Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis Adjusting to Life Without the White Out

It’s no secret that Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and the rest of the College GameDay team love the White Out.

Although Herbstreit — speaking on Zoom call with reporters Friday ahead of Saturday’s game between Penn State and Ohio State — said that he’s trying to remain positive in such an odd and uncertain year, he misses college football’s big crowds and iconic traditions. The White Out is no exception, and he even came oh-so-close to calling it his favorite game of the year.

“I love that stadium, I love that student section…it’s my favorite — it’s one of my favorite games I do all year, including national championships and the Rose Bowl,” he said. “I do all these big games but there’s something I always remember every year about the White Out.”

Although Davis might not have the same loving relationship with Penn State as Herbstreit, he would be missing the gameday festivities this Saturday as well when the morning show broadcast from inside Beaver Stadium. He and Herbstreit are slated to call the game on Saturday night.

“I’m really gonna miss Lee Corso crowd surfing alongside the Lion back towards Old Main,” Davis said with a smile. “You miss the buzz and the energy leading up to the show.”

“I’d take a break and go down to the Creamery and get a couple scoops and walk back and enjoy the fall afternoon…you miss that part of it,” he added.

Davis didn’t make it to the Creamery, but he said someone did drop off some Grilled Stickies.

Although not having the White Out this year is unfortunate, Herbstreit and Davis know the show must go on. The former said he’s hoping the game itself will bring the energy and juice that’s missing without fans.

“Instead of missing the crowd and the energy, I get caught up more in what the storyline is as the game is unfolding,” Herbstreit said. “That’s what we’re gonna do on the broadcast. We’re gonna sprinkle in some [old] moments that we all remember and appreciate, but you can’t manufacture that.”

He also hopes Penn State’s crew inside of Beaver Stadium will do their best to create a fun environment with crowd noise, music, and cutouts. Herbstreit described Penn State’s game operations team as “one of the best in the country.”

We’ll see what Beaver Stadium music man PJ Mullen has up his sleeves when Penn State kicks off against the Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Herbstreit and Davis will be on the call when the game broadcasts in primetime on ABC.

GameDay aired from inside of Beaver Stadium on Saturday morning, without the usual surrounding crowd of fans that has traditionally been part of the show. Former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley served as the guest picker and was the only member of the broadcast to predict a Nittany Lion win. Corso, Desmond Howard and David Pollack all picked Ohio State