Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
8 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 OPENING SHOT WHITE NOISE Penn State was coming off consecutive losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern when it welcomed USC to Beaver Sta- dium on Oct. 10 for this year's White Out game. The Nittany Lions had tumbled out of the Associated Press Top 25 after hav- ing been ranked as high as No. 13 coming out of the nonconference season. But if their struggles in Big Ten play had damp- ened anyone's enthusiasm, it didn't show in the annual showcase game. PSU's matchup against the Trojans set a stadium attendance record, with an announced crowd of 114,419 on hand for the prime-time matchup. That fig- ure beat the previous record of 111,030, set in 2024 when the Lions lost to Ohio State, 20-13. It was also the fourth-larg- est crowd in FBS history, a showing made possible by the stadium's ongoing reno- vation, which allows for additional seats to be in place this year. The project isn't slated for completion until next summer. For some Penn State players, such as Iowa State transfers Rocco Becht (3) and Kooper Ebel (8), the White Out was an en- tirely new experience. Others, like guard Anthony Donkoh (68) and linebacker Tony Rojas (13), knew what to expect. Against USC, Penn State played better than it had in its first two conference games but still lost, 31-23. Afterward, first-year head coach Matt Campbell said one of his biggest disappointments was that the team wasn't able to deliver a vic- tory to the program's ardent supporters. "It was an unbelievable atmosphere," Campbell said. "It was one of the most impressive environments that I've been able to coach in and be a part of. I think my disappointment right now is that we can't give them the result they deserve. "But the reality is, we will. We'll find a pathway forward. We have great hu- mans in that locker room who stand for what's right. We're not where we need to be yet, but we are growing forward, and we'll demand a pathway forward because we have a great fan base, and they deserve that." — Greg Pickel PHOTO BY BRYCE MOSMEN/PENN STATE ATHLETICS