STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The decibel level rises, the white shakers come out and for four quarters Beaver Stadium is a sea of white and a spectacle for the rest of the college football world.
“Coming into a White Out we feel like we can compete against anyone," quarterback Trace McSorley said this week.
And this time around it certainly looks like the No. 2 Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) can. With No. 19 Michigan headed to town for Saturday night's marquee matchup it's not only a chance for the Lions to answer the biggest question on their schedule to date, but also an opportunity for the raucous environment to leave a favorable impression on what will be a packed house featuring marquee recruits. From the start of the White Out in 2004 to Allen Robinson's snag in the four-overtime thriller against the Wolverines in 2013, to last year's upset of then No. 2 Ohio State, the White Out creates lasting memories for the fans and players, ones Penn State is looking to add to Saturday night.
"You can have all the words in the world, you can study all the dictionaries in the world, but the words won't put it into perspective how that environment is so live," wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins said this week. "You can feel everybody's heart beat, you can feel every moment throughout the game."
After all, that atmosphere -- complete with the shaking of the stadium and even the swaying of the press box after a big-time play -- is what helps set the 107,000-plus seat stadium apart from most. It's also a reason why several of the Lions who run out of the tunnel Saturday night ended up here in the first place. Trying to put the White Out into words is something several players tried to do this week, often settling with something along the lines of "You have to see it for yourself."
"People used to always ask me, 'Why are you going there? Why you doing this? Why you doing that?' " cornerback Christian Campbell, an Alabama native, said this week. "I can remember on signing day — I'm not going to say a name — but one of my coaches told me, 'Why you going to Penn State? Y'all not even bowl-eligible. Why not go to another team?' ... But now they see."
Campbell didn't grow up watching Penn State on TV or even knowing what the White Out was. In the heart of SEC country he was unaware of the tradition, but he was far from the only one.
Senior Mike Gesicki, the prized tight end prospect of his recruiting class, made a visit to Happy Valley as a high schooler unaware what a White Out was, let alone that the game he was attending was one of them.
"Back then, I didn't understand how important it was to everybody," Gesicki said. "I didn't wear white. I was sticking out like a sore thumb. I wore a flannel and a black t-shirt. Then I came back for my official visit my senior year of high school, and it was the Michigan game with four overtimes. By then, I understood. I was in all white and ready for the game. It's crazy to think about that now. It was four years ago, and it comes full circle."
Gesicki was far from the being the only current Penn State player who was on hand for the four-overtime thriller against Michigan. With the White Out always attracting the largest group of quality recruits per season, many players' first memory of Penn State was the favorable impression left by that game.
Much like how last year's upset against Ohio State blew prospect's minds as they rushed the field afterward, Robinson's catch had a similar impact. As Thompkins sat in the stands with his dad and future teammate Antoine White, they watched the drama unfold knowing that one day they'd be the ones on the sideline, soaking in an atmosphere that was unlike anything they'd ever experienced at a football game.
"As soon as [running back] Bill Belton scored, I just like lost my mind. It was the most ridiculous environment ever," Thompkins said. "Me and Antoine White were sitting right by each other. And I just remember me and him because we were freshman roommates and I remember me and him like, 'Yo, we've got to get here as fast as possible so we can be in games like this and go down in the history books.' "
The atmosphere presumably will be taken up another notch -- if humanly possible -- this weekend because of the Lions' undefeated record and with ESPN's College GameDay getting set up on the Old Main Lawn. Franklin even upped his social media presence this week, calling on all of the alumni association watch parties, all of the patrons in bars and restaurants downtown and even those in the surrounding State College community to wear white on Saturday.
"[For] home games I’m going to be different on Twitter than I am [for] away games, because I’m trying to create the best atmosphere in college football," Franklin said. "Because I know that’s going to equate to winning.”
And if that sea of white should equate to winning both on the field and on the recruiting trail, Franklin won't take any chances should fans or community members tell him they don't own any white clothing.
"You have bleach," he said.