Penn State investigates threat against Beaver Stadium; game against Gophers still on

Penn State announced Saturday that police received information about a potential threat at Beaver Stadium but that extensive police searches found no evidence of potential risk. The Gophers game is on despite the threat.

October 1, 2016 at 7:28PM
Penn State's Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., sits empty before Saturday's game against the Gophers.
Penn State's Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., sits empty before Saturday's game against the Gophers. (Randy Salas — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. -- Penn State announced Saturday that police received information about a potential threat at Beaver Stadium but that extensive police searches have found no evidence of potential risk.

The news came, as the Gophers were getting ready to face Penn State in their Big Ten opener.

"Out of an abundance of caution we are notifying fans and the public of the threat that was received, so that they can make their own choices about personal safety and their attendance at today's game," David Gray, Penn State's senior vice president for finance and business, said in a statement. "Our first obligation is to the safety of the public and, while police and safety officials have given an all-clear for today's game, we wanted to ensure that visitors were aware of this decision."

There has been very little buzz about the threat in the press box, and fans are coming into the stadium, so it appears football will go on as normal.

The forecast on Weather.com, calls for a 25 percent chance of rain around kickoff, increasing to a 50 percent chance later in the game. Rain could lead to more turnovers. Penn State has turned the ball over 10 times in four games, compared to twice in three games for the Gophers.

At any rate, the rain is affecting the tailgating scene, and could hurt attendance.

The Gophers brought senior linebacker Nick Rallis on the trip. He's been out with an elbow injury, but it sounds like there's a chance he can play.

Update: Jared Weyler worked with the first-team offense at right guard, and Vincent Calhoun was with the 2'2.

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about the writer

about the writer

Joe Christensen

Sports team leader

Joe Christensen, a Minnesota Star Tribune sports team leader, graduated from the University of Minnesota and spent 15 years covering Major League Baseball, including stops at the Riverside Press-Enterprise and Baltimore Sun. He joined the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2005 and spent four years covering Gophers football.

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