Pittsburgh fight song blares at Penn State practice

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The noise was deafening inside Holuba Hall, and it wasn't the usual practice playlist of rock and country music. On Wednesday night, it was the University of Pittsburgh fight song that blared through the speakers at Penn State's indoor practice facility.

Clearly, this week required a different kind of energy.

Over the last few days, coach James Franklin has tried to downplay the hype surrounding Saturday's revival of an intrastate rivalry with the Panthers. However, the third-year coach indicated Wednesday that he is prepared to enter a hostile environment at Heinz Field.

When the blue-and-white buses pull up to the stadium, Franklin anticipates Pitt fans will yell "some colorful things, like 'Welcome to Pittsburgh,'" he joked.

For linebacker Brandon Bell, colorful comments won't be a problem.

"I love playing away," Bell said. "I love getting the fans talking trash to you."

The senior from Mays Landing, N.J., has never been to Pittsburgh. An Oakcrest High School graduate, he couldn't name a high school game that had quite the tradition of the 96-game Pitt-Penn State rivalry. His team's annual Thanksgiving game against Absegami High School was probably the closest thing, he said.

As a starter for the Nittany Lions, the 6-foot-1, 233-pound Bell has a familiar face on the field this year in fellow linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White, a Philadelphia native who lost last season to injury.

Wartman-White and Bell share more than just the camaraderie of teammates. Bell said Wartman-White is actually his distant cousin.

"Everybody was waiting for Nyeem to come back," Bell said. "It definitely felt good to have him there."

And Franklin has high hopes for another Philly-area player: defensive end Shareef Miller.

After redshirting last season, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound George Washington grad impressed with 11/2 sacks in Saturday's 33-13 win over Kent State.

After the game, Franklin said Miller "actually put himself in a tough position" with that performance since the coaches don't see that in practice.

Franklin clarified on Wednesday.

"It is not like he has been practicing poorly. I just haven't seen him practice the way he played in the game. And when guys figure that out, they have the chance to elevate their game to another level," Franklin said. "He is practicing at a much higher level right now. . . . I am excited about his future."