Perhaps no game in the history of college football has been under more intense scrutiny or scandal than the upcoming Ohio State game against Penn State. The Buckeyes are facing serious NCAA sanctions yet to be determined, but those woes pale in comparison to the situation in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions are dealing with a sex abuse scandal that goes far beyond football.
For the PSU football team, however, the focus will be on the Buckeyes. Even in that there are distractions though, as this is the first road game for the Nittany Lions without Joe Paterno in 45 years.
The Horseshoe is always a hostile environment with scarlet sweeping the stadium and 105,000 fans cheering on their Buckeyes. But in the wake of the scandal, the Ohio State leadership has urged the students and fans to be respectful of Penn State.
Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith opened the weekly football press conference with a statement concerning the issue.
“We are asking all of our Buckeye fans to continue to show sportsmanship and class this weekend as we welcome our visitors from Penn State,” Smith said according to the Ohio State student newspaper The Lantern.
Later in the week, the student leadership of Ohio State – The President of Undergraduate Government, the President of the Block-O, the President of the Sportsmanship Council and the two student representatives of the Athletic Council – sent a letter to the study body with the same message. The letter said Penn State is “a proud community and they love their school just as much as we love ours.”
The general message was that the current Penn State players and coaches were not involved in this horrific scandal, and that those on the field Saturday should be shown respect.
“As we welcome one of our conference rivals, we will remember the victims first, but also keep in mind that our visitors are not the people to whom we should direct our anger,” the letter states. “The best fans in the land live right here at The Ohio State University, and we kindly ask that those of you who plan to attend this weekends game host our guests with the respect deserved by a fellow Big Ten school.”
Additionally, a Youtube video was posted by the official Ohio State page with athletes including Aaron Craft, Jared Sullinger and several football players with the same message: be loud, be proud, be respectful.
Though this game holds little significance for Ohio State, the Nittany Lions are still in control of their chances to go to the Big Ten Championship game this season. So while the Buckeyes are preaching respect, once the game begins, expect a hard fought contest. After all, scandal or not, both these defenses are well known for their aggressive, physical nature. Expect nothing less Saturday at the ‘Shoe.
-Jamie Arkin
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