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Penn State looks to beat Auburn in White Out return

rich scarcella, reading eagle, pa.
·4 min read

Sep. 17—Sean Clifford has seen five White Out games at Beaver Stadium and believes they have to be felt in person to understand how special they are.

"You can't watch the White Out on TV and say you saw the White Out," Clifford said, "because you've got to be here to experience it. I truly believe that because it's an experience that is jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring (with) a sense of community you can't really see anywhere else."

After a one-year absence because of the pandemic, the White Out game returns when No. 10 Penn State (2-0) takes on No. 22 Auburn (2-0) Saturday night at 7:30 at sold-out Beaver Stadium (TV-ABC, WEEU-AM/830).

This will be the 13th full stadium edition of the White Out, which began in 2004 when the student section wore white for the Nittany Lions' 20-13 loss to Purdue.

Despite the great anticipation, Penn State has only a 6-6 record in full-stadium White Outs. The Lions, though, have won three of the last four, which has coincided with their return as a Big Ten power.

A large number of players on the Penn State roster, including the last two incoming classes, have never played in one of them.

"I don't really describe it to the guys that much because you experience it when you experience it," said Clifford, the Penn State quarterback. "I know guys are excited about it. I'm excited for the guys who couldn't experience it last year because of COVID.

"People like my brother (freshman wide receiver Liam Clifford), who just got here, being able to share that experience with them is going to be fun."

Auburn is accustomed to playing in front of rabid fans in the Southeastern Conference, whether it's at home at Jordan-Hare Stadium or at such road venues as Alabama, LSU and Georgia.

Lions coach James Franklin spent three years in the SEC as Vanderbilt coach. He, of course, believes the White Out is unique.

"If you're a sports fan, you need to have a White Out on your bucket list," Franklin said. "It's something that everybody should experience. I've been doing this (coaching) for a long time in pretty much every major conference and the NFL, and this is as good as it gets.

"The impact and the electricity that it provides for our town, the local economy, our students, our campus and our community, I think it's special."

The first full-stadium White Out was in 2007 when Penn State routed Notre Dame 31-10. It usually is scheduled for when the Lions play Ohio State or Michigan, but Auburn is the first opponent other than the Buckeyes or Wolverines since Alabama in 2011.

The Tigers have struggled on the road the last two years. Junior quarterback Bo Nix is 4-7 as a starter away from Auburn and has completed just 54% of his passes for 12 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

"At the end of the day it's just football," Penn State defensive back Daequan Hardy said. "I tell the younger guys to go out there, execute, have fun and be yourselves."

Sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington is looking forward to playing in his first White Out game.

"I'm just excited," Washington said. "I know it's a big thing here at Penn State. Most players say it's what you want to come here for. Like Coach Franklin said, we don't want to make it bigger than what it is. We just want to go 1-0 this week, just be our best self each day and do what we can."

Franklin has implored Penn State fans to get inside Beaver Stadium early and to be loud enough throughout the night to make themselves hoarse.

"I am willing to buy throat lozenges on Sunday for the entire fan base if that means we have the most challenging environment in all of sports," he said. "I'm willing to buy Hall's for everybody who loses their voice on Saturday. Hall's, we appreciate your support with this as well.

"We want this place rocking. I've got a ton of respect for Auburn. I want their fans and the staff and their coaches to go back to the SEC and say, 'We love our football in the SEC but what they do up there at Penn State....I don't know if I've ever seen anything like it.' "

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Rich Scarcella's pick

Penn State 24, Auburn 21

The Nittany Lions face their first test against a Southeastern Conference team at home since 2011. The Tigers are playing a Big Ten team in the regular season for the first time since 1931. It'll be interesting to see how the White Out affects Auburn, which has not played well on the road the last two years. Penn State's defense will be the difference.