By Harry Minium
So many college football programs claim to have the nation's most raucous fans and best home-field advantage. But there is nothing quite like a white out game at Penn State.
Penn State introduced white out games, where all fans comes dressed in white, to college football nearly two decades ago and it has morphed into one of the game's most awesome spectacles.
Penn State has one white out game per season and thousands of students camp out days before a game, usually against Ohio State, Michigan or another Big Ten powerhouse. Coaches bring meals to the students every day and when the teams hit the field, somehow 113,000 fans fit into the 107,000-seat stadium.
The crowd noise is off the Richter Scale.
"It's an awesome deal," said Old Dominion head coach Ricky Rahne, who coached at Penn State from 2014 through 2019, the last two years as offensive coordinator.
"Our players always played better in that game than they normally do," Rahne said, adding: "It's been a special thing.
"I hope we can re-create that here."
ODU opens at home against Hampton University Saturday night at 7 in its first game at Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium in 651 days. Because it is such a momentous game, the return of ODU football after almost two years, it has been designated as the Monarchs' only white out game this season
The Monarchs did not play last season because of the pandemic, and having circulated among ardent ODU fans this summer, I've seen is a pent-up desire to go out and tailgate and then come into S.B. Ballard Stadium and make a ton of noise.
White out games aren't new to ODU. In 2014, for ODU's first Conference USA home game against Middle Tennessee, a sellout crowd filled old Foreman Field wearing white. In 2019, most of the sellout crowd of 21,944 that turned out against Norfolk State at for the first game at the newly renovated S.B. Ballard Stadium also came dressed in white.
But Rahne wants ODU to take white out games to another level, especially among the student body. He spoke to a spirit rally of several thousand freshmen at S.B. Ballard Stadium two weekends ago, urging them to turn out and explaining, halftime is for sitting or going to get a hot dog and Pepsi. The game's four quarters are for standing and making noise.
White out game at Penn State
"Obviously, it's going to be on a little bit smaller scale here at Old Dominion, but it can still be relatively the same thing" that occurs a Penn State, Rahne said Monday as his weekly press conference.
"There should be a giant party in Larchmont and carry it into the stadium. We should be able to get that thing going to where it's such a hard place to play that nobody ever wants to play in a white out game here."
The players will also be in white, which should add to the atmosphere.
An aside here, if you don't have a white ODU shirt, CLICK HERE to order one from the ODU Bookstore.
Students are expected to turn out in good numbers. More than 3,000 have picked up free tickets or purchased guest tickets. Students can still reserve tickets at www.odusports.com/students or, if you're a spur of the moment type of person, show up with your student ID on Saturday at the student gate.
If you're going to an ODU game this season, this is the one to see.
Hampton, while not an archrival, is a local school and players, students and alumni from both schools know each other. No one wants to lose this game.
It's the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and there will be pomp and circumstances to honor the occasion, including parachute jumpers and fireworks.
Both the ODU and Hampton bands play at halftime and hundreds of members of the military and veterans will be guests of the university.
Kaufman Mall, the oasis of lush green grass and trees between the Webb Student Center and Hampton Boulevard, will have a beer garden, food, an ESPN Zone full of adult games and plenty of games for kids, too.
There will also be a giant TV showing college football games prior to kickoff and a pre-game concert featuring The DeLoreans.
The ODU Monarch March, when the players march into S.B. Ballard Stadium, will occur at 5:15, with coaches and players walking from the front of Webb Center through Kaufman Mall to the stadium – if you're an early arriver, head over and greet players and coaches personally.
As for the team itself, yes, the Monarchs are coming off a 42-10 defeat at Wake Forest that was disappointing to a lot of fans.
But I saw a lot in that game that gives me reason for optimism. First, ODU's offensive and defensive lines more than held their own against a mid-level ACC team. That was not supposed to happen and that was especially surprising from a defensive line which is playing a ton of young players.
The O and D lines are going to be fine in Conference USA.
The running game was also good, with Elijah Davis and Blake Watson combining for more than 100 yards.
ODU's quarterback and wide receiver play needs to get better, and ODU's special teams also need to improve. Rahne says they will.
What happened last weekend wasn't unexpected. ODU has a new coaching staff and almost an all-new team that hadn't ever played nor coached together. There were bound to be hiccups and there were.
But this team will improve and win games this season.
Regardless, Saturday is the first chance for ODU alumni, students and fans to come together in large numbers since November of 2019.
Rahne is correct. It should be a party, a time to celebrate, a time to turn out and enjoy a football game and all the sights and sounds on a cool summer evening in a gorgeous stadium.
Minium was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in his 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot and won 27 state and national writing awards. He covers ODU athletics for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Ricky Rahne Says Come Dressed in White and Ready to Cheer for ODU's Home Opener
