SCRANTON -- It was the day Penn State fans have been waiting for all season: the Nittany Lions against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl.
If you were to look for Penn State fans in northeastern and central Pennsylvania, it would be difficult to find more than at The Vault in west Scranton. The popular bar is co-owned by former Penn State lineman Eric Shrive.
The Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium is all about those premiere blue and white pinstripes - fittingly, given the colors worn by fans inside the bar.
This was the first bowl game for the Nittany Lions in three years because of sanctions brought on after the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
"Its long overdue," said Tom Shermanski of Mountaintop. "We waited years for them to come back into a bowl."
One senior, home from break, said there's a big sigh of relief seeing his team back in the postseason.
"It's great," said Jim Sagona, senior. "When we got the sanctions a couple of years ago, I didn't think they'd be back in a bowl while I was still a student. So it's good to see that."
One of the co-owners said planning for this event was difficult because they had no idea how many fans would make that trip to Yankee Stadium, and how many would stay in town.
"Penn state crowd is a big part of our crowd," said Jason May. "So to have they playing in the postseason is great."
Playing in the postseason and bringing people in like Anna and Bill McAndrew. Two generations of Penn State grads bonded together not only by blood, but by blue and white.
"When I went to university park, it was a chance for us to do things together," said Anna McAndrew, class of 2012. "[It was] an excuse for him to come back down to University Park and it was a nice thing for us to share."
