The home field advantage in the College Football Playoff.
The cold.
The white out conditions.
The White Out.
The football team.
All of it.
It all lived up to the hype.
The first on-campus College Football Playoff game for Penn State was worthy of the hype as the Nittany Lions beat SMU, 38-10, in front of 106,013 at Beaver Stadium.
There is nothing worse than having an idea set in your head of what a moment or an experience could be, then only to have it fall short of those expectations. It’s emptiness, particularly in sports, that comes around all too often.
But for Penn State fans, there was the expectation that should the Nittany Lions earn a first round College Football Playoff game, it would be this epic, almost-once-in-a-lifetime event.
Fans have salivated over this idea from the second it was announced as a possibility – even in the face that the team would earn its way to get there.
Nationally, there was this notion that College Football Playoff games on campus – especially in Happy Valley – would be this incredible scene and spectacle of the sport. There, Penn State fans would showcase their grandest performance – the White Out. The crowd would be frenzied and vicious with its volume levels. Penn State’s football program, more prepared for the elements and moments like this, would see it through. Even Beaver Stadium’s notorious plumbing would be equipped for the sub-freezing temperatures.
Every single one of those things happened.
It was this epic collision of Mother Nature, fandom and a football team that made all of the waiting and the hype worth it.
Saturday was full of tailgate lots covered in snow and the air full of steam from each and every breath. The cold was no problem. No, it was all a part of the experience – like a 4D Hallmark Christmas movie, aiding the pride that this couldn’t happen in some corporate sponsored neutral setting.
Inside Beaver Stadium, the allotted 18 inches per seat felt a little more crammed, both by the number of people and all of those extra layers. In spite of all of those layers, Penn State fans found a way to make sure the program’s most prideful tradition was preserved.
The White Out that has become intertwined with Penn State’s brand was in full force.
That crowd got louder and louder and louder.
When Zakee Wheatley broke up a pass headed for six, Beaver Stadium rejoiced.
When Dominic Deluca picked off a pass from SMU’s Kevin Jennings and scored, the avalanche tumbled down.
When Tony Rojas returned another errant throw by Jennings for 50-plus yards and a score, Beaver Stadium did not stop shaking.
Mittens and gloves collided everywhere. A hearty “We Are Penn State” rhythmically rang out to Zombie Nation, which started before Rojas even crossed the goal line. The crowd, waiting for a signature moment at home this season, finally had not one, but two. It was an exhale of relief and it was jubilation that home field advantage was truly an advantage.
On Saturday, SMU never entered the game. Penn State’s defense was too stout. A team averaging 38.5 points scored just 10. The Mustangs could only muster 253 yards in the elements with just 56 coming on the ground.
SMU’s defense, ranked nationally as one of the best in the country, couldn’t handle the punishing attack from Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The duo helped Penn State gain 189 yards on the ground, more than double SMU’s fourth-ranked 93.4 average entering Saturday.
Penn State took advantage of the collision that came for Happy Valley – a warm-weather visitor in freezing temps, a crowd waiting for the moment and an opportunity to push its season further.
Even if Penn State makes the College Football Playoff again and even if Penn State hosts a game again, there will be very few games and moments that supplant what Saturday felt like.
It was worthy of the hype.
Now Penn State must prove its worth of its spot as it moves on in the College Football Playoff.
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