Saturday Scorecard: Penn State vs Indiana

Why I Grade College Game Day Experiences

My name is Matthew Laurentino, and I believe the experience of being inside a stadium tells you just as much about the sport as the players on the field do. Growing up on Long Island, I didn’t get exposed to true college football chaos, so I made it a priority to chase the biggest atmospheres I could find while in college, which is what brought me to the University of South Carolina. I wanted not to just watch it, but to live inside that culture and study it too. Now, as I wrap up my degree as a Sport Management major with a minor in Sports Media, I’ve been to over 50 MLB games across 15 ballparks, over 25 college football games across 4 stadiums, and more than 50 NHL games in 7 different arenas. Every single trip has helped shape how I evaluate fan energy, stadium personality, and regional identity. That’s why I created this scoring system,because the gameday environment deserves to be judged the same way we judge teams, players, and performance.

The Grading System

To break down the full college football game day experience in a way that will be consistent, fair, and repeatable no matter what game I attend, I want to use a simple 25-point system that is easy to follow along. The scoring system will be built around the 5 things I find the most important to a successful gameday:​​​​​​​          

Stadium Atmosphere & Energy (5Points)​​​​​​​​      

Pre-Game + In-Game Production (5 Points)​​​​​​​            

Tailgate Environment (5 Points)​​​​​​​​​          

Stadium Layout (5 Points)​​​​​​​​​       

Postgame Experience (5 Points)

This isn’t an evaluation of roster talent, coaching decisions, or who wins. This is a score purely based on the culture, experience, sound, energy, hype, efficiency, and emotional impact of being there in person. Every school brings something unique to the table; this model lets us distinguish the ones that truly elevate the Saturday experience.

Game Background

Way back in August, when I decided to go to Indiana vs Penn State. Traveling to Happy Valley and going to Beaver Stadium for a BIG 10 matchup is a bucket list item for many college football fans around the country. Penn State has one of the most recognized atmospheres in college football, and going into this game, I wanted to see how that translates live on a regular Saturday. In August, just about everyone thought it would be an intriguing matchup between two playoff hopefuls. But the meteoric rise of Indiana and the fall from grace for Penn State led to this experience being a little bit different than anticipated. What still turned out to be an exciting and entertaining game with a thrilling ending, still leads me wondering if I really got the full Penn State experience.

The Scorecard

Stadium Atmosphere & Energy – Score 4.5 / 5

Early on, especially in the first half of the game, I was asking myself: “Am I going to hear that Beaver Stadium roar?” In the first half, the student section and fans were more reactionary than proactive. What I mean by that is the fans weren’t getting loud when the defense was getting beat, they were only loud after big plays not before them in the first half. With Indiana going into the locker room up 17-7 at half, I was wondering what I was going to see out of the Penn State team and crowd. The student section slowly but surely did start to slightly empty out. The last 5 rows of the student section were empty due to students leaving early at half. I thought the crowd energy would not reach its potential.

Despite that, in the second half, Beaver Stadium came to life. In a game that looked like it was about to get out of hand after a Grunkemeyer interception, the Penn State defense held strong and only surrendered three points to keep the game within two scores. After a big run 59-yard run from Nick Singleton to get Penn State deep into Indiana territory, which eventually led to a touchdown, the place came to life. Just two plays later, the Penn State defense gets the interception they desperately need and the 105,231 in attendance on Saturday became fully engaged.

With Penn State now in the lead and Indiana on the ropes, it started to feel like an upset could occur in Happy Valley. On that last defensive series, despite possibly the catch of the year from Omar Cooper Jr., Beaver Stadium brought the ruckus. This was easily the loudest stretch of the entire game. It went from selective engagement to full volume, and in that moment, you saw exactly why Penn State is known for having one of the most intimidating home field advantages in college football when it truly locks in.

Pre-Game & In-Game Production – Score 3.5 / 5

From a production standpoint, I felt slightly underwhelmed. “Mo Bamba” has officially reached the point where it feels overused, it feels forced and dragged out just because it’s expected. The Penn State intro itself, while clearly iconic to their fanbase, didn’t fully match the reputation I had built up in my head. It was still kind of cool, but it felt a little more standard than legendary. And throughout the game, the overall music and in-game production choices lacked variation,nothing felt uniquely tailored to the moment or crafted to escalate emotional momentum in the stadium. It didn’t ruin the experience by any means, but it didn’t elevate it either. Instead of enhancing tension or building intensity, the production felt more like consistent background noise than a true gameday weapon.

Tailgate Environment – Score 4.25 / 5

The tailgate scene at Penn State is massive in terms of volume. There are endless lots, plenty of set-ups, and no shortage of options for how you want to pregame. Everywhere you walk, there’s activity, music, tents, and grills that all feel like their own little neighborhoods. But the one thing I felt was missing was a true signature identity, especially when it comes to food. At places like LSU, you instantly associate tailgating with southern staples such as jambalaya and crawfish boils. There’s something that defines the region and the culture. Penn State did not have something that immediately screams “this is uniquely Penn State tailgating.” I was expecting maybe an identity with a cheesesteak. It was a strong tailgate scene, but it lacked that regional stamp that makes a tailgate feel culturally distinct rather than just large in scale.

Stadium Layout – Score: Incomplete

It’s hard to fully grade Penn State’s stadium layout right now because so much construction and renovation work is actively happening. They are in the middle of a multi-year, $700 million renovation. With that comes things such as temporary bleachers, sections that were blocked offand temporary bathrooms within the stadium that messed with the flow. That made it tough to evaluate what the true Beaver Stadium fan circulation normally feels like. Because of that, it wouldn’t be fair to score this category at this time. Once the renovation project is finished and the stadium returns to its full operational layout, this category will be revisited. Right now, wouldn’t reflect the real long-term experience Penn State intends to deliver.

Postgame Experience – Score: 4.4 / 5

One of the biggest positives about Penn State postgame is that there actually are plenty of bar options and nightlife spots you can go to after the final whistle, you don’t just walk out of the stadium and go straight home. There are real places to continue the night, keep the energy going, and extend the gameday experience socially. Despite the loss, places such as Pickles, Doggies, Champs, Primanti Brothers, and Brothers are bringing the energy. The lines for some of the bars are over a block long down the street long. The only drawback is accessibility, all the bars and hangout areas are on the complete opposite side of town from the stadium, about a 30-minute walk from Beaver Stadium, so getting there isn’t seamless. It’s not a short, convenient walk like you get at some schools. Still, the options are legit once you get there, it just requires more time and travel to tap into them.

Final Score – 16.65 / 20

Final Takeaways + Future Recommendations

After experiencing a full gameday at Penn State, it became clear why Beaver Stadium has a very high reputation. When the environment is fully activated, it is a legit top 3 atmosphere in the country. As a neutral spectator, you can feel how much college football matters to this campus, this town, and this fanbase. The fans just needed a glimmer of hope in what is a lost season for their team to get the building rocking. To the people reading this who want to travel to Beaver Stadium, I would highly recommend waiting until the 2027 season. Wait for all the renovations to be officially done. Hopefully with a new coaching staff coming in, the stadium renovation, and a new uniform sponsor in Adidas, you will get the full Penn State experience.