We Are!

The thrill of college football is unmatched. Passion, enthusiasm, dedication. For that reason, some enjoy college sports more than professional sports. Kids seem to enjoy the game more. It’s more about what’s on the field rather than what is happening off it (or at least it used to be). The number of people that pack the stands to cheer on their local college, current college, or alma mater is unmatched, especially for football.

This past weekend my son and I experienced one of the most intense environments in all of sports. Let me tell you… IT WAS AMAZING.

Here’s a little backstory of how I ended up at this game.

So, I’m not sure how it happened, but my son is a die-hard Penn State fan. That is where he wants to go to school. He aspires to play offensive line for them when he gets there. I couldn’t tell you how that happened; I am a Fresno State fan and graduated from the University of Idaho. My wife really couldn’t care less about sports. I think she roots for whoever I root for. But I’m okay with that. Anyways, my son (Cameron) chose Penn State as his favorite team/school. The kid has practically signed his letter of intent.

Last year, in sixth grade, Cameron was struggling to keep his grades up. He had mostly A’s but had some low B’s. I saw that he was slacking a little bit, so I made him a bet. Get all A’s, and I’ll take you to a Penn State football game. Did I think he could do it? Absolutely. Did I think he would? I don’t know about that. He was being lazy with schoolwork. So, I went with it.  We all know how that turned out. Cameron was happy; my wallet… not so much.

Fast forward to October 2026. I’m finalizing everything and making sure everything is good: the plane, car, hotel, and tickets. I had ordered everything earlier in the summer, so I wanted to be sure everything was good. But I didn’t realize what game I had bought tickets to. All I knew was the game was against USC at Beaver Stadium. Come to find out, it was the white-out game. Let me tell you, Cameron was AMPED. We’d seen it on TV and in NCAA video games, but this was the real deal.

October 9. We flew to Pittsburgh and drove to Clearfield. A town roughly an hour away from State College, where Penn State is. On the way there, Cameron repeatedly said, “I’m not going to sleep tonight. I’m too excited.” We got to the hotel a little after midnight, so he passed out pretty quickly.

October 10. Game day. The game was at 7:30 PM, so we had plenty of time to do what we wanted to do before the game. We just didn’t know what that was. So we headed into town to explore. We got there at about 10 AM and walked around for a little bit. Outside of campus is downtown State College. We parked in the middle of downtown and decided to walk around. There were stores, restaurants, and an abundance of Penn State fans. Go figure, right? As said earlier, it was the white-out game. I’m not a Penn State fan, and I don’t have anything white, but I wore a light grey hoodie. Close enough. Cameron had a white Penn State hat but a dark blue hoodie. So, we stopped at the “Lion’s Den” and bought him a white jersey.

After leaving the store, we grabbed a bite to eat and started walking around the campus. The campus is beautiful. It was open and had older-style buildings mixed with new-style buildings. I told Cameron he should bring a bike if he ends up going there because it was quite the walk from one side of campus to the other. It was neat to walk around and see. It was also cool to see that there weren’t a lot of students acting like a bunch of jerks. Most of them kept to themselves or were friendly. I guess that is why they call it Happy Valley.

Campus was cool, but we stumbled upon the tailgate area. That’s when things started getting crazy. The game was slated to start at 7:30 PM. We got to the tailgate area around 11:30 AM. It was already full. People were bringing out grills, playing cornhole, watching other games on TV, drinking… beverages. Walking through the lots, nobody got mad that we were there. We walked through an obnoxious number of people’s tents, yet nobody said anything. I honestly think if we had asked, they would have let us hang out with them. But this was Cameron’s experience. I told him to take the lead. He was too nervous to talk to anyone. I get it. It can be overwhelming. This was his first tailgate experience, and for it to be at this level... I’d be a little intimidated too. For me, it was cool. These fans love their team; there is no doubt about that.

After walking through four parking lots of tailgaters, we decided to go closer to the stadium. We thought we could get closer, take some pictures, look around, and see where we needed to go come game time. We did not expect what we would see next.

The tailgate parties were just the tip of the iceberg. There was a whole block party. Live music, vendors, picture booths, pretty much anything you can think of- it was there. We walked around for a bit. Cameron was hoping to see The Nittany Lion (the sock cougar, inside joke), but we couldn’t find him. We looked around the block party and took some pictures with blow-up figures, and Cameron got to put on an actual game helmet and take a picture, which was really cool. Then we thought, Penn State has the statue of a Nittany Lion. We decided to look for that. Thanks to Apple Maps, we found it. It was quite the hike, about thirty minutes from the stadium. Luckily, I had good shoes; Cameron, on the other hand, wore Crocs. We got some cool pictures along the way. There were a variety of statues and monuments on campus. Then we went back toward the stadium.

Once we got back, we realized that there was a schedule to all of this madness. There was a breakdown; certain things start at certain times. Cameron saw that the team walked into the stadium at 5 PM and asked if we could stay and watch them enter. I said sure, but it was also three hours away. Tick tock, tick tock. Time went by so slowly. But the yells of We are! Penn State! Kept us, somewhat, awake. Watching the different fans walk around was interesting. Then 5 o’clock came around. First, the cheerleaders came out. They did their thing, showing off all the spirit you can handle. Then the dance team went on stage and showed off them sick moves yo. Then… it was time… Here he comes! The sock cougar! I mean.. The Nittany Lion! We were close enough to the tunnel where we could look down and see the field and what was coming next. For whatever reason, the cheer team, dance team, and mascot ran out of the tunnel toward the street. It was a cool sight. The fans were hyped. It was getting crowded, and it was getting loud. Next up came the recruits. High school players who are considering playing for Penn State in the near future. They lined up along the guardrail and prepared for the team to make their entrance.

Then, the real treat came. The speakers from the stage were cranked up loud, and you could hear the MC yelling… “THE TEAM IS HEEEERRREEE!” The marching band played the fight song and marched into the stadium. Following them, the team was walking in. Players came in groups and by themselves. Cameron joined a few other kids and reached their hands out for high fives, to which most of the players high-fived them back. After the team left, it was time to head to the entrance. But as we were standing there, one of the coolest things happened. At least for me. Cameron looked at me and said, “You know, Dad, that’s gonna be me one day.” I hope it is, kid… I hope it is…

We got to the entrance, and I went to pull up my tickets on my phone. Nowadays tickets are all electronic... You know it’s not okay to have a paper copy. Heavens forbid my phone die… It almost did. I had 2% battery when we entered the stadium. We got lucky. Nonetheless, we made it in. We got inside early enough so we were able to look around a little bit. From where we entered, it was mostly snack bars and vendors. But then we looked over and saw the lower-level tunnel. I looked at Cameron and said let’s go. It’s not like we were going to sit down, so there’s nothing wrong with it. We left the tunnel; the lights beamed down on us, and there was a feeling of nostalgia. Something about it gave you chills. I looked over, and Cameron had THE BIGGEST smile on his face. It filled my heart. The field was right there, literally five or six rows away from us, so I said Let's go and we went to field level. We took a couple of pictures basically on the field. A really cool thing to do, especially if you are a Penn State fan.

Then, we went to our seats. We were in the upper deck of the end zone. Yes, they were further from the field, but they were better for watching the game. Good seats if you ask me! At first there were very few people. Cameron asked me, “Is this really all the people that are going to be here?” I explained that we were there almost two hours early and people will file in as it gets closer to game time. We were across the stadium from the student section, and you could see them filling the seats. Row by row. It almost looked like someone was pouring liquid back and forth across something, building it up. Once people decided to show up, they showed up.

Before the game, the teams came out to stretch and warm up. The fans that were in their seats roared with enthusiasm. That was loud, and only half the fans (if that) were there! As it got closer to game time, the scoreboard started to show the countdown to kickoff. Yes, we were there so early that they didn’t even have the clock set. But thirty minutes to kickoff, the teams cleared the field. Then one of the coolest parts of college football, the band, took center stage to perform their pregame show on the field. They were even nice enough to play USC’s fight song. Because you know, sportsmanship is a real thing. As the band wrapped up their show, they marched off playing the school’s fight song. Everyone was standing, singing along. We didn’t know it; Cameron sure tried, but we stood there enthusiastically clapping along. Then… it hit.

The lights shut off. A blue light came out of the tunnel on the opposite side of the field from us. The video board showing the players walking out of the locker room. Phil Collins blasting over the speakers, “I CAN FEEL IT COMING IN THE AIR TONIGHT,” and that’s about all I heard because after that the roar of 100,000+ fans screaming at the top of their lungs overtook the speakers. The gate at the end of the tunnel reads “PENN STATE” and it opens up, and the team runs in. I cant even begin to explain the way it felt being there. I’m not even a fan, but I had chills. But there’s more! Kenkraft 400 came on. You didn’t have to say anything. Everyone knew what to do. Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, WE ARE PENN STATE. Kids, students, parents, even grandparents were going bananas. White pom poms flinging simultaneously to the beat. WE ARE PENN STATE. Looking next to you. WE ARE PENN STATE. Looking across the stadium. WE ARE PENN STATE. Remember when I told you Cameron was excited before? Yeah, no… NOW he was excited. This kid was smiling from ear to ear, having the time of his life. Honestly, he had me rooting for the Nittany Lions.

The time had come for kickoff. But just before that, you heard “Nans’ingwenya ma bakithi baba.” I looked around and looked at Cameron. Did I just hear that right? The Lion King? Uhh what? Then we looked at the video board. Sure enough, a student in the student section was holding up a plush Simba with a Penn State logo. Then, looking around, everyone who had the pom poms stretched them long ways and held them up. It made a sea of white. Then the song changed, and everyone bounced their hands. That sea now had ripples and was VERY loud. I’m disappointed in myself for not being more mindful of the battery on my phone. I couldn’t get any photos or videos of the pregame or during the game. Trust me. I’m disappointed, but at the same time, I’m not. I enjoyed the game to the fullest with my kiddo which was a great experience.

It was a good game. Honestly, it was more competitive than I thought it would be. But now I understand why it is so hard to play in Happy Valley. The crowd made it difficult for USC to change things up at the line. USC did start to move quicker and was able to get going before the crowd amped up again after each play. Which worked for them. USC also did take advantage of a very flawed rule, in my opinion. For those who don’t know, when the offense makes a substitution, the defense is given time to substitute in players as well. The officials will hold up play until they feel the defense has been given ample time to change personnel. Typically speaking, the time allowed to INITIATE a sub on defense is around three seconds. Then the defensive players must run in at an “athletic pace.” But who’s to say what an athletic pace is? A 350lb DL isn’t going to run as fast as a 220lb LB. USC exploited this on a few different occasions. After Penn State had substituted a player off, in the middle of the play clock, USC waited until the last second to sub in a defensive lineman. That DL ran in at his “athletic pace” to get set up, and the player he was taking the place of waited until he tapped him, then ran at his “athletic pace” back to the bench. Causing a delay of game on Penn State. I understand the rule. I played defense; I coach defense. Help the defense out, I can appreciate that. But at the same time… It does not take thirty seconds to run, hell, even jog, twenty yards to get to your position. The defensive delay of game call is basically a judgement call. It could be managed so much better. Anyways, back to the game. It was a one-possession game for the whole 60 minutes. On the last drive for Penn State, Rocco Becht hit Brett Eskildsen coming across the middle when he was tackled at the USC 39-yard line and fumbled the ball. Ultimately ending the hopes of a Penn State comeback.

This trip began as a “what the hell was I thinking” thing. But, as I look back, the positive effect it had on Cameron was well worth it. As the game was ending, Cameron said to me, “you know, I’m disappointed and sad that we lost, but I’m not upset because I had a blast.” That’s enough for me to have a smile on my face. I wanted Penn State to win so badly for him, but the experience was worth much more. The memories made will last forever, and it’s something we can look back on for the rest of our lives.

As a football fan, I will say this. If you have the opportunity to make it to a Penn State white out game, GO. You may think you know what a football environment should be like, but until you have seen something like this, you really haven’t seen anything. I’ve been to Boise State, Washington State, University of Washington, University of Idaho, Fresno State, 49ers games, Raiders games, and Seahawks games but this one felt different.

From start to finish, the environment and electricity that flowed through the campus all day was unmatched. From the tailgate party to hearing “Mo Bamba” on third down. Electrifying. I do really hope that I can make it back to another one of these games. It was fun. For now, I’ll leave you with this:

WE ARE…

PENN STATE!