have been removed outside Beaver Stadium Gate A to improve the flow into the stadium for the Nittany Lions' passionate 21,200 student season ticket holders, again ranked as the nation's premier student section by ESPN/ABC college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Gate C has increased from 17 to 20 entry lanes and visiting team overflow bus parking will be relocated away from the entry gate. Gate D has increased from nine entry lanes to 26 and Gate E has been extended from 16 to 19 lanes. A larger fan staging area has been constructed at Gate F, increasing the number of entry lanes from 10 to 18.
Lane Restrictions on U.S. 322 Southeast of State College to Impact Football Traffic
Penn State football fans traveling to Beaver Stadium via U.S. Route 322 from south-central Pennsylvania are advised to allow for extra travel time due to ongoing road construction in the area of Seven Mountains and Potters Mill Gap.
According to PennDOT, drivers will encounter a change in the traffic pattern through the construction zone, which stretches eastbound and westbound from the Mifflin County line to Decker Valley Road in Centre County. The construction is expected to continue until mid-October.
Traffic is restricted to a single lane in each direction in the work zone, as eastbound traffic will cross over into the westbound lane. Eastbound lanes are closed so that work can take place away from traffic. Westbound traffic will continue to use the right travel lane to move through the work zone.
For additional information about the construction and travel restrictions, www.penndot.gov. Motorists can stay up-to-date on the latest travel conditions by visiting www.511PA.com.
RV Parking Sold Out; RV Spaces and Shuttle Available at Grange Park
Penn State Athletics has partnered with Grange Park, site of the Grange Fair, to provide an economical alternative with 1,500 RV spaces, hook-ups and shuttle service to campus on Friday and Saturday of home football weekends.
In June, Penn State announced that all game day and season RV and Overnight RV is sold out for the 2017 season. Fans who do not have a RV parking permit will need to make other arrangements and Penn State Athletics has partnered with Grange Park to provide an economical alternative with hook-ups and shuttle service to campus on Friday and Saturday of home football weekends.
Fans who have not already purchased an RV parking permit should not attempt to park in the official lots near Beaver Stadium. Those fans will be asked to turn around by police and traffic personnel, which will disrupt the flow of traffic heading to Beaver Stadium.
Fans interested in parking their RV at Grange Park can reserve a spot by calling 814-364-9212.
Guest Services Booths Inside and Outside Beaver Stadium
Penn State has two guest services booths outside the stadium, in addition to locations inside the facility, to assist fans prior to and following the game. The first booth is located at the intersection of Park Avenue and University Drive, near the intramural fields, and the second booth is at the intersections of Park Avenue and Porter Road near the Ag Arena and the Overnight RV lot. The two booths outside the stadium will open three hours before kickoff.
Inside Beaver Stadium, guest services booths are located at Gates B, C, E and F on the field level. There also is a guest services booth on the North concourse, two on the South concourse and one in the North upper deck.
Fan assistance also is provided by the customer relations staff, by texting the word "Nittany" your issue and location to the phone number 69050, or by calling 1-800-NITTANY.
Advance Car Parking Available for $20 Until 6 p.m. Friday at Jordan Center Ticket Office
General car parking in the Beaver Stadium lots purchased in advance is $20 per car, while paying to park on game day when arriving at the general lots will cost $40. Fans are encouraged to purchase parking passes in advance to not only realize the savings, but to assist in smoother traffic and parking operations by displaying the pass as they approach roads to stadium parking. Fans can purchase up to three advance single game parking passes per account, per game.
Car parking can be purchased in advance by calling 1-800-NITTANY (weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office (weekdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.).
Fans are asked to please display their parking permit from their rear view mirror as they enter the traffic pattern. Cars are sorted in traffic by Stadium Traffic Control to lanes leading to appropriate lots. Patrons should approach their parking lot as directed on the back of their parking permit.
For more information on tickets, parking or other questions, fans should call 1-800-NITTANY, which also will be open this Saturday at 7 a.m. until one hour after the game ends. Fans can also send an email to Golions@psu.edu.
The Penn State-Akron game will air on ABC, the Penn State Sports Network (10:30 a.m. airtime) and GoPSUsports.com.
Fans can engage with Penn State Athletics via the Nittany Lions' social media accounts at: GoPSUsports.com/ot/socialmedia.html.