Gameday Observations: Minnesota White Out
That’ll do it for the 2022 White Out.
Penn State took care of business and dominated Minnesota 45-17 in front of a sea of nearly 110,000 fans at Beaver Stadium. The win helped bump the Nittany Lions up to No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
While it was mostly smooth sailing for Penn State on the field, there were plenty of other things that happened on a beautiful, eventful day in Happy Valley.
Beautiful Weather, Cocktagon Trips Set Tone For Day
What a gorgeous late-October day in State College, folks. I headed up to the tailgating lots at around 11 a.m., and the vibes couldn’t have been any better. I was rocking shorts and a t-shirt like it was a summer day. Considering how chilly it’s gotten recently, I think everyone was overjoyed with the gift we got on Saturday.
Then, us being the cocktagon stans we are, we had to make our way over to one to set the tone for the day. Fellow Onward State staffers Alex Petersen and Frankie Marzano joined me on my first trip of the day. We’re talking about the essentials here.
Student Section Mobbed An Hour Before Kick, Dangerous Conditions Ensue
There’s a good a bad and a bad here. Let’s start with the good.
Man, did students show up and show out. There was quite the buzz in the stadium more than an hour before kickoff, as the student section was pretty full at that point.
Now, time for the bad.
What an absolutely dangerous shitshow the entire process was. Security guards were pushing students, people were falling, and some even had panic attacks and trouble breathing because of the congestion and chaos. It was a disaster.
It’s a shame that this irresponsible disorganization is overshadowing what should’ve been The Greatest Show in College Football. It’s hard to call it that when stuff like this happens, though.
Let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that this is cleaned up for the future.
Eli Manning In The House
It was a surprise to see Penn State walk-on legend Chad Powers two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning on Saturday. The former New York Giant was one of many special guests in attendance for the much-anticipated White Out.
While Manning’s alma mater is Ole Miss, he has spent quite a bit in Happy Valley recently. That’s something I didn’t have on my bingo card three months ago.
Who knows? Maybe his former teammate, Saquon Barkley, got Manning in on the cult fun!
Trace McSorley, Miles Sanders, & More Return To Beaver Stadium
Speaking of special guests, some pretty notable lettermen were in attendance on Saturday, including Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders. With the Cardinals playing on Thursday and the Eagles having their bye week, the stars were aligned for a reunion at Beaver Stadium.
Sanders has posted 485 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the undefeated Eagles this season, while McSorley’s Cardinals currently own a 3-4 record.
Fan Storms Field, Gets Tackled By A Photographer
This was crazy.
During the fourth quarter, a fan decided to get his 15 seconds of fame and storm the field. Spoiler: it did not end well for the fan.
The wildest part about this, though, was that a photographer tackled the field stormer — still wearing his photo vest and all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in my life.
I don’t even know what to make of this.
Homecoming/White Out Collab, ‘Generations Of Greatness’ Uniforms On Display
With Saturday’s game also serving Penn State’s annual Homecoming, the Nittany Lions donned their classic “Generations of Greatness” uniforms. The throwback look most notably featured the players’ numbers on their helmets, and it’s a nice change of pace from the normal uniform the team usually rocks.
Let’s just say the Minnesota game serving as both Homecoming and the White Out was…interesting. Personally, I don’t think this should ever happen again, but I understand why it happened this year. It’s just too damn much in one week, honestly. Keep them separate so we can fully enjoy each one on its own.
Welcome Back, 2012 Team
Penn State announced in its weekly game notes that it would honor its 2012 team between the first and second quarters. Athletics wrote that the team “overcame a lot of adversity and banded together through unprecedented circumstances.” That 2012 team went 8-4 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
The likes of Michael Mauti and Michael Zordich were in attendance and received plenty of love from the Nittany Lion faithful.
White Out Visual Impresses
Wow.
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