LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. -- It was tense inside Legends Saloon in Dickson City as Penn State began the second half of the Citrus Bowl trailing Kentucky 10-7.
As the Nittany Lions faced off against the Wildcats in the Sunshine State, fans in Lackawanna County watched anxiously as Kentucky continued to gain points.
“They're having a bad day. That's what happening. They're having a bad day,” said Gene Wizer from Olyphant. “I thought they were going to win, so once again I was wrong.”
“There's so many Penn State fans in the area with there being a local campus, and to see all of these fans just being out here supporting their team, it's great,” said Lynn Sepkowski, a cook at Legends.
At Buddy Clark's Tavern in Dunmore, fans rallied as Penn State began closing the gap, but the comeback effort fell short and Kentucky held on for the win.
Fans say the Lions gave it a good shot.
“They played hard. They played well. Unfortunately, [Penn State quarterback] Trace McSorley got injured, but they fought. They played hard,” said James Slebodnik from Dunmore.
“We had good thoughts. We'd thought they'd do well, beat an SEC team, get the 10 wins,” said Billy Conway, owner of Buddy Clark’s Tavern. “Couple more minutes we needed.”
Of course, as true Penn State fans, they couldn't let a loss ruin a good time.
The owner of Buddy Clark's Tavern even had a drink special for the bowl game. Anytime Penn State scored a touchdown, any drink cost just $1.