Beaver Stadium sets attendance record for Penn State vs. Ohio State game. How many showed up?
Penn State was expecting a big crowd Saturday afternoon — but maybe not quite this big.
An attendance record was set at Beaver Stadium on Saturday as 111,030 fans filed in to watch the No. 3 Nittany Lions fall 20-13 to No. 4 Ohio State. It wasn’t the ending PSU fans hoped for, but that didn’t make the atmosphere any less electric.
Both ESPN College GameDay and Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff filmed live near the Bryce Jordan Center. A usual 15-minute drive from nearby Bellefonte to the stadium turned into an 80-minute expedition more than four hours before kickoff. And tailgaters, mostly clad in white, were out in full force in all the surrounding lots.
The announced attendance of 111,030 hit a milestone that Penn State never before reached. Only 14 games in Beaver Stadium history surpassed 110,000 fans — and no previous game had ever before reached the 111,000 mark. With significant construction on Beaver Stadium slated to begin this offseason, and with seating capacity potentially falling at least a bit, it’s possible this game might remain as the most-attended.
Here’s a look at the top-10 most-attended games in Beaver Stadium history right now:
1. 111,030 — Nov. 2, 2024 — 20-13 loss to Ohio State
2. 110,889 — Sept. 29, 2018 — 27-26 loss to Ohio State
3. 110,856 — Nov. 11, 2023 — 24-15 loss to Michigan
4. 110,830 — Sept. 23, 2023 — 31-21 win over Iowa
5. 110,823 — Oct. 21, 2017 — 42-13 win over Michigan
6. 110,753 — Sept. 14, 2002 — 40-7 win over Nebraska
7. 110,747 — Sept. 2, 2023 — 38-15 win over West Virginia
8. 110,669 — Oct. 19, 2019 — 28-21 win over Michigan
9. 110,134 — Oct. 27, 2007 — 37-17 loss to Ohio State
10. 110,078 — Sept. 8, 2007 — 31-10 win over Notre Dame
Saturday’s game did not rank among the NCAA’s single-game attendance records since Michigan’s Big House boasts more than two dozen games that passed the 111,700 mark. The overall NCAA single-game attendance record was set Sept. 10, 2016, in The Battle at Bristol when 156,990 fans showed up at Bristol Motor Speedway to watch Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
The official announcement for Saturday’s PSU-OSU attendance was made in the third quarter. Head coach James Franklin wasn’t directly asked about the attendance after the game, but he was asked what his message was to the team’s fans — especially after some decided to throw garbage on the field following the loss.
“We get an unbelievable crowd here; we get unbelievable support,” Franklin said. “You don’t do that without passion. And there’s great things that come from that. And there’s hard things that come from that. That’s part of the job. That’s part of the job, and I own it all. I own it all.”
Penn State will remain at home next Saturday, Nov. 9, for the White Out against Washington.
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 5:30 PM.
