Saturday night’s Big Ten football matchup between No. 6 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State on NBC and Peacock is compelling just for the talent on the field and the conference and national title implications. It will also get an ambience boost from one of the best traditions in college football.
Given the stakes, it is no surprise that the top-10 bout will be the latest White Out game at Beaver Stadium. Expect fireworks both on and off the field in front of a ravenous crowd that wants its Nittany Lions to show that this is the team that will break through under head coach James Franklin.
Read on to learn more about one of the top atmospheres in sports and how to watch the game.
What is the Penn State Football White Out game?
The White Out is a tradition at Penn State home football games where Nittany Lions fans all dress in white. The result is a sea of white throughout Beaver Stadium that creates a striking look, especially under the lights for a night game.
The White Out is also known to spark incredible energy in Penn State’s fans. Beaver Stadium, with a capacity of over 106,000, is always loud, but the Nittany Lion faithful take it up a notch on a White Out day.
“The only thing I like more than Christmas is a White Out football game,” Franklin said back in 2017. “… I think Beaver Stadium on a normal game day is a top-five atmosphere. A White Out gameday is something you don’t really understand unless you can come experience it for yourself.”
Penn State Football White Out history and tradition
The first White Out game came in 2004 when, to drum up excitement around an underperforming team, the Penn State Athletic Department asked students to wear white in consecutive games against Purdue and Iowa. The Nittany Lions lost both those games, including a debilitating 6-4 defeat to the Hawkeyes, but participation was good enough that the school ran it back in 2005 against Ohio State. That game solidified the tradition, as Penn State upset the No. 6 Buckeyes 17-10, and the White Out spread to the entire stadium starting in 2007 against Notre Dame.
The White Out game has featured ranked opponents in 12 of the last 14 matchups going back to 2011 against No. 3 Alabama. It is generally reserved for big-time conference matchups; for example, the opponent alternated between Ohio State and Michigan each year from 2012 to 2019.
That span featured the most well-known White Out game: In 2016, the unranked Nittany Lions beat the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes 24-21 after safety Marcus Allen blocked a field goal and cornerback Grant Haley returned it 71 yards for the deciding score. The “Block Six,” as it came to be known, is seen as a turning point in Penn State’s return to relevance following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
No fans were allowed to attend Penn State games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the only year with no White Out game since its inception. Last season was the first to feature two White Out games, as Penn State called for it in the regular season against Washington and in its first-round College Football Playoff game against SMU.
Penn State Football past record in White Out game
The Nittany Lions are 13-8 in official White Out games. However, Penn State has won six consecutive White Out games going back to the 2019 season and has taken eight of the last nine. Over the six-game winning streak, the Nittany Lions have an average margin of victory of 21.83 points.
Here are the results of every single White Out game (that second game against Iowa in 2004 isn’t counted as an official White Out):
| Year | Opponent | Penn State result |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | No. 9 Purdue | L 13–20 |
| 2005 | No. 6 Ohio State | W 17–10 |
| 2006 | No. 4 Michigan | L 10–17 |
| 2007 | Notre Dame | W 31–10 |
| 2008 | No. 22 Illinois | W 38–24 |
| 2009 | Iowa | L 10–21 |
| 2010 | Michigan | W 41–31 |
| 2011 | No. 3 Alabama | L 11–27 |
| 2012 | No. 9 Ohio State | L 23–35 |
| 2013 | No. 18 Michigan | W 43–40 (4OT) |
| 2014 | No. 13 Ohio State | L 24–31 (2OT) |
| 2015 | No. 14 Michigan | L 16–28 |
| 2016 | No. 2 Ohio State | W 24–21 |
| 2017 | No. 19 Michigan | W 42–13 |
| 2018 | No. 4 Ohio State | L 26–27 |
| 2019 | No. 16 Michigan | W 28–21 |
| 2020 | No White Out game due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | No. 22 Auburn | W 28–20 |
| 2022 | Minnesota | W 45–17 |
| 2023 | No. 24 Iowa | W 31–0 |
| 2024 | Washington | W 35–6 |
| No. 10 SMU (CFP First Round) | W 38–10 |
Penn State Football White Out attendance records
Five of Beaver Stadium’s top-10 Penn State crowds by attendance have come in official White Out games. The Nittany Lions’ 27-26 loss to Ohio State in the 2018 White Out held the record for attendance at a Penn State home game until last year’s game against the Buckeyes took over the top spot. There is a chance that Saturday’s game against Oregon will set a new record for the stadium.
Below is a list of the 10 most attended Penn State home games at Beaver Stadium (* denotes an official White Out Game).
1: Ohio State 20, Penn State 13; Nov. 2, 2024 – 111,030
2: Ohio State 27, Penn State 26; Sept. 29, 2018 – 110,889*
3: Michigan 24, Penn State 15; Nov. 11, 2023 – 110,856
4: Penn State 31, Iowa 0; Sept. 23, 2023 – 110,830*
5: Penn State 42, Michigan 13; Oct. 21, 2017 – 110,823*
6: Penn State 40, Nebraska 7; Sept. 14, 2002 – 110,753
7: Penn State 38, West Virginia 15; Sept. 2, 2023 – 110,747
8: Penn State 28, Michigan 21; Oct. 19, 2019 – 110,669*
9: Penn State 35, Washington 6; Nov. 9, 2024 – 110,233*
10: Ohio State 37, Penn State 17; Oct. 27, 2007 – 110,134
Penn State Football White Out music
The spectacle goes beyond the monochromatic look and the pregame fireworks display lining the east and west ends of the stadium. During White Out games, Zombie Nation’s “Kernkraft 400” is regularly played before the team entrance and after a big play for the Nittany Lions. Sheck Wes’ “Mo Bamba” generally plays before the first Penn State defensive snap of the game.
The two songs are indelibly linked to the most viral White Out moment, which came in 2019 when the crowd noise was so loud that Michigan had to use a timeout before its first offensive play to avoid a delay of game penalty.
How to watch Penn State White Out Game vs Oregon on Peacock and NBC
- When: Saturday, September 27
- Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
- Time: 7 PM ET
- TV Channel: NBC
- Live Stream: Peacock
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