To me, one of Penn State’s greatest qualities is the cohesiveness of the students, who come together from all different backgrounds to create a lively and supportive college experience. Probably the best evidence supporting this claim is through our support of our sports teams, as we bleed blue and white the minute we step onto campus. To truly understand how we are all connected, you must be a part of one of the best college football traditions in the nation. It only makes sense that I would make this the next item on my bucket list:

Attend a whiteout.

Whiteouts are extraordinary to witness, as you are engrossed in a sea of white that seems endless. The atmosphere in Beaver Stadium is electric and the cheering is deafening (at one point the crowd was measured at around 110 decibels). Every student in the stadium has one goal in mind: scream as loud as you possibly can for the Lions and make the opponent’s lives hell. While there may be some discontinuity in the white (fans that support that team in Ohio), it is breathtaking to lay eyes upon the rocking environment.

The first Penn State football game that I ever attended was in seventh grade, when two of my brothers were students here. The game was a whiteout, which built up my excitement to see how the student section really is on the biggest game of the year. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to come here and be part of the best student section in the nation (the NCAA just announced it).

On the morning of the whiteout, I couldn’t contain my excitement for that night, as I was finally able to experience a whiteout for my first time as a student. Everything during a whiteout is done bigger and better, including the tailgates, fan support, and exuberance (the traffic is bigger, but not always better). When you enter the stadium before the game, you immediately become part of the atmosphere. With your white shaker in hand and your throat on fire from screaming too much, you raise the energy of Beaver Stadium to breathtaking levels. The pregame activities, including warmups, the Blue Band performing (shoutout to Eric), and the introduction of the teams bring everyone to their feet for such a special occasion.

Now on to the game. Our Lions were faced with the difficult task of facing Ohio State, a team that has dominated the Big Ten in the past couple of years. Led by a great head coach, Urban Meyer, and playmakers on offense and defense, they were playing at a high quality coming into the game. This carried over into the first half, as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead. While the crowd lost some of its energized attitude, the student section never gave up hope and continued to cheer on the team. I thought the place was going to collapse after halftime, where we started with a pick 6 (interception returned for a touchdown) that got Penn State right back in the game. From then, the team played with more composure and confidence, orchestrating a comeback to tie the game at 17 in the second half. The student section was erupting before my eyes, and I couldn’t believe that we had a chance to beat Ohio State at home during my first whiteout. When the game headed to overtime, I knew that we had a great chance of upsetting the Buckeyes, and this was reassured after we scored on our first possession. After Ohio State scored twice (once in overtime, once in double overtime), we regained possession. However, we couldn’t score and Ohio State handed us a crushing defeat.

While the game didn’t end up how I wanted it to, and there may be speculation about the referees handled situations in the game (an interception that led to an Ohio State touchdown was never fully reviewed), I still had one of the greatest nights of my life. The whiteout proved why I picked the right school and why Penn State is most connected when we all cheer for the same things. If only we could do whiteouts every game……

Attend a whiteout? Check.

If you want to see a panoramic view of the whiteout:

http://pennstate.fancam.com/20141025/