July 20, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Penn State will kick off the football season and a big home sports weekend with the ninth annual Penn State Football Eve on Friday, August 31, followed by men's soccer and women's volleyball matches.
Penn State Football Eve starts the festivities the night before the Nittany Lions' season opener and Coach Bill O'Brien's first game on the Penn State sidelines. There will be a festival-like atmosphere surrounding Beaver Stadium starting at 6:00 p.m. followed by a 7:00 p.m. pep rally inside the stadium with the team and O'Brien. Several Penn State head coaches are expected to participate in the Football Eve program.
Admission and parking are free for Penn State Football Eve. The Nittany Lions' season opener against Ohio is the following day, Sept. 1, at 12:00 p.m.
Immediately following Penn State Football Eve, students and fans will be able to march from Beaver Stadium to Jeffrey Field or Rec Hall for 8 p.m. men's soccer and women's volleyball matches.
The women's volleyball team will be playing its home opener vs. Stanford on August 31 as part of the Nike Big Four tournament. On Saturday, Sept. 1, Coach Russ Rose's Nittany Lions will battle Texas at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall to conclude the Nike Big Four event.
Coach Bob Warming's men's soccer team hosts Duquesne at 8 p.m. August 31 on Jeffrey Field for their third home match in less than a week to open the season. On Sunday, Sept. 2, the Nittany Lion field hockey team hosts Lafayette at 2 p.m.
The Penn State Football Eve activities outside Beaver Stadium will include food and music along Curtin Road, which will become a fan promenade at 6:00 p.m. Stadium gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the program inside the stadium starts at 7:00 p.m. featuring the Blue Band, cheerleaders, Lionettes dance team and videos.
Penn State Football Eve, which launches the first weekend of the football season, annually attracts enthusiastic crowds of 20,000 or more.
O'Brien's squad returns 34 letterwinners and nine starters for the upcoming season, as well as 16 players that have starting experience.?
Season tickets are available for the 2012 season, with the Nittany Lions hosting five teams that played in a bowl game last year, starting with Ohio on Sept. 1. Penn State also will host Ohio State (Oct. 27, 6 p.m.), Wisconsin (Nov. 24-Senior Day), Northwestern (Oct. 6-Homecoming), Indiana (Nov. 17), Navy (Sept. 15, 3:30 p.m.-Military Appreciation Day) and Temple (Sept. 22-All-University Day) in Beaver Stadium this fall.?
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can go to www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets or call 1-800-648-8269 (1-800-NITTANY) weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The pricing of 2012 Penn State football game tickets and accompanying donation levels is the same as in 2011.?The public single game football ticket sale begins at 10 a.m. on July 27.
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