Article Written by Mac Young
Originally Published on September 22, 2023
The White Out is an incredible tradition. Often called “the greatest show in college sports”, the atmosphere and noise are like no other stadium.
It’s a tradition that dates back to 2004 when the Penn State student section all wore white in a loss to Purdue.
It would be another three years before Beaver Stadium saw its first-ever full-stadium White Out. The 2007 Nittany Lions bested Notre Dame 31-10 in front of 110,000 roaring fans all dressed in white.
Flash forward to today and Penn State is preparing to play in its 15th full-stadium White Out. This time the blue and white play host to Iowa.
Iowa is one of only three teams that will have played in multiple White Outs with the first meeting coming back in 2009. The Hawkeyes defeated Penn State 21-10.
That’s not the only wrong the Nittany Lions are looking to right from the past. Similarly to last week’s opponent Illinois, Iowa drew a cruising blow to Penn State’s season in the last meeting back in 2021.
At Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions battled as two of the top four teams in the country.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford led his team to an early 17-3 lead before going down injured late in the first half. The Nittany Lions were pitiful offensively for the rest of the game and fell in a heartbreaker 20-23.
In a happier memory for Penn State fans, tomorrow's game marks the 6th anniversary of Trace McSorley throwing a walk-off touchdown to Juwan Johnson against Iowa.
Despite being in opposite Big Ten divisions, the two schools have developed a little bit of a rivalry over the years. It will be interesting to see how much bad blood boils despite a lot of roster turnover since the last matchup.
Look, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff may have taken away the chance for Penn State to play Michigan under the lights this year, but a potential revenge game over Iowa is a fun alternative
Mac Young, Senior broadcast journalism major at Penn State.
To contact him email macyoung21@gmail.com.