What ESPN’s Chris Fowler thinks of Penn State football, the White Out and more
Few national media members can provide the view of Beaver Stadium and its environment that ESPN’s Chris Fowler can. Fowler grew up in State College as a Penn State fan, attending games with his father’s $6 season tickets during the ‘70s.
He then began covering the team from a national level as the host of “College GameDay” from 1990-2014 and now as the play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s “Saturday Night Football,” alongside Kirk Herbstreit, a post he’s held since 2014.
In that time he’s watched the crowds at Beaver Stadium develop into what he called the “monochromatic mayhem” of a White Out.
“It’s changed a lot. I didn’t know any better but it wasn’t one of the more raucous college crowds back in the ‘70s there,” Fowler said. “I mean, the student section always brought the energy, but as I was sitting there down in the bleachers and what used to be the open end zone for a dollar a game, it was pretty exciting for me. The team was literally, run, run pass, first down or run, run pass, punt, very dull offenses.
“So there wasn’t as much to scream about as there has been in recent years. As the stadium grew, as the student section grew, and I think the students over the years taught the ‘regular fans’ how to be involved in the game every play and how to play a part in the outcome by making it a tough environment. That’s what I think the White Out has been partly responsible for.”
Fowler expanded on his thoughts on Saturday’s White Out game between Penn State and Auburn, which he’ll be calling alongside Herbstreit and sideline reporter Holly Rowe, in a Zoom call with the media Thursday morning.
Here’s what Fowler said about the game, the two programs and the larger landscape of college football during Thursday morning’s Q&A.
ESPN’s Chris Fowler
On Saturday’s White Out
We (are getting) ready for the intensity of White Out, which is my favorite annual scene in college football. It was sorely missed last year, we were there, but fans weren’t. To have, what I call the monochromatic mayhem, of White Out is exciting for me. It’s interesting to have it earlier in the season than normal, and to have it against an SEC opponent, which is certainly a twist, I think brings national interest to it, brings intrigue for us. The fact that it’s an early-season game, Penn State’s passed one big test and Auburn hasn’t yet faced a test in the new regime of (Auburn head coach) Bryan Harsin, and that makes it intriguing, as well. ... White Out just comes right through the TV screen to viewers, our director loves it, as well. I’m anxious to see a brand new team experience that. Even prepping by talking to Auburn players and coaches, getting their thoughts from seeing on TV and on YouTube, but it’s not like being there and experience it in person, the real thing. Very eager to see how it unfolds on Saturday.
On returning to State College
Just to get back to State College, where my passion for college football was initially sparked in the mid-70s as a fan of a very boring Penn State team — that I didn’t know how boring it was — but that was one of (former Penn State head coach Joe) Paterno’s dullest teams. But it was exciting for me to get my first taste of college football as the son of a faculty member. We got $6 season tickets —that was the total price for the season — and got to go in and see college football. If I hadn’t had that experience, I don’t know if I’d be on this path, because I grew up in Illinois and didn’t see college sports in person. So coming to Penn State was an eye-opening thing for me, and sort of sparked my passion in this sport and here we are, 50 years later. So every time we go back there it feels a little bit like a homecoming game. Even though Beaver Stadium has changed a lot since the years when I went there as a kid, I still get a special feeling going back in that place. The friendly ghosts of a lot of past decades come back to me and it’s thoroughly enjoyable, so I get excited going back there.
On the creation of the White Out
It was a stroke of genius and the guy who created it, Guido D’Elia, is a dear friend of mine and I’ve known him forever. I think it was a very inspired idea. I love the way that it kind organically grew from a student-only thing and then the full stadium, as the story goes, the fans sort of demanded it and then they made it happen in a really kind of restrained way. They didn’t want to overplay it, overdo it, they wanted to keep it special, and rare, and once per season and reserve it for a big game.
On being at a White Out
Once you see it in person for the first time, then you can really appreciate it. It looks phenomenal on TV, our TV director is so excited because I call it the most telegenic experience in sports because it’s a night game and the stadium is lit up by everybody wearing white and fireworks and the game ops, everything is just beautifully executed. And the crowd does its part, whether it’s all wearing that one color to create even more unity, and more of the belief that they can influence the outcome of the game. I don’t know what it is, but it’s group psychology that works in a beautiful way. Even though they don’t win all the time, it’s always a great show. The Auburn players are talking about it. It’s new for all of them, it’s new for the coaches, as well. They know what they’ve seen on TV and they know they’ve been in tough environments. It’s not just about the decibel level. It’s sort of about the sustained energy throughout and it’s, it’s just fun. I’m sure it’s difficult for a visiting team, it just feels like a party and a celebration when we’re calling the game. And that’s what I like about it. That what sets it apart a little bit.
On how the atmosphere has changed since Fowler was a kid
It’s changed a lot. I didn’t know any better but it wasn’t one of the more raucous college crowds back in the ‘70s there. I mean, the student section always brought the energy, but as I was sitting there down in the bleachers and what used to be the open end zone for a dollar a game, it was pretty exciting for me. The team was literally, run, run pass, first down or run, run pass, punt, very dull offenses. So there wasn’t as much to scream about as there has been in recent years. As the stadium grew, as the student section grew, and I think the students over the years taught the “regular fans” how to be involved in the game every play and how to play a part in the outcome by making it a tough environment. That’s what I think the White Out has been partly responsible for. The regular fans of Penn State have not been as loud, rowdy, passionate and impose themselves as much as other places have, frankly. But I think that’s changed a lot. I think on the White Out, even the grown ups act like kids and take on the responsibility of trying to make it as tough as possible for the visiting team. I don’t think you would’ve said Penn State was one of the toughest environments back in the day, back when I was there, but I think it is now.
On matchups that stand out in the game
Penn State has to make sure that their offensive line can hold up against Auburn’s front, which is playing nasty. There’s some new faces there, they have some transfers and they have some guys that are the wily old veterans. I’ll tell you that the front seven of Auburn (is) trying to stop the run and contain what they consider to be a very talented running back room at Penn State, make life tough on (Sean) Clifford, see if the turnover problem is still there for Penn State. They’ll be very aggressive. ... (Jahan) Dotson is a problem for any defense. I think that Auburn’s got guys that are very athletic on the edge, long, good corners. But if you take one wrong step or turn your head in the wrong direction, No. 5 is running by you and there’s a big play. We saw how that ignited the game at Wisconsin. Every opponent is going to be extremely weary of Dotson.
On Sean Clifford
Experience is there. There really are no excuses for Sean. Here’s a guy that’s accomplished. He found a guy that found a way to get the job done in a really tough environment against a very good, well-coached, aggressive defense at Wisconsin. The bottom line is they got the (win). Then showed improvement and execution against a much less imposing opponent in Week 2. But this is always a big test. I think things are gonna happen much quicker as a quarterback, and as an offense, against a defense as aggressive and physical as Auburn. You want to be judged as a quarterback about how you play against the best, here’s a very good test. Just got to take care of the ball, got to play clean and efficient, got to get better in those departments. We know what he can do as a runner. He’s an excellent athlete. He’s a smart kid, he’s impressive. I mean, it sets up, even though you’ve got a lot of new faces as playmakers, it sets up as a potential showcase here for him, if he can play the way that he’s capable of playing. This will be a really good test. It’s a very good test for this offense, for him as a quarterback. I like him. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him a little bit because he’s been around there a while. We’ll have our meeting with him on Friday and he’s always been incredibly impressive and you can tell he’s passionate about it, well-schooled, committed.
This is one of those games where, against a defense like this, the spotlight goes on the quarterback and he’s asked to execute under a variety of circumstances — under pressure, out of the pocket, decision-making, the clock in his head gets turned up, it’s got to happen faster, decisions have to be better, mistakes have to be minimized because the consequences are more serious against a defense like this. Looking forward to see how he plays, and what he can do in his last hurrah season.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 3:21 PM.
