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James Franklin discusses no White Out for Penn State: ‘We just have to embrace what our reality is’
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The marquee matchup this Saturday between Ohio State and Penn State will likely have the attention of most college football fans across the country. But unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, the 107,000 fans that traditionally contribute to the “White Out” atmosphere will be watching elsewhere.
Penn State has managed to be a thorn in the side of Ohio State the last three years, keeping the games close. But some key injuries at running back for the Nittany Lions have left them thin at that spot. That means keeping up with the Buckeyes will be a tall order.
ESPN College GameDay will be in town for the contest, and the hype building up to the game will be large. That hype will just not include fans inside the stadium.
Head coach Jeff Franklin discussed the absence of the fans in a recent interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt:
“Obviously it will be very different,” said Franklin. “Our focus is on the things we can control and our team. Obviously, it’s a tremendous opportunity. We’ve got College GameDay coming and playing prime time against one of the best programs in the country. It will be very different. We just have to embrace what our reality is for 2020.”
What will Saturday night be like with no whiteout crowd for Penn State? @coachjfranklin told SVP last night on the show pic.twitter.com/KKStsloqo4
— Stanford Steve (@StanfordSteve82) October 30, 2020
Even without a White Out, Saturday’s game should be one of the top matchups this weekend. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm EST on ABC.
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.