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It's a date that should be seared into the memories of all Penn State football fans.
Not because No. 16 PSU upset No. 6 Ohio State, 17-10.
But because it was the day that the Beaver Stadium experience was rocked into the 21st century.
For years, a Happy Valley Saturday was a sedate, peaceful getaway from the pressure of the work-week -- or school-week -- rat race.
The alumni tailgated moderately and applauded politely. Students partied intensely and often paid little attention to what happened on the field.
That wasn't surprising, however, since what happened on the field -- with rare exceptions -- wasn't all that riveting, as JoePa's boys waxed one overmatched foe after another.
All that changed dramatically, however, during the dreary falls early this decade. Suddenly, the Nittany Lions were no longer dominant. In fact, they started to get dominated with alarming regularity, suffering four losing seasons in the five years from 2000-2004.
Something had to be done.
In stepped Guido D'Elia, Penn State's director of communications and branding for football. His job was to breathe new life into the reserved Beaver Stadium gatherings and create a real home-field advantage.
He succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
Pulsating rock music, blinding white-outs and the "Rally in the Valley" soon became new staples of the PSU football weekend. D'Elia's changes didn't sit
well with some of the older alumni, but they were huge hits with the
The student section soon became a deafening, bouncing force that intimidated opponents, altered game plans and pumped up the Nittany Lions.
Soon, "Paternoville" started to sprout up before the bigger games, where students camped out for days in order to get the best seats for that Saturday's game.
Soon, even the alumni started to join in.
And on Oct. 8, 2005, it all came together.
On that date, a PSU crowd unlike any other before it was the 12th man that powered Penn State to that season's signature victory.
It prompted ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit to say PSU had "the best student section in the nation."
Since that moment, Beaver Stadium has become a place that opponents fear. In fact, ESPN.com recently rated Beaver Stadium as the fifth scariest venue in the nation for opposing teams.
That's a far cry from a few years ago, when a Beaver Stadium game day could've been mistaken for a Lawrence Welk concert.
Penn State's recent home record is a testament to how effective the Beaver Stadium fans have become. During the last three years, the Lions are 18-1 at home. During that same time period, they are a pedestrian 6-6 on the road (not including neutral-site bowl games).
The intimidating atmosphere at Beaver Stadium is probably the biggest reason that No. 24 PSU has a real shot to surprise No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday. The Vegas wise guys think so, too. They've made the Buckeyes a mere four-point favorite. If this game was at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio, PSU would likely be closer to a 10-point underdog.
So yes, it's gotten to the point where a Happy Valley throng is a touchdown advantage for the home team.
It would've been impossible to imagine that just five years ago.
And that's why a top-ranked Ohio State team -- which hasn't beaten an opponent of note this season -- should be very wary about Saturday's visit to State College.
Because this definitely isn't your father's Beaver Stadium.
Steve Heiser is sports editor of The York Dispatch. He can be reached at sheise r@yorkdispatch.com or at 854-1575, ext. 455. Read his blog, "Chip Shots and Part ing Shots," at yorkdispatch.com/blogzone.
