Blue- and white-clad fans filled Scottsdale Stadium’s green seats on Friday afternoon with a heightened sense of anticipation ahead of Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl.
Nittany Lion faithful started “We Are” chants as “Zombie Nation” blared and Penn State-Iowa highlights played on the left-field videoboard. Youngsters donning white Fiesta Bowl T-shirts ran around the concourse of the San Francisco Giants’ 12,000-seat spring training home, while older alumni secured their seats just behind the backstop — a dead-ahead view of the balloon-covered stage at home plate.
Penn State brought Happy Valley to the Valley of the Sun.
Parents, lettermen, cheerleaders, administrators, the Blue Band, James Franklin and his team and about 7,000 supporters packed Scottsdale Stadium for a vibrant pep rally ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Washington.