The countdown is on in Happy Valley, and it’s not for just another game on the schedule. In a few short days, Beaver Stadium will again transform into a sea of white as 110,000-plus fans pack into one of the largest venues in the country for Penn State’s annual White Out game.
This year’s opponent, Oregon, brings both talent and national attention to Beaver Stadium. The No. 2 Nittany Lions will host the No. 6 Ducks under the lights, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. in a game that promises a playoff-like atmosphere.
But for the players, especially those who’ve lived and dreamed of this night, it can’t come soon enough.
“It’s a blessing to go on that field and play in front of diehard fans like that and play in this environment of football,” said safety Zakee Wheatley. “This is what we all dreamed of. So I’m just really telling [the younger players], take it all in. When you walk out that tunnel, you’re not gonna have a million of these moments, so take it all in.”
This year’s White Out will be Wheatley’s last after he opted to return for his senior season, and the moment carries emotional baggage for the veteran defensive back.
“Me being the older guy, I can say a lot, but it’s going to be a lot different when the young guys actually go into the stadium for the first time,” Wheatley said. “This is my last one, so it’s kind of like a happy-sad moment. So I’m just trying to take it all in.”
That sense of finality is felt by other upperclassmen who’ve grown throughout their time with the program. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who attended the 2021 White Out against Auburn as a recruit, vividly recalls the spectacle. He also referenced the viral first play of the 2019 White Out against Michigan, in which the Wolverines were forced to call a timeout before the first play from scrimmage.
Though he wasn’t able to contribute much last year against Washington while dealing with injury, he’s excited for his final White Out as a Nittany Lion. Dennis-Sutton wasn’t an active participant during the team’s most recent media viewing window last Tuesday, but his comments indicate he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.
“I think Saturday is going to be a lot of fun,” Dennis-Sutton said.
Preparation for such an environment goes far beyond the week of the game. Head coach James Franklin and his staff have built crowd noise simulations and pressure scenarios into practices since training camp.
“Coach Franklin does a good job of doing that, not just this week, but literally every week,” Dennis-Sutton said. “Our Fast Fridays are in Holuba Hall, and we’re doing like the loudest max volume, so it’s crazy loud in there. And then in practice we do crowd noise. Even back in training camp, we were doing crowd noise.”
For USC transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson, it’ll be his first and last opportunity to play in the White Out, a game he grew up watching on television as a California native. Even from across the country, the annual spectacle is revered for its significance.
His teammates have prepared him for the environment he’ll run out of the tunnel to on Saturday.
“I think it’s special,” Hudson said. “Just being able to, I mean being that kid watching, and now being this kid playing — I think it’s a blessing, and I don’t take it lightly.”
No player on the active roster has lost a White Out game, with Penn State claiming victory in each of the last six occasions. But that streak will be put to the test against the highest ranked White Out opponent since 2018, when the undefeated Ducks look to play spoiler.
The Nittany Lions are relying on what’s widely regarded as one of the best atmospheres in college football, hoping to come away with their highest ranked win since beating No. 2 Ohio State in 2016.
