Penn State football will look a little different when it takes the field of Beaver Stadium against Purdue this weekend.

The Nittany Lions will wear their Generations of Greatness throwback uniforms for the first time in two years. Penn State announced the uniforms’ return by playing a video on the Beaver Stadium scoreboards during the 2019 Blue-White game. James Franklin’s team debuted the throwbacks, which feature elements from several different uniforms worn throughout Penn State’s history, in 2017.

One of those little details that goes a long way is the white cleats. Penn State is obviously known for is black shoes and basic blues, but Joe Paterno had his team wear white cleats in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. As James Franklin so elegantly put it, “Thank God for one game in our history.”

“It’s the white shoes that are amazing,” the head coach said. “You know how young guys are. They think the white shoes are the greatest thing ever. Remember when you were eight years old and your mom would buy you a pair of shoes and you thought you were faster? That’s how our guys are.”

Franklin obviously knows his players well, but he might know them a bit too well. Star receiver KJ Hamler told reporters that he feels “clean and fast in my white cleats” just a few minutes after the head coach’s Wednesday media availability ended.

“I’ll have my sweet feet on,” Hamler said. “I’m already fast, but they make me look fast fast.”

Perhaps the most valuable part of wearing a throwback uniform is the simple fact that it’s a change of pace. As Franklin noted, the untrained eye might not think Penn State looks all that different if , but even the slightest modifications to the black shoes and basic blues are big news in Happy Valley.

As you may already know, Penn State football is definitely keen on sticking to traditions — especially when it comes to its uniforms. With a few exceptions, none of the Nittany Lions’ 31 athletic programs rock the flashiest uniforms on the field, court, or ice.

When an alternate uniforms is unveiled, however, it’s big news.

“[The players] love it,” Franklin said. “It’s really come at a good time for us, because it’s kind of a change of pace. It’s like changing practice up or a bye week — it’s just something new and fresh. The white shoes are amazing. It’s a nice little change-up.”

“The tradition is always the best part. That’s why I came here,” Hamler added. “But when you bring out some new uniforms, throwbacks, and the white cleats — that’s a big thing.”

In 2017, Penn State took down Indiana 45-14 behind a three-touchdown performance from DaeSean Hamilton and two additional scores from Saquon Barkley. James Franklin will hope for a similarly dominant win against a banged-up Purdue team at noon Saturday back at Beaver Stadium.