Two decades of historic White Outs.

Penn State will host the 18th full-stadium White Out in its history on Saturday, September 27, against Oregon. The first White Out was in 2004 with just the student section participating, and it expanded to the entire stadium in 2007 against Notre Dame. In terms of Penn State football’s entire history, the marketing genius of the White Out is relatively new, but it has now become entrenched in the team’s history.

We decided to take a look at every White Out and provide a history lesson on the progress it has made and the outcomes it has been a part of since its inception.

2004-2007

The first-ever White Out began in 2004 with a student section “wear white” call to action against Purdue. It was a down year for Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions, and the athletic department called on the students to all dress in white, and it worked, despite losing to the Boilermakers. The following year, Ohio State came to Happy Valley in one of the most famous wins in Beaver Stadium history, and once again the students wore white at night; this time, they all saw Tamba Hali’s famous sack of Troy Smith en route to the win over the blue and white’s rival.

The 2006 team lost to a good sixth-ranked Michigan team by a touchdown in another student section White Out. The first full stadium white came in 2007. The Fighting Irish rolled into town and were stomped by the Nittany Lions. The White Out was so successful with the fans and left such an impact on the outcome of the game that it has become a yearly tradition.

2008-2012

Penn State went 2-3 over these five years in White Outs, including a loss to No. 3 Alabama in 2011. The Nittany Lions beat Michigan in 2010 and ranked Illinois in 2008. Penn State finished the season ranked No. 8 in the country in what was arguably its best team over this span and the end of Paterno’s career as head coach. The 2009 team lost to Iowa in a defensive showdown, 21-10.

2013-2015

The only two White Out games to go to overtime happened in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014. The 2013 game is one of the most famous games in recent Penn State history. Penn State defeated Michigan in a four-overtime thriller with Bill O’Brien at the helm. Christian Hackenberg led a courageous comeback at the end of regulation, and Allen Robinson came down with a huge jump ball at the goal line to send it to overtime. Bill Belton scored a touchdown from two yards out to give the home crowd a much-needed victory during a tumultuous time in State College.

The 2014 team was not as fortunate in a two-overtime loss to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions lost to the Buckeyes with some help from a few more than questionable calls by the officials, some of which still get talked about today on X. The Wolverines got their get back over the blue and white in 2015 with a 28-16 victory.

2016-2019

Penn State had its best teams in recent memory during these four years, flip-flopping Ohio State and Michigan as its opponents. The 2016 White Out win over Ohio State changed the trajectory of the program forever. A second-half comeback against the No. 2 team in the country and a Marcus Allen-Grant Haley blocked kick and score will be remembered for eternity in college football. The 2016 win set up the Nittany Lions for a Rose Bowl date with USC at the end of the season and success for the coming years.

Michigan was dominated by the high-powered Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley offense in 2017, and the Nittany Lions won that year’s White Out comfortably. The 2018 team did not have the same luck as the 2016 team did when the Buckeyes came to town, blowing a double-digit lead in what ended up being an overall disappointing season for Penn State.

The 2019 White Out became famous from the opening play of the game. “Mo Bamba” pumped through Beaver Stadium, and the crowd forced an early timeout from Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, which gets replayed and mentioned every year in college football. The Nittany Lions pulled out the win that night, stopping the Wolverines in the red zone to end the game, winning by a touchdown.

2021-2024

For the third time in White Out history, Penn State hosted a non-conference opponent in 2021 when Auburn made the trip from SEC country. After there was no White Out in 2020, the Nittany Lion crowd was amped up for the Tigers matchup, and they did not disappoint. James Franklin’s squad controlled the game from the jump and won 28-20 in the end.

The next three White Outs will go down in history as some of the least exciting games in its history (thank you, FOX). The 2022 White Out welcomed Minnesota to town, and the Gophers had no chance, losing 45-17. Iowa visited in 2023 and faced the same fate as Minnesota; the 24th-ranked Hawkeyes were shut out.

Washington fell to Penn State in the 2024 regular season White Out, 35-6. The Nittany Lions hosted the first-ever postseason White Out against No. 10 SMU in late December, a contest where the blue and white dominated to win their first College Football Playoff game in program history. The defense recorded two pick-sixes en route to a dominating win in frigid temperatures in Happy Valley.