Well, Joel Klatt was right, Penn State could conduct a White Out — and do it well — at noon.
That’s my biggest takeaway from the first-round CFB Playoff game at Beaver Stadium, and the final game for the longtime configuration of the stadium as most fans know it.
First and foremost, kudos to the fans.
Despite some concerns about ticket supply and demand, the impact of the weather, interest in the opponent and the noon start, Penn State fans showed up and they were loud from the start. Consistently loud. Really loud.
The official attendance of 106,013 might be a little ambitious but it’s certainly plausible, and by no means a stretch of the truth that rivals attendance numbers announced for some late summer nonconference games in the past.
In terms of branding, operations, perception and reality, here are a few things that stood out Saturday — and a little more about Klatt’s perspective on White Outs, too. (Spoiler, he’s right.)
It was dismissive of a CFB Playoff official to hint in the days leading up to the game that the campus sites needed help to make the on-campus games work well. It’s admittedly hard to tell sometimes, but Penn State knows how to make an event in Beaver Stadium special and that happened again Sunday.
So, credit to all who contribute to that on a regular basis, and especially in the cold for that final game of the season at home.
The CFB Playoff’s touch on things was clear, though. From the super ribbon boards to on-field logos, it was impossible to miss CFB branding. Longtime Penn State partners did not have a presence.
Penn State’s uniforms made a statement as the program busted out it’s “Generations of Greatness” unis — the ones typically reserved for homecoming. So, numbers on helmets, stripes on pants and white cleats.
It felt like an alternate jersey for a big game, which might open the door just a crack for other uniform approaches in the future. We’ll see.
As it had with the Maryland game, Penn State reverted all caps, block style letters in the endzones, replacing a script font that rolled out earlier this season. Maybe it was done in combination with the homecoming uniforms, but that was not clear. And using a couple different end zone fonts during the season just seems unfocused. (Maybe it’s creative and flexible, but it doesn’t feel that way.)
Both the CFP and Penn State deserve credit for how things worked Saturday. There were no major issues, although each made some mistakes or missed opportunities.
For the CFB Playoff, man, commercial breaks are long. The organization needs money and sponsors to fund its efforts but finding a way to reel that in or at least keep it the same as the regular season would be nice. Plus, do something better during those breaks to engage fans in the stadium. It was just drudgery at times. Cold drudgery.
Also, the CFB Playoff really disrespected the SMU band.
There’s no reason for a band to be stuck in the upper north end zone of the stadium. If those in charge want typical college football pageantry and sounds, then put the kids providing those sounds in a better position to succeed.
Likewise, Penn State could’ve served fans better on the cold day by opening, say, the Bryce Jordan Center as a warm-up location (and small revenue stream).
Overall, it was a strong effort at noon — colorful and loud, a college football atmosphere at its best.
That brings me back to Klatt.
While some heard him complaining about Penn State fans with his sarcasm and silence when noting Fox was told Penn State could not do a White Out at noon, my sense was that was more a Penn State Athletics message to the network, and he was clapping back on his podcast.
But, judging by what happened against SMU, Penn State fans are fully capable of showing up at noon and making a difference in a game — even in adverse weather conditions. So, Klatt’s right, it could be done at noon.
Yes, he’s biased and invested because his employer, Fox, broadcasts its best games at noon. It’s good business for them.
After the playoff game it just might be a little harder to claim it’s not good business for Penn State, too.
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