Penn State's Defense Also Is Preparing for the 'White Out' Roar

During last year's "White Out" at Beaver Stadium, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar tried to watch game clips on the sideline with quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien. Trouble was, they couldn't hear each other, despite sitting inches apart. Meanwhile, Allar felt the stadium shaking underneath the crowd noise.

"I'm thankful I don't really have to deal with that as a quarterback," Allar said.

But his defense does. Crowd noise has been a hallmark of the Penn State White Out for two decades but really went viral in 2019, when the crush of sound forced Michigan to take a timeout on the first play of the game.

Oregon players have watched that video on YouTube, calling it their frame of reference for the White Out. The sixth-ranked Ducks will experience that in person Saturday night when they visit the No. 3 Nittany Lions in just the second top-10 matchup in White Out history.

"I was watching the video, and Michigan was there and they sang 'Mo Bamba,'" Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher said at Big Ten Football Media Days. "Hope they can bring that song back."

Boettcher no doubt will get his wish, and Oregon coach Dan Lanning cued the song at practice this week to prepare his offense. But what about Penn State's defense? The Nittany Lions also have spent practice periods dating to training camp blasting music and sound to mimic the atmosphere for defensive players who have to communicate in that enviornment. In fact, improving defensive communication landed high on Penn State's to-do list for this game.

"[We] spent a ton of time on crowd noise, specifically on the defensive side of the ball from a communication standpoint," during the bye week, Penn State coach James Franklin said.

Bringing more crowd noise to practice

Penn State football head coach James Franklin smiles during a practice session outside Holuba Hall. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jim Knowles brought a new defense with new communication responsibilites to Penn State this season, one that the veterans needed time to learn. During the first three games, players and coaches said that crowd noise created a challenge to implementing that defense.

Knowles, whose voice doesn't generate a high volume, calls plays to linebackers Amare Campbell or Dom DeLuca, whoever is wearing the designated communications helmet on the field. The linebacker then relays the plays to teammates, with the safeties holding additional communication responsibilities.

The system isn't unique to Penn State, but it's implementation is different this year with Knowles on the mic rather than linebackers coach Dan Connor, who held the role for most of 2024. Specifically, Franklin said that the defense strained through early communication issues — some technical, some related to the new defense and some noise-induced — in games against Nevada and FIU. That led in part to more crowd noise at practice.

"You have to simulate Beaver Stadium, which is difficult to do," Connor said. "As loud as you turn the decibels up on music or crowd noise at practice, it's still not the same atmosphere as Beaver Stadium on gameday.

"So our biggest thing is having the [player wearing the] green dot be calm, be patient, wait on the call, and then communicate it out to the 10 other guys. But the crowd noise at practice as a point of emphasis has been been helpful. It's allowed us to work through any kinks that we might have had in that communication."

Even Penn State's week-ending practice, known as "Fast Friday," gets amplified. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said the noise has been piercing through the Holuba Hall indoor facility to road-test the defense under those conditions.

"It’s crazy loud in there," Dennis-Sutton said. "... It’s going to be extra loud obviously on Saturday, but I don't think it's anything we're not prepared for. We've been practicing for it for the past 2-3 months since training camp. We just have to overcommunicate."

Getting the safeties involved

Penn State Nittany Lions safety Zakee Wheatley against the Boise State Broncos during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Safeties carry key roles in Knowles' defense, particularly when the Nittany Lions are playing five defensive backs. The coordinator has relied on fifth-year senior Zakee Wheatley to be his conduit on the field. For Wheatley, transitioning to Knowles' system required time.

"I looked at it more like a challenge with coach Knowles coming in," Wheatley said. "Different roles, more communcation and putting me in different spots on the field to make more plays. But I feel like, me personally and the defense, we've grown a ton. Obviously when he first came in, it was a learning curve. But after the bye week and going into Oregon, I think everyone on the defense is really locked in on their assignments, which obviously is going to allow us to move faster and play faster."

Knowles, in his 38th year of coaching, isn't one to get starry-eyed over the White Out. "Whether it's in a parking lot or in the best atmosphere in football, it's got to be the same, it has to be consistent, for me in terms of our performance," he said. To that end, Knowles said that, specifically regarding his safeties, he has seen a difference recently.

"There's been a lot of improvements since I first got here in communication, which is required by the safeties in this system," Knowles said. "They're getting better all the time, but it's not at where I want to be yet.

"... Whether it's the White Out game or not, we've got to be very sound with our communication, and that'll make it tougher. So we're doing all the things that you need to do in terms of the loud music at practice and all that to prepare our guys for that."

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles looks on from the sideline during the Blue-White spring game. — Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles looks on from the sideline during the Blue-White spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Bringing more crowd noise to practice

Getting the safeties involved

More Penn State Football