The notes of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” stick to the mind like an ear worm. In the air lingers the scent of light beer and moonshine. There’s a distinct passion brought forth by every blue-jeaned fan in West Virginia gold, and it’s one that tends to sway hostile toward visiting opponents. Penn State isn’t expected to receive any free passes on Saturday.
To win is to begin the journey toward an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. And the opportunity is there for both James Franklin’s Nittany Lions and the Mountaineers, coming off the best season of the Neal Brown era. Penn State isn’t a stranger to hostile environments. But this game will be different. It should be a playoff atmosphere on a typically uncharted turf.
“It’s one thing to do it at home in front of 100,000, which is challenging. It’s another thing to do it on the road with 70,000 people that kind of hate you,” Franklin said Monday. “You know, you’re 250 versus 70,000. … And I think it’s magnified in a place that does not have an NFL team. Like, everything in that state revolves around West Virginia and Mountaineer football.”
There’s a portion of Penn State’s roster and coaching staff that has grown familiar with tough road environments. Maybe they’ve played at Iowa or Ohio State or Auburn. But there’s another wave of individuals who haven’t, and the trip to West Virginia should serve as a learning experience, especially with an increasingly high-pressure postseason potentially on the horizon.
Dvon J-Thomas, projected to again start at defensive tackle, has witnessed many a hostile atmosphere over his six-year college career. He’s also seen how the stakes and excitement of a season opener can cause players to get lost in the noise. To J-Thomas, it’s all about staying level-headed, whether on the road or in a packed Beaver Stadium.
“So, you know, going into that type of atmosphere, just a hostile atmosphere in general, composure is definitely the biggest one, especially for the young guys or guys who haven’t necessarily seen away games like what we’re going to see at West Virginia, especially with the season opener,” J-Thomas said.
It’s not only the on-field transition that can be a challenge for inexperienced players. There’s also the logistics of traveling that make for an added burden for Franklin and his associates. That’s especially considering that Nittany Lions are planning to bring their entire roster, with those not competing set to travel by bus on Saturday morning.
“It’s making sure the freshman doesn’t leave one of our tester tip sheets on the floor in the meeting room, because everybody that works in that hotel is probably connected or related to somebody at West Virginia football,” Franklin said. “Like, I know that stuff sounds funny and silly. That happens.”
Penn State may be familiar with the Mountaineers, having played and beaten them to open the 2023 season. But to compete against them on the road is a completely different challenge. And if Franklin has learned anything from hosting games, it’s that a home-field advantage is absolutely a “real thing,” he said.
Franklin can blast fake crowd noise at practices. He can try to prepare his team for West Virginia’s schemes. But Franklin can’t fake that college football means so much in Morgantown that two relatives of longtime head coach Don Nehlen work for the program. He can’t truly reproduce the passion and electricity of a season-opening atmosphere.
“Just making sure that you’re doing everything you possibly can. And some of those things you can prepare for, other things you can’t,” Franklin said.
