Penn State’s White Out is this weekend against the Minnesota Gophers. The White Out is a cherished and extraordinary tradition at Penn State University. Every year, the crowd in the stadium is as loud as can be and is an event fans look forward to every year. This week leading up to the game, I look back on the Nittany Lion’s loudest and most energized tradition.
Penn State’s White Out: A History
The first White Out took place in 2004. The team was not really good and struggled to get any wins. In order to boost energy, the former director of communications and branding for football, Guido D’Elia proposed the idea of a White Out, according to Sportingnews.com. It was at this moment, a beautiful school tradition began.
While the White Out officially began in 2004, when Penn State lost to Purdue, the first full stadium White Out was in 2007, against Notre Dame. According to ESPN, Penn State beat Notre Dame 31-10. This made the Nittany Lions 2-0 that year and both wins were at home. Also notable, in 2005, College Gameday traveled to University Park, the day of Penn State’s White Out.
Penn State has a 9-8 record in their White Out games. This year, the Nittany Lions can either keep their winning record in their most famous tradition or tie it up.
Penn State’s White Out: Notable Games
While all of Penn State’s White Out games are fun to watch and truly full of energy, there have been many notable games still talked about to this day.
Penn State vs Notre Dame (2007)
Of course, to begin, we should discuss Penn State’s 2007 win vs Notre Dame. This was the first stadium-wide White Out, which truly paved the way for the tradition that goes on to this day. It may not have been the easiest game for the Nittany Lions, but they came out with a win in the end. Penn State won by dominating the time of possession with great defense, giving the Fighting Irish less time to score. Despite multiple turnovers, the Nittany Lions totaled in more yards at 295, compared to The Fighting Irish’s 144, according to ESPN.
Penn State vs Michigan (2013)
In 2013, Penn State was trailing in the fourth quarter against Michigan with a score of 27-34. With 35 seconds left in the game, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed a 36-yard pass to wide receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson completed the pass on the one-yard line while being covered and managing to stay in bounds. When the ball was caught, the stadium erupted. You can watch the video posted by the Big Ten Network here. Penn State went on to win the game 43-40 after forcing the game into overtime during their annual White Out game.
Penn State vs Michigan (2019)
In 2019, Penn State’s White Out truly demonstrated how loud the stadium gets. Yes, Penn State won the game 28-21, but that was not the most memorable point of the game. Michigan got the ball to begin, and before the first snap of the game, Michigan had to call a timeout.
The Penn State fans were so loud that Michigan’s quarterback, Shea Patterson could not communicate with his center to snap the ball. Michigan was already down a timeout and the energy in the stadium could be felt by everyone. Even those watching the game from home could hear how loud the stadium was through their TV. A video of this thrilling moment can be found here, which shows just how electric the fans were in this game.
For more key whiteout moments, click here. Despite not all of those games being a win, they are still fun to watch, with the level of energy from the stands, and big plays by the team.
Penn State’s White Out: Looking Ahead
This weekend, the Penn State Nittany Lions will face the Minnesota Gophers. Penn State is coming off their first loss of the season. The White Out is the perfect game to turn things around, where the team will be much more motivated to win in front of their loyal fanbase. Minnesota is 4-2 and with the game set at night, and it being homecoming, the crowd energy should be insanely high.
For more Penn State and other football content:
Check out my most recent article on what Penn State position needs the most help. Also, check out this Penn State article here.
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