Penn State football returned home to Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8 for its Week 11 matchup against No. 2 Indiana. The last time the Nittany Lions (3-6, 0-6 Big Ten) played at home was their Stripe Out game against Northwestern, the final time former head coach James Franklin led the blue and white. On Saturday, interim head coach Terry Smith made his debut at the helm and his Nittany Lions did not know what to expect from the crowd.
Against the Wildcats, the team was met with chants of "Fire Franklin!" and constant "boos" throughout the game. Fan support was an all-time low in 2025, and criticism was coming at Penn State from all angles, even from those who are supposed to ride for it through and through.
Returning home on a five-game losing streak, the Nittany Lions were met with a pleasant surprise from their fans.
"I thought the crowd was amazing. I thought they gave great energy. I thought they were loud. I thought they were supportive. I thought they cheered our guys on. I thought they gave us that extra juice to go further, to motivate us," Smith said after the game to reporters. "I couldn't ask more [of] them guys, they were amazing. For me, personally, it's just very humbling to know that I'm running out on the field — I just, I think back to Joe Paterno and him running on the field. I'm in the same position as he was. And I have to do better for my guys, we have to taste victory because they deserve it."
With less than two minutes into the game, the Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) were forced to take a timeout. Head coach Curt Cignetti didn't like what he saw on the field on third-and-two for his team who has the best third-down offense in the country.
On top of that, the Nittany Lions fans put together an electric atmosphere. Whenever Indiana's offense stepped onto the field, fans proved that regardless of Penn State's record, Beaver Stadium remains as the toughest place to play in college football.
“I thought the crowd was amazing. I thought they gave great energy. I thought they were loud, I thought they were supportive. I thought they cheered our guys on. I thought they gave us that extra juice to go further, to motivate us.”
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) November 8, 2025
- Terry Smith pic.twitter.com/3GoqOHMz6E
According to the live stats, there were 105,231 fans in attendance. During pregame, it seemed a little vacant in the stands and in the lots, but fans refused to not show up for the Nittany Lions.
There was a different energy in the stadium. Even the FOX broadcast pointed out how difficult it was to hear whenever the Hoosiers' offense was on the field. Support for Penn State was beaming from all angles, and Smith did not face the brunt of frustrated, angered, or disappointed fans that Franklin fostered after a three-game losing streak.
When safety King Mack picked off quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Beaver Stadium went wild. The energy from the crowd and Penn State's sideline fed off each other and didn't die until the clock ran out on quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer's "Hail Mary" attempt.
The Nittany Lions return to the road in Week 12 to face Michigan State, but will be back home against Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 22. Penn State will need that boisterous fan support again when the blue and white emerge from the Beaver Stadium tunnel with Smith again.