Columbus' crowd of thorns

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, September, 2006

There are rumors out there, still unconfirmed at this point, that college students drink on weekends. If so, this could help explain why for an 8 p.m. Saturday game against Ohio State last October at Beaver Stadium, the crowd was louder than Dallas Green on a cell phone. And after the Nittany Lions responded to the collegiate cacophony with a 17-10 victory, numerous players credited the win to the noise.

For this week's rematch, when it's Penn State's turn to visit Ohio Stadium - though for a game that will start 41/2 hours earlier - players can expect the situation to be reversed. "I think the crowd can help, no question about that," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said yesterday. "If the kids are getting a little bit down and discouraged, and the crowd gets into it and tries...