Andrews: Traffic, tailgates and a program turnaround — what I’ve learned covering Penn State football
Hello, everyone. My name is Kyle J. Andrews, and I’m a sports reporter for the Centre Daily Times.
I began on May 3, having just moved from the Baltimore area and working for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, where I covered high school sports and occasionally filled in covering the smaller colleges. While I’d be doing a lot of similar work at my new job, there was one major change coming: helping with covering Penn State football.
While I came into the job with an understanding of the importance of Penn State football to fans in central Pennsylvania and elsewhere, alumni and many others who enjoy college athletics — being in a long-term relationship with a loyal Penn Stater with a family full of Penn State grads certainly helped — nothing had prepared me for exactly what the experience would be like. So far, I’ve gotten to cover a Penn State upset win, a nationally televised White Out and a rare Big Ten vs. SEC game, “College GameDay,” a now-top-5 college football team, and coaching rumors — and we’re only four games in.
The first time that I stepped foot in Beaver Stadium was on Oct. 5, 2019 — Penn State’s homecoming matchup against Purdue. The then-No. 12 Nittany Lions rolled to a 35-7 victory over the Boilermakers. While the result of the game was important to the fans, as an outsider, just taking in the experience was enough in itself.
We entered the tailgate early — arriving around 8 a.m. Fans came in droves with music blaring everywhere. The sea of blue and white went on for miles with no end in sight. Food made its way around the tailgate — fans brought their own smokers, grills, even a portable oven to the tailgate — sharing stories of Penn State football past.
Entering the stadium itself made me realize how grand the experience actually was. Even as a person who grew up watching a lot of college football and went to a number of Maryland Terrapins games, I was still surprised by the energy that came from a full Beaver Stadium.
Fast forward to May 3. It’s my first day working for the Centre Daily Times. The spring high school sports season was nearing its end, and I dove straight into covering local softball and baseball teams as they navigated through the playoffs. That kept me plenty busy. And still, I couldn’t help the feeling of anxiety and excitement that comes with a college football season.
This wouldn’t be like anything I’d done before — no — it was covering a team that had a stadium with a capacity of 107,000, a team that won two titles in 1982 and 1986 with Joe Paterno, has a history of sending off a number of players to the National Football League, has been marred by scandal and the subsequent fallout, and has risen back to national prominence.
It was a tall order and one that carried a great deal of responsibility and luckily, I’ve had a ton of help along the way with Penn State football beat reporter Jon Sauber and our managing editor Lauren Muthler guiding me throughout.
On Sept. 4, then-No. 19 Penn State kicked off its season with then-No. 12 Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. While I wrote about the game from the confines of a house in Altoona, Penn State geared up for what is currently a 4-0 campaign, matching its win total from last season’s 4-5 record.
Wide receiver Jahan Dotson blew the cover off of Wisconsin’s vaunted defense for five catches and 102 receiving yards and a touchdown, en route to a 16-10 upset victory. The Nittany Lions’ defense stepped up with two interceptions: One coming from Jaquan Brisker and another from J’Ayir Brown to seal the deal. The game set the tone for the buzz that has been felt throughout the new season.
I got to cover my first home game on Sept. 11, 2021, when Penn State took on Ball State. With a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, the sun beamed onto the south side of the stadium. I took a walk with some fellow reporters around the stadium, watching Penn State players arrive to cheers as they entered the stadium. Then came head coach James Franklin. With every step that he took, the onlookers and supporters alike felt energy reverberate through every handshake he gave to them.
It didn’t matter that Penn State played a Mid-American Conference opponent. The crowd was equally as energized as it would be for most games. After all, it was its first home game since Nov. 30, 2019 against Michigan State. Penn State won 44-13 with quarterback Sean Clifford going 21-for-29 on passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. As Clifford had a tough game against Wisconsin a week prior where he completed just 54.5 percent of his passes, the calmness that offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich seemed to bring to his play was starting to show itself.
Back to my story.
We knew coming into the Auburn game on Sept. 18 that ESPN’s “College GameDay” would be in town in the morning leading up to the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. I thought I knew what craziness would come. I truly did. I wasn’t prepared for what would come next: rumors of Franklin being interested in the USC opening.
Then, gridlock traffic. It was the Southeastern Conference versus the Big Ten. That alone should’ve alerted me for what was to come because everyone knows that SEC fans travel well. I knew that and still, I set in my car for 30 minutes to attempt to park in downtown State College for “College GameDay” media availability on Friday. After covering a high school game Friday evening, I awoke early Saturday morning to return to Penn State’s campus to cover “GameDay.”
The Old Main lawn was littered with Auburn fans, Penn State fans, random Ohio State and Notre Dame supporters, and other SEC fans. Franklin walked onto the stage to draw the fans to their feet, some of whom were covered in mud. Then, former Penn State star and current New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley burst out of the doors of Old Main and walked down a path between the sea of fans to the stage as “College GameDay’s” guest picker. Unsurprisingly, Barkley picked his alma mater to reign victorious over the No. 22 team in the nation.
I predicted Penn State to win 27-20. More on that later.
Parking at the stadium was insane. I arrived around 5 p.m. I kept getting stopped by fans who wondered why I was wearing a teal polo shirt. Explaining to them that I was a reporter, they offered me food. Penn State’s faithful served up bratwursts and an assortment of food you’d expect from Pennsylvania Dutch country. Auburn fans had racks of ribs and fried delights, using spices that were familiar to me back home in Maryland. I politely declined and made my way up to the stadium.
Later on in the night, the “White Out” officially began. Nearly the entirety of Beaver Stadium’s bleachers were decked out in white. Auburn fans stuck out with their blue, orange and white jerseys. I picked out of the crowd a number of Bo Jackson and Cam Newton shirts, and signs that stated the SEC’s (Alabama) dominance over the college football landscape. The moment wasn’t too big for Penn State as Dotson showed off a little toe tap swag in the right corner of the end zone and they went on to win 28-20.
This week comes with a new task. I’m covering Penn State-Indiana — a game that comes with many implications for the Nittany Lions. They are currently ranked No. 4, and are looking for revenge against the Hoosiers. Indiana quarterback Michael Penix dove into the end zone to knock off the Nittany Lions on Oct. 24 last year in Indiana, which seemingly derailed Penn State’s season. Indiana went on to have its fifth-highest winning percentage in school history with a 6-2 record (.750 winning percentage). Penn State had its 17th-worst winning percentage at .444.
The Nittany Lions are 4-0, while the Hoosiers are 2-2 this year. It’s a pivotal time for both teams. Will Penn State continue to make a push toward a Big Ten title, or will Indiana spoil those hopes before they even begin? It’s a game that I’ve circled on my calendar as a reporter and a fan of college football.
As many journalists would tell you, I have no rooting interest in the team that I cover. I’m a University of Baltimore graduate, a school where we had no athletics. Prior to that, I went to McDaniel College, a Division III school, where I threw shot put and went on to receive my associate’s degree from the Community College of Baltimore County.
This isn’t an opportunity that I could’ve envisioned years ago, falling behind the proverbial eight-ball and graduating college two years after what would’ve been my graduating class at McDaniel. I didn’t go to journalism school. My ledes were rusty. I wasn’t the best at interviewing people, but I’m here now.
It’s not very often that as a 27-year old, you get to cover one of the top football programs in the country. Luckily for me, I’ve been given the opportunity by Centre Daily Times to do just that and I’m grateful for it.
This is just the beginning.
