Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
1 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M No, Daytime White Outs Are The Future — PSU Should Have Embraced It GREG PICKEL: This is one of the more fascinating fan debates in recent memory. Penn State has made its White Out game into one of college football's biggest spectacles. It is recognized nationally even by those who do not root for the Nittany Lions and is a major recruiting boon for the program — to say nothing of how much those who back Penn State look forward to it each fall. One common theme, though, is that it has almost universally been reserved for either Ohio State or Michigan in prime time. As we know, though, that's not the case this year. The logic is pretty simple to follow. Minnesota is a night game, and the Buckeyes' visit will start and end in daylight. However, by picking the Golden Gophers, Penn State missed a chance to use its environment edge against its best home-date opponent and also is forgo- ing the opportunity to switch things up and move the White Out away from a prime time game. It shouldn't have done that, because with FOX getting a bigger slice of the television pie and CBS coming aboard with its traditional 3:30 p.m. slot, mar- quee opponents coming to Beaver Stadium at night might well be a thing of the past when the league's new media rights deals take effect next year. Thus, Penn State should have picked Ohio State to get the ball rolling for more daytime White Outs moving forward. Yes, The Golden Gophers Are Worthy White Out Foes MATT HERB: The Nittany Lions and their fans will always regard Ohio State as their biggest rival, even if that feeling isn't reciprocated. But let's not sleep on Minnesota, especially this year. The Gophers have one of the country's best tailbacks in Mohamed Ibrahim. They have a sixth-year senior quarterback in Tanner Morgan and an offensive coordinator — Kirk Ciarrocca — who spent an ill-fated season at PSU before being let go when Mike Yurcich became available. They also have some recent on-field history with Penn State, having defeated the Lions 31-26 in 2019 in a late-season battle of unbeatens. If you're looking to create some pregame drama, there's a lot to work with here. This could end up being a terrific White Out. And who knows, the change might even work to Penn State's benefit against Ohio State. The PSU football community has long regarded the Buckeyes and their fans as if they were an army of invading Orcs from the latest "Lord of the Rings" sequel, hoping that the noise and atmospherics would put fear into their hearts on game night. This hasn't really worked. Since 2000, Ohio State is 7-3 at Beaver Stadium. The Buckeyes are even above .500 in White Outs, having taken three of the five in which they've played. Given that history, I think there's something to be said for demystifying Ohio State's visit by treating it more like a typical football game and saving the fire and brimstone for someone else. Point - Counterpoint Beaver Stadium has played host to 17 White Out games since the first one in 2004. The Nittany Lions have gone 9-8 in those games, the most recent being a 28-20 victory over Auburn in September 2021. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Did Penn State Make The Right Call By Declaring The Minnesota Game To Be This Year's White Out?