A History of the White Out: Penn State vs. Michigan
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A History of the White Out: Penn State vs. Michigan

After a calm bye-week, the Nittany Lions are gearing up for what promises to be one of the best games this season: Penn State (7-3, 4-2) vs. Michigan (8-2, 5-1) at home in Beaver Stadium. This is the white out game, in which all fans and attendees are encouraged to wear white. This student section has historically been entirely “whited-out,” with students decked out in all-white Penn State gear.

The first-ever Penn State white out was in 2004 against Purdue. Unfortunately, that was a rough year for Penn State, who was 2-4 and 0-3 when they faced Purdue. The Nittany Lions suffered a 20-13 loss against the Boilermakers that year.

However, in 2005, Penn State whited out the Ohio State game, when Penn State and OSU were neck and neck for the Big Ten Title. That game was so loud that some say the noise and vibrations made Beaver Stadium shoot off the Richter Scale. In the final moments of the game, Penn State cinched the title of White Out winner and Big Ten title winner, 17-10.

Next came a 31-10 win over Notre dame in 2007 and a 38-24 victory over Illinois in 2008. Fast forward to 2010 and it was the first time Penn State faced Michigan in a home White Out game. In true Nittany Lion fashion, the squad took down Michigan by 10 points with a 41-31 win.

Since that epic first white out game against Michigan, Penn State aims to make the white out game one of the most anticipated games of the season. In 2011, Penn State faced off against Alabama for a crushing 27-11 loss. Again in 2012, Penn State dealt with a loss, this time to Ohio State, at the home white out game.

Both 2013 and 2014 were incredible white out experiences. In 2013, Penn State notched a 43-40 win against Michigan after a quadruple overtime period. This was one of the longest games in Penn State Football history. Due to poor play calling in 2014, Penn State lost by a single touchdown in double overtime to Ohio State. Current students will fondly recall both games as some of the most energized and passionate that have ever occurred at Beaver Stadium.

This year Penn State gets ready to white out the stadium again, this time facing Michigan for a noon game. Although some fans are disappointed in the noon kickoff time, the white out will still descend upon Beaver Stadium in full force. This is also the last home game of the season, and attendees can expect this healthy rivalry to pack a punch. Get your crisp white gear ready to go this Saturday for what promises to be the capstone home game of the 2015 season!