Fans Can’t Stop Laughing About Penn State Having a Quiet Practice to Prep for Small Northwestern Crowd

Penn State head coach James Franklin had a hilarious way of preparing his undefeated Nittany Lions for a road game at Northwestern this Saturday: turning the music down.

Yes, you read that right.

Franklin told reporters after practice Wednesday that the team has spent time practicing with the music off to prepare for a quieter road atmosphere at Ryan Field in Evanston. Northwestern is averaging just 17,500 fans per game this season, by far the lowest mark in the Big Ten. For reference, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium has a capacity of 106,572, more than six times higher than Northwestern’s average attendance this season.

Franklin cited the need for internal motivation when playing in front of a crowd that will likely be the smallest the team faces all season. In the process though, he took quite the dig at Northwestern’s fanbase, which college football fans loved.

That said, Northwestern is 2–0 at home this season, including an epic 21-point fourth quarter comeback to beat Minnesota and spark a half-hearted field storm. We’ll see if the Cats’ home-field advantage wears off against the No. 6 Nittany Lions.