Penn State Football has hosted 15 White Out Games played in Beaver Stadium.
Today we are going over some of the most memorable of what is arguably college football’s greatest show—the Penn State White Out.
This iconic event that paints Penn State’s stadium white was started in 2004 by Penn State’s director of branding and communications Guido D’Elia. D’Elia came up with the campaign following the winning drought Penn State underwent from 2000-2005 where the Nittany Lions only had two winning seasons.
Penn State Football even tried a “Code Blue” in 2004 but it just wasn’t the same.
The next year, the White Out game was held for the first time against Ohio State on national TV.
This time, Penn State won, downing the Buckeyes 17-10 and the entire college football world got to witness the student section White Out. A legend was made.
Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN sportscaster, even declared that Penn State had “the best student section in the country.” D’Elia’s strategy had worked.
Two years later, the first White Out game that included all fans, not just the student section, was held. On Sept. 8, 2007, in front of 110,000 fans all dressed in white Penn State defeated Notre Dame 31-10.
Penn State Football has played a White Out game every season since 2004, except for the 2020 season due to the pandemic, and is 11-8 in White Out games.
The Nittany Lions are currently on a four-win streak for White Out games after defeating Michigan in 2019, Auburn in 2021, Minnesota in 2022 and Iowa in 2023.
Let’s get to the excitement and what I believe are the top 5 GREATEST White Outs in PSU history.
Ranking the Top-5 Penn State Football Whiteouts
No. 5: 2021 vs No. 22 Auburn
“It just means more.”
That’s the SEC slogan. And this game meant a lot to the Nittany Lions.
Penn State Football put up and scheduled Auburn years in advance. All we heard was “SEC Speed”. Then all we heard were excuses, when the Nittany Lions led by quarterback Sean Clifford wrecked the Auburn Tigers on Primetime TV 28-20.
The score was not reflective as PSU handled Auburn easily all night.
4. 2005: vs No. 6 Ohio State
Troy Smith Head Flip
The Nittany Lions defense harassed OSU QB Troy Smith the entire evening in a great defensive battle.
The game was over on OSUs final drive when Tamba Hali sacked Smith, flipping him on his head. The ball came out and Penn State recovered, sealing the win against the #6 Buckeyes 17-10.
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No. 3. 2017 vs No. 19 Michigan
When Saquon Barkley took a direct snap 69 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game, it was gonna be a long night for Michigan. And it was. Penn State destroyed the Wolverines 42-13 in an electric one-sided game.
Barkley finished with 108 yards and 2 touchdowns while WR DaeSean Hamilton reeled in 6 catches for 115 yards. I was there with my sons. It was unforgettable and magnificent.
2. 2013 vs No. 18 Michigan
It took four overtimes for Penn State to pull off the win 43-40 over the Wolverines.
Arguably coach Bill O’Brien’s biggest win in his short stint at PSU. Seven turnovers created a script that flipped often.
At times both teams were ugly, but the Nittany Lions were victorious. RB Bill Belton punched it in for the win.
1. 2016 vs No. 2 Ohio State
The Blocked Field Goal.
With 4:30 left in the game, Penn State down 21 -17 blocked a long field goal attempt by No. 2 Ohio State. Defensive Back Grant Haley picked it up, ran for his life, and scored. Beaver Stadium had never been so loud.
Truly an unbelievable miracle play, and one of the most infamous in all of Penn State White Out history.
Penn State won 24-17 and went on to win the Big Ten and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
The Penn State White Out is the most iconic setting in all of college football. And, recently it has taken a back seat to network needs to cram in as much ratings as possible. We can only hope the Penn State leadership will work diligently to ensure that this epic trademark of all that is good in college football never fades away.
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He has been recognized for his work as a photographer and has also contributed to various publications including PennLive and The Weather Channel.
Brad is an Air Force veteran, coach and competitive runner that grew up a Nittany Lions fan as his family is originally from the State College area.
His diverse skillset and experiences provide for interesting perspectives on the college football, and sports topics of the day.
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