Leading up to the Penn State-Michigan matchup last week, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit reminded people he was no stranger to how special Beaver Stadium can become in 'White Out' conditions. He had, after all, headed to Happy Valley each of the two last seasons as a member of College GameDay and the game's national television broadcast.

“It’s the best atmosphere, for me, in college football,” Herbstreit told reporters last Friday upon returning to campus. “It’s just something about — not just the noise — but the energy and the pride that’s within that stadium. The way they sing along — like every person singing Sweet Caroline. I don’t know, it just feels like family, it feels like community, it feels like the fans have their team’s back. More so than any other situation or stadium that I’ve been in. A true test of that is when things go bad, the crowd gets even louder. Because instead of getting quieter, they get louder to try to pull their team home to a victory."

Penn State picked up that victory Saturday night, defeating 16th-ranked Michigan to improve to 7-0. As a result, the Nittany Lions are now listed sixth in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and approach November in the College Football Playoff conversation, though notable challenges await beginning this weekend with a trip to Michigan State.

During the closing moments of Penn State's latest win, after a four-yard run from Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week KJ Hamler moved the chains and sealed the deal, Herbstreit again professed his admiration for the environment. As the Blue Band blared 'Hey Hey Hey Goodbye' and the clock ticked toward zero, he heaped praise on the fourth-largest crowd in school history (110,669).

"I just want to tell Penn State and their fans this is the best student section in the country by far," Herbstreit said. "Best game ops in the country. They do an incredible job here and every time we get a chance to come here, it's one of those games you circle in the preseason to look forward to. They didn't let us down this year."

The university set its Beaver Stadium attendance record for 2018 White Out festivities, when 110,889 people packed in to watch a top-10 showdown between Penn State and Ohio State. That topped the previous high mark (110,823), which was established upon Michigan's last trip to Happy Valley for the 2017 White Out.

"I want to thank the staff, the players, the fans, the lettermen, the alumni, the other 150,000 people out in the parking lot still tailgating and screaming," Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said Saturday night. "People sitting in the restaurants and bars screaming and going crazy, because we did not do this by ourselves tonight. It was the entire Penn State community. It was a great win."

It's also worth noting Penn State hosted more than 150 recruits on Saturday, including a pair who pledged to the program.

“I knew after this weekend that it was where I wanted to be and it’s just such a special place," Ohio receiver Liam Clifford, the younger brother of starting Nittany Lions QB Sean Clifford, said following his commitment.