Well, folks. Another Penn State football milestone has come and gone.

With the Nittany Lions’ White Out win over Washington on Saturday, a swath of Penn State students experienced their final White Out game in the student section. For many of our staffers who had been attending White Out games as students for four years, leaving Beaver Stadium was bittersweet on Saturday.

Here’s how our senior staffers felt about their last White Out experience as students.

Dillon Williams

This year’s White Out was my second, but more importantly, it was my friend’s first. My friend from home visited town for the first time, and I cherished the opportunity to show them how special Penn State football is. Penn State is a fanbase filled with passion, and the White Out game showcased that in the best way.

Unfortunately, I ended up missing the pregame fireworks show due to misguided advice from a staff member, but overall, it was a great experience. The White Out crowd is one of one, and I’m very thankful that the game was one of my last as a student.

Aidan Conrad

The sad reality finally hit me on Saturday. My older friends always told me how fast the time goes when I was an underclassman, but that’s never a worry when you seemingly have so much time left.

My last game in the Beaver Stadium student section and White Out as a student was incredible. The team dominated from the start, which gave many fans hope for the games to come.

The emotions of it being my last time going through Gate A left me in tears at the end of the game when singing the Alma Mater beside my friends.

Mikey DeAngelis

I’m having a hard time getting over the fact that this was my last White Out. While the opponents I had during my four years weren’t as exciting as I probably would’ve hoped for, I do get to say that the Nittany Lions won the White Out every year of my time as a student at Penn State.

This was the first event of my senior year where it really hit me that, “Yeah, this is all ending soon.” I’ve been photographing Penn State football for Onward State for three seasons now, and unless Penn State gets a home College Football Playoff game, the White Out vs. Washington will have been my final game shooting in Beaver Stadium (I elected to watch my final home game, Maryland, from the student section).

As the last tolls of the victory bell rang out, I sat on the 50-yard line and listened to the Blue Band’s solemn rendition of “The Nittany Lion” as they left the stadium. I quietly sang the words to myself as I began to tear up at what could be my last time on a field that has become a second home. Reflecting on my collegiate journey, Penn State football and photography for Onward State have played such an important role.

I hope Penn State gets a home playoff game so I can get on the field one last time, but if the White Out goes down as my final game as a photographer in Beaver Stadium, that feels like a fitting way for it to end. If this is it, thanks for everything, Beaver Stadium.

Hailey Stutzman

My last White Out was nothing short of bittersweet. My first two were spent in the student section, and my last two were on the field as a photographer. Despite the choice of opponent, there is nothing like seeing 110,000 people gather to cheer on the Nittany Lions. I get chills and teary-eyed watching the fireworks go off and hearing everyone sing the Alma Mater.

If you’re still reading this, go to the Maryland game. Don’t boo the coach or the team. Show them that you support them as they prepare to enter the playoffs. Thanks.

Mitch Corcoran

Sit down and listen, children, as I tell you about the days of the Penn State White Out being the biggest game in the country, no matter what week it was on.

You see, back in my day, the White Out kicked off at 7:30 p.m. and it aired on ABC. It was the cream of the crop when it came to college football and fans all around the country would sit down to enjoy the spectacle of the greatest show In college sports.

The four years leading up to my freshman year at Penn State (excluding 2020) had four straight White Out games against ranked opponents and two of those were against top-four teams. Those opponents were Ohio State and Michigan. The two Big Ten rivals had a combined record of 20-2 going into the White Out over those four years and the Nittany Lions went 3-1 against those teams. The only loss was by one point to Ohio State.

When I enrolled at Penn State, I expected to experience the same thing as my Nittany Lion predecessors, but I was left with nothing but disappointment.

I was elated when I found out an SEC school in No. 22 Auburn was coming to Happy Valley for the White Out my freshman year. It was awesome! College GameDay was on the Old Main Lawn, Saquon Barkley was here, and Penn State won. “I can’t wait until we play Ohio State in the White Out next year!” I exclaimed to my roommate when I saw the 2022 season schedule. Boy, I was in for a rude awakening.

The biggest game of the year was ripped from the hands of the Penn State faithful by a disgusting, conniving, deep-state organization by the name of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. We all had to settle for a White Out against ~gulp~ Minnesota with a true freshman quarterback as its starter. The game was a blowout. It wasn’t competitive whatsoever. “Hopefully this never happens again,” I thought to myself.

A year later, the same thing happened. FOX stole the Michigan game right out from under us. Like taking candy from a baby. But this time, the substitution was even worse. Iowa’s offense had to play in Beaver Stadium. The agony! The Hawkeyes, shockingly, put up zero points in that game.

It was like we did something to deserve this. It was like we harmed FOX in a way that it felt the need to punish us, as Penn State fans, in an inhumane way.

But just after we begged and suffered for two straight years, it happened yet again. The biggest game of the year against Ohio State was again snatched away. And to make matters much worse, we were then stomped and spat on by settling with 5-4 Washington on Peacock! The game went from being the biggest game of the season to being a pay-per-view D-tier game where half the student section left at halftime.

Disappointment can’t even describe what the TV executives and the Big Ten have done to the game I grew up loving. It took the biggest and best game of the season and have just drug it through the mud. It has treated it like road kill, chopped liver, -insert any other negative cliche here-.

Thanks for nothing.

Keeley Lamm

Sure, this was my last White Out as a student. I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last White Out, though. There’s really nothing more special than spending an entire day with your family and favorite friends in the best college town in America, and I was lucky enough to do that. I sang my last Alma Mater in the south end zone with my brother after the best day of tailgating, and I’ll remember my last White Out as a highlight of my senior year.

Charlie Pegler

I experienced my first White Out game in 2015 while I watched a brutal loss to Michigan — sound familiar? It is pretty upsetting to think that this past Saturday I experienced my final White Out as a student. With that being said, I am extremely grateful that the last one was a huge win over last year’s runner-up. I will never forget all of my White Out games as a student, the first I spent the whole night before on the Old Main Lawn waiting for College GameDay before we beat up on Bo Nix and Auburn.

It is only fitting the fourth one was also College GameDay. This time I slept in and did not spend 12 hours waiting for Kirk Herbstreit and the crew. Yes, I am sad I won’t have another as a student, but I know it will not be my last one ever, and I expect I will be at almost each one as long as the tradition lives on. So, thank you, Penn State, for the best show in college sports, it’s not bad to have that on our resume. Of course, I am sad, but I won’t be sad until it’s over, and I know we will have another White Out in December when we host our first College Football Playoff game. As always, We Are and let’s go win a ring.

Nolan Wick

My final White Out as a student couldn’t have gone better. I spent the afternoon tailgating (thanks, Lamm and Gill families) alongside many of the great people I’ve gotten to know here. I covered the game from the press box (my second White Out doing so) and ventured down to the field toward the end. Although the game wasn’t competitive, the crowd’s energy never failed to impress me, especially during the entrance and the first sequence. Nothing felt as surreal as the box shaking when it got loud or being on the field when “Sweet Caroline” played over the PA. Add in the win, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Joe Lister

When I was a freshman, I didn’t even know what the White Out was. I just heard it was a big deal and everyone wore white. Flash forward to Saturday, and I almost cried as I left Beaver Stadium. Two of my friends with me did cry.

There’s nothing like a Penn State White Out. If I had to choose between attending the birth of my firstborn or attending a White Out, my child would understand. Babies are born every day. White Outs only happen once a year.

It’s been a pleasure to sit in the student section for three White Out games in the last four years. I look forward to getting back to Happy Valley as an old, washed-up alum for one.