Joe Paterno (Scene from the Pregame Pep Rally on 9-7-07): There are 2 ways to get the job done! (Takes off his jacket) ALRIGHT LET’S GO!
PENN STATE FOOTBALL CLASSIC GAMES
Joe Paterno, James Franklin, Ki-Jana Carter, Todd Blackledge, Kerry Collins, Saquan Barkley, Trace McSorley, Tamba Hali, and so many more household Nittany Lions.
September 8 2007 vs Notre Dame: The 1st All Stadium Whiteout
BLACK SHOES, BASIC BLUES, NO NAMES, ALL GAME
Created by Bragging Rights Sports (WE ARE! PENN STATE!)
Narrator: Every great tradition in College Football always has to have a start. And the world famous Penn State Whiteout started in 2004. The idea of this showing of unity began in 2002 against Nebraska. According to many on campus there was a fear that fans of the Cornhuskers would have a large showing of fans at Beaver Stadium. Instead PSU season ticket holders flooded the stadium in record numbers. Plus Penn State not only beat Nebraska but they crushed them. Back to 2004, all students were asked to wear white to a midseason game against Purdue. The Nittany Lions lost but the impact of this unity was starting to take shape. After 2005 vs Ohio State (Which we will eventually cover) and 2006 vs Michigan, the Whiteout was starting to gain attention by the national media. The next step in getting this so-called color scheme to the next level was getting the entire stadium to wear white. And remember this was before Social Media became a habit in our everyday lives so the only way this request from the PSU Athletic Department and Joe Paterno could go viral was in the newspapers around the state. That statement became clear at a pregame pep rally the night before. The main message from JoePa was very simple. Joe Paterno: There are 2 ways to get the job done! (Takes off his jacket) ALRIGHT LET’S GO! Narrator: I tell you what for an 80 year old man at that time to have as much energy as Paterno did is insane. This man just wanted to win this game and have the fans make an impact in doing so.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC) Gameday, the sense around Beaver Stadium was that their opponents needed to be taken. Just the feeling in Happy Valley that fate was ready to smile on JoePa’s team. Coming off a week where 6 players on the Nittany Lions faced criminal charges, JoePa made it clear that they wouldn’t let those events hold them back from what they wanted to accomplish. Their opponent in this game happened to be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. A team at that time was on the downswing after losing in the Sugar Bowl the previous year against LSU. Many of their key players from their 2006 squad graduated and their Freshman class that year wasn’t as strong as it was in previous years under Charlie Weis. Coming off a week where they rushed for -8 yards in a 33-3 loss at home against Georgia Tech, the Fighting Irish were looking to overcome a massive wakeup call. The bad news for them was not only were they starting Freshman Jimmy Clausen in place of Evan Sharpley, they were entering an atmosphere that many in College Football had never seen. (Zombie Nation playing) Not only were the students wearing white Penn State shirts EVERYBODY IN THE STADIUM WAS IN WHITE! On an evening where the team celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their 1982 National Championship season the Nittany Lions were ready to bust out but also make a statement in front of a large viewing audience in both Beaver Stadium and the people watching the game on ESPN.
Early in this game the defenses for both teams would come to play. The Notre Dame Offensive Line was getting beat up by the Penn State Front 7. Charlie Weis wanted to establish the run after their loss the week before against the Yellow Jackets yet he forgot that oh right Penn State had Butkus Nominee Dan Connor. Luckily for the Fighting Irish, Anthony Morelli looked off especially early in the game. At the 8 minute mark, he threw a Pick 6 which was the result of an underthrow. Notre Dame had optimism running sky high for about 5 minutes. Why? BOOM! Just look at what happened at the end of the 1st Quarter; “Williams fields it at the 22, breaks a tackle, gets over to the 30, breaks another tackle, cuts back, AND THERE HE GOES! He’s got a convoy to the Notre Dame 30, Still going! TOUCHDOWN DERRICK WILLIAMS!” (All hell breaks loose in the student section) What did I just see? Derrick Williams broke 5 tackles on his way to a momentum-turning TD for the Nittany Lions. Now that the game was tied the air got sucked out of the Notre Dame bench. Luckily for the Irish, the defense battle would continue, Morelli and Clausen were both losing their cool thanks to both running games being put on neutral. But Penn State would soon get the play that gave them momentum for good. “Clausen on 3rd Down, goes straight back and LOOKOUT! Aaron Maybin, the true freshman, comes off the edge and gets the sack!” That’s a killer, getting pinned in your own end, getting sacked on 3rd Down, and all of sudden PSU has outstanding field position. Morelli and RB Austin Scott began to pound the ball down the Irish’ throats. The drive ended with Morelli throwing a 10 yard dart to Jordan Norword for 6 points. Leading 14-7 the Nittany Lions had their opponents from South Bend right where they wanted them. Soon after both teams would trade punts, as Notre Dame was again pinned in their own territory by a Jeremy Boone punt. Then came another famous Whiteout play. “Clausen under center goes back to pass, he stands in the pocket, he tries to get away and he’s DROPPED!” (The reason this play is famous is because of Jerome Hayes post play celebration where he pretends to roam the field like the Nittany Lion mascot) That hit must have hurt a lot. Jerome Hayes literally just threw Jimmy Clausen to the ground. That would be the final act of the 1st Half as Penn State took a 14-7 lead into the locker room.
Following the halftime period where PSU honored the 1982 National Title team, the 2nd Half would begin with another huge play. “The 2nd Half is underway as the kick goes to about the 5 yard line, it is fielded by AJ Wallace, he gets past the 20, to the 25, cuts his way to 30 and has some daylight. He’s past midfield, at the 40 and knocked down near the 25 yard line of Notre Dame. What a return by the sophomore AJ Wallace!” Well if the fans were already pumped about seeing the 82 team again, well they got even more excited because their special teams unit continued to dominate. Just the way JoePa likes it. Even with the big return the Nittany Lions stalled and had to settle for a Kevin Kelly field goal. Once again like in the 1st Half, either team’s offense couldn’t get going, 3 and outs, punts you name it. But when you think this game is not over Tom Zibikowski pulls off a big return down to the PSU 7. (Former Raven by the way) However it’s all for naught as Notre Dame couldn’t get anything going and had to settle for 3. The Irish blew a golden chance to get back in the game. Only leading by 7, Penn State needed a big play. And they got it. In the form of a 51 yard pass play from Morelli to Chris Bell. But like most of their drives, the Nittany Lions couldn’t do anything but then, BEEP! “Pass interference, #22 defense.” Ok, they just gave PSU a chance to extend the lead even further. And they did as Austin Scott punched it in from 1 yard out. And now they were up 24-10. Soon it felt like a feeding frenzy as Jimmy Clausen still couldn’t solve the riddle of the Penn State Front 7. He was hurried, harassed, and crunched. So was their running game as the Notre Dame O-Line couldn’t block the machine known as Dan Connor. Luckily for his sake, Maurice Evans dropped what should have been an easy INT. (Too bad for ND it was 3rd Down) As soon as the Nittany Lions got the ball again, they continued to run the ball and make quick reads. Austin Scott was able to get in the endzone for a 2nd time to put the game on ice. The Final Score, Penn State: 31 Notre Dame: 10. That game shows you that you don’t have to play an inspiring game of football to still dominate your opponents. The reason that PSU won this game and started the 2007 season 2-0 was because they won by fundamentals. Run the football, and play good defense. That is exactly the mindset that JoePa had in his tenure with the team. That just about does it for this document. Tune in for the next episode of PSU Football Classics, which features the 1995 Rose Bowl against Oregon. Stay tuned. Students: “WE ARE! PENN STATE! WE ARE!! PENN STATE!! WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!! THANK YOU! YOU’RE WELCOME!!!”
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