Dan Lanning gives blunt take on Penn State hosting its White Out game: 'It's because Oregon's there'

College football is all about traditions. Everyone has one and there may not be many better in the sport than Penn State‘s ‘White Out’.

The ‘White Out’ began in the Nittany Lions’ 20-13 loss to No. 9 Purdue in 2004, but it stuck and has become a staple of the program ever since. The event will once again take place this weekend in Beaver Stadium, when No. 3 Penn State hosts No. 6 Oregon in one of the biggest games of the season so far.

This weekend’s ‘White Out’ will mark the 22nd edition of the event, but it will be the first that Oregon and head coach Dan Lanning will have to experience. Lanning took to the ‘Zach Gelb Show‘ this week, where he claimed that the reason the ‘White Out’ is happening is because Oregon is there.

"And it's a white out cause we're playing in it, right? It's cause Oregons there." -Dan Lanning to me on the white out game against Penn State. @CoachDanLanning @InfSportsNet https://t.co/04DvAZXju1 pic.twitter.com/C6P2w1YZyu

— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) September 24, 2025

“You have to focus again on the things that you can control,” Lanning said. “And it’s a ‘White Out’ because we’re playing in it. Right? It’s because Oregon‘s there. So we’re helping create an awesome environment for us to go play in. I’m excited to see our players go attack that, but we can’t control the noise. But we can control it with the way that we play and that’s what we have to focus on, one play at a time.”

Penn State and Oregon both head into the monstrous Big Ten clash with undefeated records. Their resumes, however, look vastly different, as the Nittany Lions have yet to beat a Power-Four team while the Ducks boast blowout victories over Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Oregon State.

James Franklin discusses the magnitude of a ‘White Out’

“First of all, a normal game in Beaver Stadium is special,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said on Wednesday. “We are blessed and fortunate and do not take for granted that we, on a consistent basis, will get about 106,000 fans here. That number can go up a little bit or down a little bit, but we get great support week in and week out. Some programs would die to have 60,000 and we’re obviously way above that.

“And then the ‘White Out,’ like a lot of things, like homecoming at a campus or whatever it may be, there’s unique games. This is something that was started about 20 years ago and it has taken off. Obviously, there’s a lot of factors that go into it. There’s been factors that have impacted it a bit, but when you’re able to get a night game against an opponent like we have… with the sky, the black sky. The white uniforms. The white crowd and the contrast of the black uniforms. Just the anticipation and the buildup with even students sleeping outside the stadium for the entire week… it’s just turned into a special event.”

This weekend’s game marks a rematch from last season’s Big Ten Championship game. Oregon, in its first season as a member of the Big Ten, downed Penn State 45-37 in the title game to improve to 13-0 and wrap up the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.

The Nittany Lions would get the last laugh, however, as they advanced to the CFP Semifinal while the Ducks were upset by eventual National Champion Ohio State in the Quarterfinal. Kick-off for Saturday night’s massive matchup is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET. The game can be seen on NBC.