When Penn State made the trip out west for its first Big Ten contest against conference newcomer USC, a California-based Nittany Lions fan made the most of the rare opportunity. Jordan Mott paid USC’s NIL collective for a fan experience to run out on the field with the team pregame, though, he did it in Penn State blue and white.
USC has a thing where you can pay to run out with the team. It costs about $1,500, but there's no rules beyond that. Penn State fan Jordan Mott did it last Saturday 😭😭
— Dylan Dawson (@PSU_Dylan) October 15, 2024
This is legendary stuff pic.twitter.com/BJ8f7H3Iay
Since Mott’s tremendous troll job and Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win at the LA Coliseum, USC has changed the rules of the promotion to prohibit fans from wearing the opposing team’s colors, hoping to prevent copycats. Well, Mott’s creative plan earned him more than one unforgettable opportunity.
During a timeout in the second quarter of Penn State’s first-round College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium against SMU, Penn State played the video of Mott’s run on the jumbotron before running him out on the field to lead a “We Are” chant with the 100,000+ fans in attendance.
Mott's video generated some buzz from the 106,113 fans in attendance, as did Penn State's domiannt first half. Aided by two pick-sixes from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, the Nittany Lions led 28-0 at halftime.
The original run cost Mott $1,500, and it’s not clear if he paid for his own flight to Happy Valley for Saturday’s game, the first on-campus College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium and just the second in the sport’s history. Regardless, it’s safe to say that the price was well worth becoming a legendary Penn State fan and a very small part of the Nittany Lion’s playoff run.