Penn State Scandal: PSU Students Must Not Make Things Worse at Nebraska Game

The university's student body made it abundantly clear on Wednesday night that they weren't happy about it, but long-time Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno is done coaching games at Happy Valley.

Nevertheless, the show must go on. The Penn State football team, an innocent bystander in all of this, still has three regular season games to play. They could potentially have a couple of more games to play after those are finished, too.

First up for the post-Paterno Nittany Lions is a Big Ten clash against Nebraska at Beaver Stadium this Saturday. It is Penn State's final home game of the regular season, and you can rest assured that it is going to feature a scene unlike anything we've ever witnessed.

A healthy percentage of Nebraska fans will be there to take it all in. Apparently, that has people worried. So much so, in fact, that Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne saw fit to issue a statement on the matter.

Courtesy of the Big Ten Network's website, here is that statement:

"

I am saddened to learn of the recent events at Penn State and we will continue to monitor the developments on their campus. We will hold the alleged victims and all those involved in our thoughts and prayers.

We have had a number of inquiries from fans regarding the circumstances at Penn State and the conditions they might expect in attending the game. UNL Chief of Police Owen Yardley is in touch with the Penn State police department and we have talked with interim Penn State Athletic Director Mark Sherburne. We have visited with Penn State security and we understand they are enhancing their security efforts for Saturday’s game and are taking extra precautions to ensure that all players, coaches and fans are treated in a respectful way. We also appreciate that there is a student-led effort at Penn State to respectfully welcome Nebraska fans to Beaver Stadium and into the Big Ten Conference. We know that our fans will reciprocate and display good sportsmanship toward Penn State’s fans and players.

"

Nebraska fans headed to Happy Valley with any worries should feel better upon reading this. It sounds like the worst is being prepared for, which is a reassuring thought.

Personally, my hope is that Penn State students have had their fun. Last night's protest-turned-riot was an absolutely despicable scene, and it will forever be a black mark on the reputation of the university. It's something that should have never happened, and that should never happen again.

To be sure, not all Penn State students should be lumped into the same category. However, it only takes a couple of troublemakers to create chaos on the streets. Equally, it only takes a couple of troublemakers to create chaos in a stadium. 

To say that both fanbases should display "good sportsmanship" therefore doesn't quite cut it. Fans on both sides of the fence must simply be good human beings, particularly on the Penn State side of the fence.

The bright side is that things will indeed be about sports once again when Saturday rolls around. Now more than ever, it must be remembered that no sport—football included—is sacred.

Sports are, however, fun. Goodness knows Penn State could use a bit of that right now.