One hundred fourteen thousand four hundred nineteen.
A gathering of #114K-plus.
114,419
No matter how you write it, it’s a big number.
It was the largest crowd in Penn State football history, with all those people gathered on a beautiful October night to watch the Nittany Lions play USC in the annual White Out game.
It was the fourth-largest crowd in college football history — behind a one-of-a-kind matchup of Tennessee and Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway (156,990 in 2016) and after a couple of Notre Dame-Michigan games at Michigan Stadium (2013, 2011).
The turnout for Penn State’s 31-23 loss to USC Saturday night would’ve made Beaver Stadium the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown.
Additionally, there were more people inside the stadium than live in 39 Pennsylvania counties — ranging from Lycoming County (112,256) to Cameron County (4,090).
It’s a record that apparently could stand for years.
| Game | Date | Attendance | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech | 9/10/16 | 156,990 | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| Notre Dame vs. Michigan | 9/7/13 | 115,109 | Michigan Stadium |
| Notre Dame vs. Michigan | 9/10/11 | 114,804 | Michigan Stadium |
| USC vs. Penn State | 10/10/26 | 114,419 | Beaver Stadium |
| Ohio State vs. Michigan | 11/26/11 | 114,132 | Michigan Stadium |
At the end of the summer, Penn State officials put the stadium’s capacity this season at about 109,000, with the caveat that it would be lower next season once renovations are complete and temporary bleachers on the west side of the stadium are removed.
By comparison, Michigan Stadium, “the Big House,” has an official capacity of 107,601.
So, on a one-off occasion, a maybe-never-to-be-repeated opportunity, Penn State put as many people as it possibly could into the stadium.
Does it really matter, though? And if so, why?
Yes, it matters. It’s a record. It’s a special moment. It’s a big bit of visibility. And it’s something worth celebrating.
Media members wrote headlines and passed along the number. Fans shared photos and videos on social media. Coaches and players appreciated the atmosphere and energy.
After some angst about lower secondary market ticket prices — which are not an indicator of potential interest or turnout but more a look at real-time market factors — all the fans wearing white showed up, made noise and took in the stadium’s upgrades.
Yep, those dancing lights seemingly present at every major sports stadium now have a home in Happy Valley. Plus, there was a halftime drone show and even some reduced concession costs.
Kudos to Penn State Athletics for all of that.
When you have the largest stadium in North America (this season, next year it’ll again be Michigan Stadium), you must do a good bit of marketing to attract fans. The opponent, Penn State’s own on-field success (if and when it happens) and even the weather will drive interest in the White Out or any other game more than the marketers, but the marketing matters.
A college football crowd of more than 114,000 will happen only once this season, and only at one place: Beaver Stadium.
That’s special.
Along with the marketers, it’s a big credit to Penn State’s fan base. The blue-and-white faithful are loyal. Plus, the White Out has earned a reputation as a sports travel destination, along with a spot in a heavily rotated insurance company commercial this season.
Honestly, the secondary ticket price drop probably ensured that more people could afford tickets last week. That’s a good thing because Penn State at times seems to be pricing itself out of the reach of some fans.
In terms of marketing, the athletic department and football program have had their challenges. Annual promotions sometimes feel more like to-do lists for those already in the fold rather than anything that’ll encourage someone to buy a ticket — and in some ways that’s OK because even on its days with a low turnout the attendance for games at Beaver Stadium is higher than that at 95 percent of other places.
Still, there’s room for consistency and improvement.
Remember the prevalence of #107K on social media? In the past half-decade, Penn State has only drawn four crowds of 107,000-ish fans. That always seemed like a miss or a poor alignment of hype, marketing and reality.
In general, more is not better. Better is better.
More fans Saturday night was worth celebrating, though. It was an accomplishment.
At the same time, Penn State needs to do something about its talent gap, its lack of a running game and its use of timeouts because the on-field performance ultimately matters most. You cannot mask those issues with a big white blotter or a record White Out turnout.
It was still impressive, though.
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