STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Saturday marks Penn State’s 15th full-stadium White Out. What started as an idea to get Nittany Lions fans more into the games as the program floundered morphed into an entire fan base decked out in white in one of the most iconic atmospheres in sports.
The White Out didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it’s made even more impressive when one remembers that this idea was built at a time when social media wasn’t prevalent. What you’ll see Saturday night when No. 9 Penn State hosts No. 24 Iowa is the result of students once telling other students in the dining halls and in the dorms to wear white. It happened in part because storefronts in downtown State College dressed mannequins in white gear and had students with bullhorns shouting at fellow fans en route to the stadium to remind them about what to wear.
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Those behind Penn State’s first all-stadium White Out were so unsure if the entire fan base would follow suit that they had student interns passing out white index cards to fans as they exited the opener in 2007 reminding them to wear white the following week when Notre Dame came to town. Much to their relief, they looked out of the back of the press box the following week and saw their message had resonated.
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Yes, it’s a neat visual, but many of these White Out games have also been exciting, too. After realizing I’ve attended or covered every White Out since 2008, I figured it was a good time to see which games have stood the test of time.
Though there technically have been 14 full-stadium White Outs to date, there are 15 games that I’ve ranked. You’ll see why once you get to No. 2. These games — losses and all — are ranked from least memorable to most.
15. 2015 vs. No. 13 Michigan (L, 28-16)
During a season that ended in the TaxSlayer Bowl, the White Out doubled as the senior day game and kicked off at noon. There’s not much that stands out. In Christian Hackenberg’s last game in Beaver Stadium, he completed 13-of-31 passes for 137 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Saeed Blacknall. Hackenberg was sacked four times. Freshman Saquon Barkley had 15 carries for 68 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards. Penn State was 3-of-14 on third down and kicked three field goals shorter than 25 yards.
14. 2022 vs. Minnesota (W, 45-17)
Do you want a White Out at night or do you want to bottle up that special atmosphere and use it for the most important game of the year? Penn State polled fans about the topic and ultimately chose the former. Penn State steamrolled the unranked Gophers under the lights in front of 109,813 spectators. It led 17-10 at the half and broke it open by outscoring Minnesota 21-0 in the third quarter. Would a White Out against Ohio State — despite it being a noon kickoff — have been a better call?
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13. 2012 vs. No. 9 Ohio State (L, 35-23)
Bill O’Brien’s first experience with the White Out was in many ways a showcase of his scrappy team. Despite scholarship limitations stemming from NCAA sanctions, Penn State somehow managed to keep this a 7-7 game at halftime against a Buckeyes team that went undefeated in Urban Meyer’s debut. A Ryan Shazier pick six off of Matt McGloin was the first of 21 points the Buckeyes scored in the third quarter. Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde combined for three rushing touchdowns, while McGloin attempted 45 passes and was sacked four times.
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12. 2009 vs. Iowa (L, 21-10)
Penn State turned the ball over four times and the game was punctuated by Adrian Clayborn’s 53-yard blocked punt touchdown in a fourth quarter that Iowa won 16-0. The home crowd was stunned, the student section nearly silent. Penn State squandered a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and in typical fashion Iowa scored five points in the second quarter. The only thing sloppier than Penn State’s performance that night was the weather. A downpour made for the messiest White Out game to date.
11. 2008 vs. No. 22 Illinois (W, 38-24)
It was the Derrick Williams showcase for No. 12 Penn State. Williams racked up 241 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns — including a 94-yard kickoff return to start the fourth quarter. Evan Royster carried the ball 19 times for 139 yards, and Penn State got revenge for a surprise loss to the Illini a year earlier.
10. 2011 vs. No. 2 Alabama (L, 27-11)
The second game of the home-and-home series with the Crimson Tide wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy combined to run for 196 yards and two touchdowns and AJ McCarron wasn’t sacked. Penn State, led by quarterback Rob Bolden, scored eight points late in the fourth quarter off a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Silas Redd.
Though the game itself wasn’t too memorable, there was something special about two historic programs playing in Beaver Stadium. The rare SEC-Big Ten tailgate scene was a highlight.
9. 2021 vs. No. 22 Auburn (W, 28-20)
This game was viewed by many as a return to normalcy after the empty stadium scenes of 2020. It was the first night game of 2021 and the first of a two-game series against an SEC opponent, making it feel special. Sean Clifford had his moment in the spotlight and rose to the occasion, completing 28-of-32 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Jahan Dotson caught 10 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Brenton Strange had a breakout game with four receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
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Penn State sealed the win with a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter and another stop in the final seconds.
8. 2014 vs. No. 13 Ohio State (L, 31-24 in 2OT)
In some ways this feels like the forgotten White Out game between Penn State and Ohio State, even though it was among the most dramatic. Penn State somehow made this a game when the reality was this program shouldn’t have been in it, given all that was stacked against it coming off sanctions. In James Franklin’s first White Out, Penn State fell behind 17-0 at halftime before Anthony Zettel returned a J.T. Barrett interception 40 yards for a touchdown. It was the first of 17 unanswered second-half points from Penn State, capped by a Sam Ficken field goal with nine seconds left.
Both teams scored touchdowns during the first overtime, but Barrett’s 4-yard rushing touchdown proved to be the difference. A sack of Hackenberg by Joey Bosa on fourth-and-5 at the Ohio State 20 ended Penn State’s upset bid. Ohio State hit its stride afterward and won the first College Football Playoff national championship.
7. 2019 vs. No. 16 Michigan (W, 28-21)
With the student section at Michigan’s back and “Mo Bama” blasting as Shea Patterson and Michigan took the field, Beaver Stadium erupted. With every defender who raised his arms pre-snap, the crowd grew louder. Michigan called a timeout on the first play of the game. It stands out as one of the moments that represent just how loud Beaver Stadium can get and how unglued fans are during the White Out.
KJ Hamler was Penn State’s big-play catalyst in this one, catching touchdowns of 25 and 53 yards from Sean Clifford.
6. 2017 vs. No. 19 Michigan (W, 42-13)
Michigan QB John O’Korn grew up in nearby Huntingdon, Pa., but there was no happy homecoming as he was sacked seven times. Barkley’s 69-yard rushing touchdown on a direct snap on the second play from scrimmage set the tone. Joe Moorhead’s high-powered offense totaled 506 yards, with Trace McSorley rushing for three touchdowns and adding another through the air.
Barkley, who rushed for 108 yards, had three total touchdowns, including a bobbled 42-yard catch to turn the game into a blowout for a Penn State team ranked No. 2 at the time.
5. 2018 vs. No. 4 Ohio State (L, 27-26)
After KJ Hamler’s 93-yard receiving touchdown in the second quarter, it looked like No. 9 Penn State was in prime position to take down Ohio State again. But the phrase “fourth-and-5” has become a term associated with heartbreak around here for a reason. At the Ohio State 43-yard line with 1:22 left in the game, trailing by one point, McSorley handed the ball off to Miles Sanders. Sanders was blown up in the backfield by Chase Young for a loss of 2 yards.
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By Monday morning, a student group had plastered missing person posters on campus with McSorley on them. Not letting the do-it-all QB attempt a pass at that juncture in the game will forever be a haunting what-if for Penn State.
4. 2007 vs. Notre Dame (W, 31-10)
In the first full-stadium White Out, No. 14 Penn State sacked Jimmy Clausen six times. Linebacker Dan Connor, now a member of Penn State’s staff as a defensive analyst and analytics coordinator, had 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and sack and a pass breakup.
Derrick Williams’ punt return for a touchdown after nearly losing the ball became one of the most memorable White Out moments.
3. 2013 vs. No. 18 Michigan (W, 43-40 in 4OT)
It’s the Allen Robinson game.
It was a scene down at field level for Robinson’s critical 36-yard catch over Channing Stribling, which set up Penn State’s game-tying score. It felt like the ball hung in the air forever while everyone held their breath until Robinson’s acrobatics gave way to an avalanche of sound from the crowd. Robinson has the catch tattooed on his torso, forever a reminder of the night when O’Brien’s fighters, propelled by Christian Hackenberg and a 2-yard touchdown run from Bill Belton in the fourth overtime, took down Michigan.
2. 2005 vs. No. 6 Ohio State (W, 17-10)
No, this was not a full-stadium White Out. However, one can’t rank the top White Out games and not include the one that laid the foundation for what was to come. This was a student section White Out, the second one after a loss to Purdue the year before started it all. Before the concept was ready to be showcased by the entire stadium in 2007, it needed to be built by the students.
Does it feel like 1⃣5⃣ years, @TambaHali91?#OTD in 2005, the DE's strip-sack on Troy Smith sealed @PennStateFball's win over No. 6 Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/nK4HS5nReB
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) October 8, 2020
In an intense atmosphere of sustained noise, Tamba Hali’s strip sack of Troy Smith effectively ended the game and provided one of the most iconic images between these two teams, as Smith was upended and spent a brief second on his head. Beaver Stadium erupted, capping a night that served as breakout moment for a Penn State team that players like Michael Robinson and Paul Posluszny led out of the Dark Ages of four losing seasons in five years to the Big Ten championship and the Orange Bowl.
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1. 2016 vs. No. 2 Ohio State (W, 24-21)
This is my 14th season on the Penn State beat. In my time here, I’ve never heard Beaver Stadium louder than when Grant Haley scooped up the football after Marcus Allen blocked the field goal. As Haley ran toward the end zone, the place somehow became even louder. “Kernkraft 400” blared as Penn State’s 17 points in the fourth quarter helped the Nittany Lions pull off a stunner.
The night was capped by a field storming, and suddenly the team that lost to Pitt, got blown out by Michigan and needed overtime to beat Minnesota — a game in which some fans booed Franklin — was on a path to an unexpected Big Ten title.
(Photo: Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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