Penn State's 'White Out' Energy Made HUGE Difference vs. Illinois

All week leading up to Saturday night’s matchup against Illinois, head coach James Franklin and the rest of the Penn State Football program were calling for “Whiteout energy” from fans this week.

Penn State fans more than delivered, bringing a sea of white to Saturday night’s matchup against the Illini and ultimately making a huge difference for the Nittany Lions in a 21-7 win.

Penn State’s Whiteout is universally regarded as one of the best environments in college football annually. While Saturday night’s game was not an “official” whiteout (thanks lawyers…), Penn State fans got Franklin’s message and overwhelmingly wore white and brought the ENERGY Saturday night.

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Illinois head coach Brett Bielema asked earlier this week what “Whiteout energy” was during his weekly press conference.

Well, its safe to say that Bielema and Illinois found out Saturday night, as Penn State’s raucous crowd changed the game for Penn State and the Nittany Lions defense. On the night, Penn State’s crowd noise forced Illinois to take two timeouts and caused four false starts, including one on a critical fourth and goal field goal attempt at the end of the first half.

Penn State’s crowd showed up and affected Illinois communication on offense all night long, creating frustration and confusion for Luke Altmyer and the Illini offense. With Penn State escaping with a huge ranked win, Penn State’s magical Whiteout lore adds another great chapter.