Penn State sets Stripe out for Week 1 looking to wash bad taste out of program’s mouth

It’s not the White Out, but the Penn State Stripe Out is an important annual tradition in Happy Valley and arguably a better aesthetic for Beaver Stadium.

While the White Out date is still yet to be set (though it’s fairly safe to assume it will be the USC game in Week 6), Penn State announced that the 11th annual Stripe Out will be held in Week 1 when the Nittany Lions host Marshall to kick off the Matt Campbell era. The White Out and helmet stripe game will be announced once kickoff times are set by the Big Ten's TV partners.

The choice of opponent for the Stripe Out isn’t nearly as scrutinized as it is for the White Out, but from that perspective it’s still a questionable pick. There aren’t many quality home matchups on Penn State’s schedule this year, and especially not early in the season before it gets cold enough for fans to break out their hunting gear, as James Franklin would say. 

Still, Marshall in Week 1? That’s the Stripe Out game? Well, it’s not just a non-conference matchup against Marshall; it’s the start of a new era, and a chance to wash a bad taste out of the fan base’s mouth after the last Stripe Out in Beaver Stadium. 

Penn State needs the good vibes to roll in Week 1 vs. Marshall

Last season, the Stripe Out took place in Week 7. The juice was completely zapped from the stadium coming off back-to-back losses to Oregon and UCLA; the vitriol was spewing at James Franklin, and the team responded with a third straight loss, inexplicably falling 22-21 to Northwestern. 

To make matters worse, Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury late in the game, and Franklin was fired the next day. It was the final act in the program’s complete collapse after entering the year with the highest expectations of any Penn State team since 1997, when Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions entered the year No. 1 in the AP Poll. Paterno’s team finished 9-3 that year, which seems like a letdown, but compared to Franklin’s performance under massive preseason pressure, it’s a coaching masterpiece. 

As for Week 1, it’s overblown to say it will set the tone for the Campbell era. Again, it’s Marshall. But a blowout win with the Stripe Out in full effect could provide some level of catharsis for a fanbase that desperately needs it, especially after athletic director Pat Kraft spent much of the coaching carousel striking out on his top targets. 

The fanbase quickly talked itself into Campbell, as a college football fanbase does. But things got testy over the offseason when Campbell’s hot start on the recruiting trail waned, and concerns about his ability to recruit Pennsylvania are still lingering. Those worries could crop up with a sluggish start in Week 1 because it’s Marshall. 

But because it’s Marshall, that probably won’t happen. Penn State should roll to a resounding win; the fanbase can wash that bad taste from Franklin’s final game out of its mouth, and the Campbell era will be off and running.

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