The Penn State Whiteout is arguably, no, it is the best tradition in not only college sports but all of sports one could argue. A sold-out Beaver Stadium with 106,000 screaming fans and students that make the entire stadium shake, especially the press box.
This year it is rumored the Whiteout game will be played at noon against Ohio State but that could change. Looking back though, the first primetime Whiteout was something special. After rolling out the first student-whiteout in 2004 for a game against Drew Brees and No. 9 Purdue, it was Penn State’s 2005 student whiteout that took things to the next level.
Penn State took on Ohio State in a top ten matchup between the teams in 2005, as Penn State was pulling itself out of some truly forgettable seasons and looking to win back some national respect. The game would get all the bells and whistles including College Gameday coverage.
As far as how the game would go, Penn State would go on to win the game led by then quarterback, current NFL Network analyst [autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag]. Ohio State was led by Troy Smith, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy the following season but Penn State was able to keep him in check, thanks to the Whiteout conditions the students created for the student-organized whiteout.
Since that moment we have been privy to a ton of fun camera angles, fan views, and reporters being left in shock over the atmosphere the Nittany Lion faithful can create. Thanks to social media we can see some of these moments captured to look back on. And as the whiteout morphed from just a student section gimmick to a full-blown stadium-wide whiteout (the first coming in 2007 against Notre Dame in the first college start for Jimmy Clausen).
📽️ October 8, 2005: #OTD 15 years ago Penn State upset #6 Ohio State in front of College Gameday & the first primetime #WhiteOut crowd in one of the loudest atmospheres ever in Beaver Stadium history. #WeAre #Legends #109kStrong pic.twitter.com/KkuXXOTRbu
— WeAreLegends (@WeArePSULegends) October 8, 2020
Best atmosphere in College Football hands down! There’s nothing like a Penn State Whiteout @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/2pcQWQxHju
— Chris Godwin (@CGtwelve_) September 29, 2018
As another whiteout game takes place at Penn State, an annual PSA that this is the best atmosphere in college football and it’s not even close pic.twitter.com/th3Glm757f
— Garrett Stepien (@GarrettStepien) October 19, 2019
One of the coolest scenes in college football. Penn State whiteout. pic.twitter.com/385R51SYCr
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) October 19, 2019
We've been waiting all day for this one.
Michigan. Penn State. Whiteout. Right NOW on ABC and streaming live in the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/svACuEixlb
— ESPN (@espn) October 21, 2017
If you ever wondered what a Penn State #Whiteout looks and sounds like on the field level, I give you this for your viewing pleasure, through my GoPro lens. #PSUWhiteOut pic.twitter.com/0bj7G97m2o
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) October 22, 2019
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