STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — My First Game Covering Penn State in Person just Got A Whole Lot More Interesting as Michigan Signal Stealing Operation Linked to Nittany Lions vs. UMass
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to cover my first Penn State game in person.
Now, this was hardly my first time in Beaver Stadium, I had student season tickets for three years while attending Penn State Law School in the 2010s, but this was my first opportunity to return to Beaver Stadium as a member of the media and fully experience a day in the life of a Penn State beat reporter.
For me, I did not plan to spend a night in a hotel, away from my family and, since the game kicked off at 3:30 p.m., I decided to make the day trip to State College from Washington, D.C.
After the four-hour drive that I started at 6 a.m., I made it to a very rain-soaked State College and found some breakfast before heading toward Beaver Stadium to start covering the game.
After parking downtown, I made the 1.2 mile walk over to Beaver Stadium and chatted up some Penn State fans along the way. Since the game was a projected mid 40 degrees and rain, I asked the dedicated fans I saw out tailgating whether they had any thought of skipping the game and watching on TV due to the weather. Despite the conditions, every fan I talked to said that they had no thought of skipping the game, including recent fans that started coming within the last few years and others that have made the trip since 1996.
Talked to a number of people on the way into the game. People who have been coming for 3 years and others that have been coming since 1996. None of them said they had any thought about skipping because of the rain. Penn State has some dedicated fans.
— Penn State FB Thoughts (@PSU_FB_Thoughts) October 14, 2023
Once at the stadium, I made my way to the media gate, picked up my credential, and found my way to the press box.
As it was my first time covering a game in person as a member of the media, I was not sure what to expect from the gametime accommodations or access that I would receive, but I was excited to find out.
Somewhat surprisingly, covering a game at Penn State comes with plenty of perks.
The press box has great internet (something everyone who has attended a game as a fan has almost begged the athletic department for stadium wide), lunch that included Penn State’s famous creamery ice cream, a desk to work from, and TVs to watch the earlier games while waiting for Penn State to kickoff.
Since it had been raining the previous night, I was able to catch a glimpse of the tarp being pulled off the field by Penn State’s grounds crew before the team arrived.
Removing the tarp off the field now. 3.5 hours until game time. pic.twitter.com/kUO6XSrmMu
— Penn State FB Thoughts (@PSU_FB_Thoughts) October 14, 2023
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When the team arrived, I took my place in the stadium above the team entrance to get some shots of the team as they walked in.
James Franklin arriving pic.twitter.com/erU08FlzYa
— Penn State FB Thoughts (@PSU_FB_Thoughts) October 14, 2023
Why Penn State vs. Umass Just Became More Interesting
Quite a bit later, after grabbing lunch and catching the Alabama vs. Arkansas and Michigan vs. Indiana games on the TVs in the press box, it was finally time for Penn State and UMass to warm up and for the crowd to filter in.
Little did I, or anyone else in the country outside of the Bo Schembechler Michigan Football Building, know at the time, according to ESPN’s Dan Murphy, that part of the crowd filtering in would be a Michigan spy, sent to videotape Penn State’s signals and send them back to Michigan’s coaching staff.
According to Murphy, a former Division III football player and coach told ESPN that he “attended games at Rutgers and Penn State last season and another game at Penn State last month.”
In his story to ESPN commenting on the Penn State UMass game, the man “only did a half because it was pouring rain and [Penn State was] playing UMass.” While the alleged Michigan spy may have only stayed a half, I was able to stay dry and cover the entire 63-0 blowout for Penn State.
After the game, I had the opportunity to attend James Franklin’s post-game press conference and interview both Kaytron Allen and Drew Allar before making the four-hour drive back to my house to finish out the day.
Drew Allar last night on his confidence through the season: pic.twitter.com/fYOq0fIwPA
— Penn State FB Thoughts (@PSU_FB_Thoughts) October 15, 2023
While ESPN’s Dan Murphy reported that the alleged Michigan spy was set to return to Beaver Stadium Saturday to film Penn State vs. Indiana before the scandal broke, I will have to wait until next season to return to the press box to cover another game, however, I can’t wait to get back to one of the coolest experiences I’ve had writing about Penn State.
MORE: Nittany Lions’ Key Matchups vs. Indiana
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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