With Ohio State appearing on Penn State’s schedule each year, it can be hard to imagine that it has actually been four years since the last time Penn State and Ohio State played in Beaver Stadium with a crowd watching them. That date was September 29, 2018.

When COVID-19 put a halt to in-person college football spectators in 2020, it also put on hold the majority of Penn State students experiencing the thrill of when the Buckeyes come to town. It will have been 1,491 days since fans saw the two rivals square off at Beaver Stadium in person. Here is a look into what life was like back in 2018.

Sean Clifford Was A Redshirt Freshman

Sean Clifford was in his second year of the Penn State football experience. Wow, he is still here. Clifford held the second-string spot behind Trace McSorley at the time and ended up appearing in four games during the 2018 season.

Most College Seniors Were High School Seniors

Four years ago, the majority of Penn State’s Class of 2023 wasn’t spending every night drinking or debating going to their early morning classes. Instead, we were applying to colleges and living the good life as high school seniors.

Chick-Fil-A Was Still In The HUB

Oh, the glory days of being able to get Chick-fil-A right after failing your Spanish I exam. Chick-fil-A sadly made its departure in the spring of 2021. There is still a location on North Atherton Street that recently reopened after months of renovations. That is great and all, but we all still miss waiting a little too long in line to get a chicken sandwich.

There Was No Pandemic

Can you remember life before a pandemic? We can’t. Honestly, we’re not sure if we knew what the word “pandemic” meant in 2018. In addition to the pandemic, “mask”, “Wellness Days”, and “social distancing” were other words that weren’t part of our daily vocabulary back in the day.

The Green Link Was Still Alive

Green link or bust, baby. The Green Link (lovingly known as the Grink) was still bumping in 2018 as it took its dedicated fans (read: students) back and forth on Curtin Road. The Green Link was suspended indefinitely in 2021.

TikTok Was On The Rise

That “app with teenagers dancing,” now widely known as TikTok, was starting to gain popularity in 2018. Imagine the Academic Weapon everyone was in 2018 when you couldn’t accidentally sit and scroll for hours getting lost in Katie Feeney videos!

Urban Meyer Was In His Final Season With Ohio State

September 29, 2018, was the last time that Urban Meyer would coach Ohio State in Beaver Stadium. Meyer announced in November 2018 that he would be retiring due to health reasons. He then moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a short NFL coaching career in 2021. You can hate on Meyer, but he did once call the White Out “the toughest environment in the country.”