‘Unlawful disturbance’ in downtown State College after Penn State football win over Purdue

Fans flooded Beaver Canyon following Penn State football’s narrow win Thursday over Purdue, prompting a police presence and alert that urged people to avoid downtown State College.

“Crowd on Beaver Ave. is an unlawful disturbance. Leave the area or be subject to arrest,” the university warned in an emergency notification issued at about 12:50 a.m. Friday. By about 1:30 a.m., Beaver Avenue was “all clear,” the university wrote in another alert.

Social media posts showed videos of fans filling the streets of Beaver Avenue. Alpha Fire Company fire police were called to assist police with the large crowd, according to dispatch reports.

Nobody was arrested, no damage was caused and no force was used, State College police said Friday. The crowd grew from about 100 to 1,000 and snarled traffic for about an hour.

The reaction on Twitter ran the gamut. One user advocated for students to get arrested and “be legends,” while others chided the crowd for celebrating a win against a “bottom-tier” Big Ten team on a Thursday night.

The Nittany Lions are scheduled play Ohio in their home opener noon Saturday.

This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 1:11 AM.