Jay Paterno: Dad I Wish You Were Here

It’s easy to forget that a football game still had to be played Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.

Emotions ran high before the showdown between Penn State and Nebraska even began. The entire stadium partook in a moment of silence for all victims of child abuse. And in perhaps the day’s most powerful moment, both Penn State and Nebraska knelt midfield in prayer.

“This has been one of the saddest weeks in the history of Penn State and my heart goes out to those who have been victimized,” said Penn State’s new president Rod Erickson during a video played in the first quarter. “I share your anger and sorrow. Although we can’t go back to business as usual, our university must move forward. We are a community.”

A crowd of 107,903 came out for the game, the largest of the year. The entire stadium was awash in blue, the color associated with child-abuse prevention, right down to the flags that accompanied the band. Outside the stadium, several students sold blue bracelets to raise money for RAINN(Rape Abuse National Network).

It was the first time in 46 years that Joe Paterno was not leading the Nittany Lions. The student section cheered his name when his image was shown during a video montage before the second half. Reporters stood outside Paterno’s home nearby. A pair of people even walked to the door and rang the doorbell. But there was no answer from the longtime coach. Many homemade signs dedicated to Paterno were left on the lawn.

Despite a large police presence and a bomb scare that proved to be unfounded, the entire event was peaceful. While the pregame moments were full of intense emotion, the game itself felt like any other for the Nittany Lions, aside from the outcome. The team nearly overcame a 17-point deficit but ultimately fell short, losing to Nebraska 17-14. The loss was disappointing though not devastating, given the day’s main focus.

“I was awful proud of them, the way they kept fighting in the second half,” said interim coach Tom Bradley. “It was unprecedented in the history of college sports what went on here. We grieve for the victims, we feel sad for the families, the children. I think they saw the student body today, the support they had for the children and the victims. A lot of the things that went on today were all about them."

When asked what he would tell his team in the locker room, Bradley stated the following. “I’m going to tell them how proud I was of what they did this week, the way they hung together as a team and the way they stuck together as a family.”

Quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno who traded his usual seat in the press box for a spot on the field also spoke to the media after the game.

“I think our kids were resilient, I think they had some real challenges and they stayed focus and played hard.”

Paterno also had a message for his father.

“Dad I wish you were here,” he said on the verge of tears. “We love you.”