Penn State football thrashed Washington 35-6 on Saturday in the annual White Out game at Beaver Stadium.

The White Out is always a spectacle for not just Penn Staters, but all college football fans. 110,233 fans packed into Beaver Stadium, making this year’s edition of the greatest show in college sports Penn State’s ninth-highest-attended game ever.

Of those 110,000 Nittany Lions fans in the stands were some of our freshmen staffers, who wanted to share their personal experiences of their first-ever White Out.

Lauren Gruca

My first-ever White Out experience was definitely one I will remember. If I’m being honest, the White Out game was for sure a factor when I was looking into applying, so I was coming in with high expectations. The energy was really unmatched even right when the gates opened. I had been told to go early, so I got in the stadium around 6 p.m. That wasn’t the best idea considering there were still seats open around 7:50 p.m. However, tailgating all day to sitting so close to the field was definitely worth it, especially with friends from Penn State and one of my best friends who visited from home. I will say, the major thing that sucked was the weather, I was freezing the entire game.

Olivia Hess

My first White Out definitely lived up to every expectation and dream. There truly was just “something different” in the air because everyone was so excited to be a part of the insane atmosphere. When you look around and see 110,000 people, all in white, rallying for one team, it’s an unreal sight that defines the Penn State experience. From the guy beside me roaring in my ear the whole game, to warming up with a chicken basket and getting a solid win, the White Out surely proved itself as the greatest show in college sports!

Oscar Orellana

Every college football fan has seen the iconic clip of the crowd losing their minds while “Mo Bamba” played at Beaver Stadium in the 2019 White Out against Michigan. That specific moment played nonstop in my mind this whole season as I waited for Saturday’s game to arrive.

While Penn State came off of a loss to Ohio State and most fans weren’t particularly pleased with Washington being the White Out opponent, it’s hard to not be excited for the game when it comes. The energy in the building was something special that I’ve never experienced at any sporting event ever before, especially the team intros. The game went great for the Nittany Lions. My favorite moment of the night was Jaylen Reed’s interception in the second quarter. The crowd erupted, and my friends and I went crazy.

The students did begin to file out after halftime, which hindered the experience a little bit for me. I feel like the White Out isn’t a game where someone just leaves because it’s a blowout. It’s an experience and much more than just a football game.

Other than that (and the cold!), it was a great experience that I can’t wait to witness again next year, hopefully with a more competitive matchup.

Ella Wehmeyer

I have been raised a Penn State football fan since practically birth, but this was my first White Out as a student. I had never been to a White Out before, so I was super excited. As the season went on and Washington seemed like a less threatening opponent, that excitement died down a little, but nevertheless, I couldn’t wait.

The one disappointment I had though may have been because I had such high expectations for a White Out, I was a bit disappointed in the student section. Students started to trickle out of the stadium starting at halftime, and towards the end of the fourth quarter, I felt like there was almost no one there. Although we were beating Washington by multiple touchdowns, I always feel a sense of disappointment when there so few students left by the end, especially at the greatest show in college sports. Other than that, the White Out experience was unlike something I’d experienced before. 

It being a night White Out game just made the game even more special. The ability to experience that energy with my friends was something unforgettable.