The ice tubs and the treatment rooms inside Lasch Building have been full after Penn State football practices, especially in December.
Like other teams, the Nittany Lions have many bumps and bruises as they prepare for their 15th game, the most in school history.
“Taking care of your body and making sure you eat right are the most important things right now,” running back Nick Singleton said. “Everybody is beat up a little bit. The (practice) reps went down a little bit, but you’re still doing your job.
“It’s been really good, man. We’re just ready.”
Fourth-ranked Penn State (12-2) will leave Saturday for the Phoenix area and its College Football Playoff quarterfinal against No. 9 Boise State (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday night at 7:30 (TV-ESPN).
Only once before had the Lions played as many as 14 games in a season. That was 2016 when they beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and lost to USC in the Rose Bowl.
This is uncharted territory. They’re not complaining.
“We’ve been here together since the end of July, but that’s what we signed up for,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “We’re competing for a national championship. We were talking before practice (Wednesday). Where would you rather be?
“If someone said in July, ‘Hey, we’re going to be practicing on Christmas because we’re playing for a national championship,’ people would have signed up immediately and said, ‘Hell, yeah!’ ”
Penn State spent finals week preparing to face SMU in the first round of the CFP. After their 38-10 blowout win over the Mustangs, the Lions practiced Sunday and then were allowed to go home to spend time with their families.
They returned to campus on Christmas Day for meetings and practice in the evening.
Quarterback Drew Allar started watching film and videotape of Boise State early Sunday morning, practiced and drove home to Ohio.
“It’s only like a 3.5-hour drive,” Allar said. “I got home and started watching Boise State again. Monday and Tuesday, I watched a little bit in the morning, chilled out the rest of the day and spent time with my family.
“Then Wednesday, we came back and we had practice.”
Along with the practice repetitions, the weightlifting has been scaled back, too.
“We’re being smart with reps and practicing like professionals,” tight end Tyler Warren said. “We’re able to do walkthroughs and get as much out of a walkthrough as you would a full speed period.
“It (the long season) takes a toll, but you’re kind of just in the groove of it and the routine of the season. You’re used to waking up and feeling however you feel. But doing whatever you can, like getting in the tub, gives you an edge. It’s something you’ve got to deal with in this sport.”
Warren said the Lions or any other team can’t use the season’s length as an excuse. Linebacker Dominic DeLuca said it’s not an issue with them.
“Everyone has bumps and bruises,” DeLuca said. “It’s not easy. You’re playing at a high level so it’s going to happen. It’s about everyone taking care of their bodies.
“After practice, the ice tubs are so hard to get into because everyone’s in there trying to get their body recovered for the next week. I feel like that’s a good problem to have.”
So does Kotelnicki.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t doing press conferences because they’re not playing anymore,” he said. “We’re fortunate and blessed to be doing that. As tired as we are, we need to enjoy what we’re doing and we are. We’re having a great time.”