Penn State and Washington fans gear up, count down to Fiesta Bowl

A worker driving a cart rallied the long line of Fiesta Bowl fans — scores of them decked out in white Penn State gear — waiting to get into McFadden's at Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale on Saturday morning.

He shouted, "We are!"

"Penn State," the crowd shouted back, finishing the team's signature mantra.

The PlayStation Fiesta Bowl is at the University of Phoenix Stadium and, as Nittany Lions fans will tell you, Pennsylvania State University always attracts a crowd.

The slew of bars at Westgate were filling up around 10 a.m. Saturday as fans of the University of Washington Huskies and Penn State Nittany Lions counted down the hours till kickoff.

But the purple Washington jerseys seemed to only dot the predominantly white-and-blue sea of Penn State T-shirts, jerseys and ball caps.

"Penn State travels really well," Pennsylvania resident Jeff Mitchell said.

He and his wife, Deb, have been Penn State season ticket holders for the past 50 years, he said.

Deb, a Penn State alumna, said this was the first bowl game they've attended.

Even though the football stakes are high, Deb said she's most excited to see the Penn State Blue Band march onto the field.

"When they get on the field, I get energized," she said.

Penn State graduate student Alyssa Grell flew in from Pennsylvania with her family to see the game, though this isn't the family's first bowl game together.

She recalled attending the 2006 Orange Bowl between Penn State and Florida State. The game, which went into triple overtime before the Nittany Lions scored a winning field goal, was nerve-wracking, the family said.

Grell said she couldn't wait to see her team take the field.

"I'm excited to see (Penn State running back) Saquon Barkley," she said. "He just needs to get on the field and show everyone that he's the best player in the country."

Just outside the packed bars, Nittany Lions fans nonchalantly faced Arizona'swinter weather, described as "warm" by several out-of-state visitors.

While speakers at each of the neighboring bars lining Westgate belted out Top 40 hits from yesteryear, the noise rendered conversation nearly indistinguishable except for when a new passer-by saw the horde of Penn State fans and repeated the team mantra, "We are!"

"Penn State!" they all shouted back.

Huskies territory

Huskies fans, identifiable by their signature purple clothing, traveled in and out of Whiskey Rose and Hell's Half Acre. 

Husband and wife Don and Jean Lester came from Reno to see the Huskies.

Like Washington, this is the Lesters' first bowl game.

"They're never near home," Don said. "You always have to travel."

Jean, a Seattle native, said when they saw her alma mater coming to Arizona, she knew they had to go.

"This is on my bucket list," she said. "I'm fulfilling my dream."

Away from the excitement of Westgate on Saturday morning, tailgaters were starting to trickle into the stadium's parking lot.

Although Westgate was teeming with Nittany Lions fans, Huskies fans were copious among parking lot tailgaters.

They descended upon the long, winding line to stadium, through the checkpoints and barricades for each fan event.

"Well, we have fans, too, I guess," one woman said while caught in the throng of Huskies fans.

Ron and Irene Burden watched the crowds filter through the long lines.

Snowbirds who spend the winters driving an RV from Washington to Arizona, the Burdens had a small orange Ford sedan, decked out with Huskies flags on the windows and a full-size helmet on top of the car.

The two are Huskies season ticket holders and die-hard fans — Irene said they delay their winter trips to Arizona until the college football season is over.

They cheered and tailgated with Washington and Penn State fans alike.

"We love college football — the tailgating, visiting people," Ron said. "Some of the Penn State fans have come by to take pictures of the car. But when the teams take the field, it's game time."

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