Penn State’s White Out has become one of college football’s toughest tickets for a reason, but this week the market tells a very different story.
Prices for Saturday night’s game at Beaver Stadium have fallen fast after Penn State’s 0-2 Big Ten start. The get-in price was $350 on Aug. 26, according to Ticketdata.com, which tracks resale-market prices for sporting events. By Oct. 6, four days before kickoff, the cheapest tickets had dropped below $80 on StubHub and were as low as $76 on Ticketmaster, Penn State’s official resale vendor.
Ticketmaster listed more than 2,200 resale tickets, including some unsold verified Penn State tickets starting at $140. That’s a sharp turn from last year, when Penn State’s White Out drew a record announced crowd of 111,015 against Oregon and some resale tickets climbed above $1,000 in the days before the game.
This time around, the Nittany Lions are heading into a White Out game 0-2 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2016. The losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern have dragged ticket prices down, with White Out seats still above $200 last week before taking another nosedive after Penn State’s 34-13 loss at Northwestern. Since the end of Friday’s game, prices have fallen by more than 60 percent.
Penn State coach Matt Campbell was asked about the ticket availability for his first White Out as head coach, and he made it clear the program isn’t backing away from the moment.
"Adversity was going to be a part of this," Penn State's Matt Campbell said, "and we are in it and we needed to be in it to be able to grow forward to be the team we want to become."
He expanded on that idea later, saying the Nittany Lions are "not running" from their early Big Ten struggles.
"Every single person within [the foobtall building] who has sprinted in our walls, even since Friday night coming off of that really tough plane ride home, understands what we represent," Campbell said. "We've never cowered from it.
We're not running from it, and we're not hiding from it. We have to be better.
We want to grow forward, and we're going to demand to grow forward.
"The reality is, it's going to happen. When that happens and how that happens, we're going to need everybody pulling in the same direction.
We've got an unbelievable fan base. I'm grateful for it and really appreciative for them.
The great thing is, they've been with us from day one, and my guess is they've always been with this program good days and tough days. So I'm really grateful to be in a program like that."
Campbell said the bigger issue has been Penn State’s lack of identity, especially on offense. Through Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions have scored on only five of 25 possessions against Wisconsin and Northwestern, and only one of those touchdown drives covered more than 50 yards.
The run game has been just as rough. Penn State has averaged 2.9 yards per carry against Big Ten opponents and managed only 48 rushing yards against Northwestern.
"The reality is, we're five games into building standards and expectations," Campbell said. "As we continue to build this, adversity was going to be a part of this, and we are in it and we needed to be in it to be able to grow forward to be the team we want to become.
"What I'm looking for is our response. Verbal response, even what I say, doesn't matter.
It's what happens, how do we go get better, how do we fix our inconsistencies, and how do we show up and grow ourselves forward? I think that's the biggest thing from our players, our coaches, all of us is how we respond to the adversity that we're in."
When asked again about the run-game issues, Campbell widened the lens even further.
"The reality of it is, we lack an identity."
The White Out remains Penn State’s annual showcase and usually its best-attended game. Since the first full-stadium White Out in 2007, the game has drawn eight announced crowds above 110,000. Saturday’s game will be the 19th full Penn State White Out at Beaver Stadium, including the 2024 home playoff game against SMU.
Penn State is 11-7 in full-stadium White Out games and had won six straight before last year’s 30-24 overtime loss to Oregon.
USC is coming to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 1994. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night.
In Other News...
Penn State Faces Two Big Concerns Before White Out Vs USC
Penn State spent part of the week clearing the air before a White Out showdown with USC, and the messaging from the podium was pointed enough to show where the pressure points are. A press conference with head coach Matt Campbell, defensive coordinator DAnton Lynn, quarterback Rocco Becht, offensive guard Cooper Cousins and linebacker Cael Brezina gave the usual game-week mix of injury updates and self-scouting, with receiver Koby Howards status drawing attention as the Nittany Lions continue to manage their depth.
Just as notable was the tone around the offense and defense after the Northwestern game, where the conversation turned to quarterback play, overall offensive struggles and what this teams identity needs to look like going forward. On the other side of the ball, the defense is still sorting through challenges that were exposed in that recent trip, and with USC coming into a White Out atmosphere, Penn State does not have much margin for lingering issues to linger much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Alumni Are Making Early NFL Noise For Multiple Teams
Penn States NFL footprint was hard to miss in the latest round of games, with several former Nittany Lions turning up in key moments for their new teams. Jahan Dotson found the end zone for the Atlanta Falcons, Pat Freiermuth hauled in a touchdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Mike Gesicki scored for the Cincinnati Bengals, giving the program another reminder that its alumni keep showing up on Sundays.
The defense joined the party, too, as Odafe Oweh delivered a sack and forced fumble for the Washington Commanders. Tyler Warren emerged as one of the Indianapolis Colts top targets, while Theo Johnson added a touchdown for the New York Giants, a spread of production that reflects how widely Penn State talent is already being trusted across the league. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Coach Just Framed Penn States White Out Stakes Clearly
With Penn States White Out looming in Week 6, USC coach Lincoln Riley spent time on Trojans Live laying out why this trip carries more weight than a typical early-season test. He pointed to the Nittany Lions roster depth, the experience of quarterback Rocco Becht, and the kind of defensive structure Penn State now has with former USC defensive coordinator DAnton Lynn helping shape things on that side of the ball.
Riley also made clear that the coaching familiarity cuts both ways, with both staffs having a good feel for what the other likes to do. Even so, he stressed that the matchup will come down to what happens between the lines, where Penn States players will have to execute under one of the sports loudest and most demanding atmospheres. [Read more 🡒]