From The Stands

More than 100,000 fans pack into Beaver Stadium on a brisk fall night in State College, Pennsylvania. Every person in the stadium wears white creating a massive wall of noise.

When the opposing offense stepped up to the line of scrimmage, the quarterback called for the snap, but the ball was never snapped. He resorted to clapping and they still could not hear him.

The roar of the student section was simply too loud.

College sports as we know are notorious for passionate fans, but the student section is the nucleus of the operation.

Student section are often referred to as the “12th man” because the energy can almost act as another player on the home team. In football especially communication is crucial to good play. Quarterbacks often have to rely on verbal signals in games played in loud stadiums and this takes a lot of hard memorization and you must work all in unison.

When a stadium is loud enough it is almost impossible to hear and communicate well. Creating confusion, frustration and anger from the often most composed humans in the world. Communication is vital to team success and without it a plan can not be made or completed.

A very famous example of this is seen every single season during the Penn State “White Out” game at Beaver Stadium. This game is different in the promotion as all fans are encouraged to wear white creating a giant wall of white.

The traditions roots were originated by students who coordinated a white-out in the early 2000s. Over time the entire fanbase joined in on the fun and today the event is widely considered one of the most intimidating atmospheres in all of college football.

Beaver stadium is regarded as one of the loudest and hardest place to play at. Sandman Sports even has them ranked as the second loudest in the nation only behind Tiger Stadium (LSU) https://sandmansports.com/unmatched-college-football-atmospheres-top-loudest-stadiums/

The power of this student led white out for Penn State was on display clearly during a 2016 matchup against the powerhouse of Ohio State.

Ohio State entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation and was expected to win quite easily, but the fans had an opposite idea.

Every single time Ohio State’s offense stepped onto the field , the student section erupted with noise. Fans stood the entire length of the game and even swung white towels.

Late in the fourth quarter, Ohio State lined up for a field goal that would have clinched the win. Instead, Penn State ran through the heavy and strong blockers and leaped out lunging and got a hand on the ball and blocked the kick.

A Penn State player scooped up the ball and was boosted all the way to the end zone by the eardrum breaking roar of Beaver Stadium sealing a dramatic 24-21 victory for the Nittany Lions.

This play became an instant classic in not just Penn State fans lives but in the history of college football. While the players are the ones on the field, the crowd’s energy helped to create and environment that made the players play for something bigger for themselves.

Student section are often remembered for creative chants and school spirit, but the White Out at Beaver Stadium shows what can happen when students and fans unite to create an indescribable environment.

And that alone, can be the difference between winning and losing.

Penn State is just one example of many where energy, passion, and dreams can come together at once to create an unforgettable memory for not just the players but the fans in the stands.