Penn States first-ever College Football Playoff berth is getting a special fashion flair.
The Nittany Lions will wear their Generations of Greatness uniforms, which feature elements that give nod to past eras of Penn State football.
Helmets have numbers of them, sleeves are tapered with a white stripe, jersey numbers are in block font, white pants feature a blue stripe, socks are striped, facemasks are grey and cleats are white.
Penn State teased the Generations of Greatness uniforms on social media Friday with an image of the helmet , but sources have confirmed to PennLive that the Lions will officially wear the full uniform on Saturday against SMU.
These alternate uniforms have recently been reserved for Homecoming matchups, but a bevy of historical significance surrounding Saturdays game played into the decision.
Beyond this being the first CFP game in Penn State program history, a win would be James Franklins 100th as Lions head coach.
Perhaps most importantly, SMU was the opponent in 1948 when Penn States We Are slogan originated.
Playing SMU in the Cotton Bowl in 1948, teams were prompted to meet over disallowing Penn States Black players from participating in the game.
Lions captain Steve Suhey famously said, We are Penn State, there will be no meetings.
Star running back Wally Tripplett, alongside teammate Dennie Hoggard became the first Black players to play in the Cotton Bowl.
Tripplet scored the game-tying touchdown in a 13-13 tie with SMU, but his impact on breaking down color barriers is why he sits in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
The actual We Are chant didnt gain popularity until Penn State cheerleaders first used i in 1976 , but the slogans significance runs deep in State College.
Penn State wore the Generations of Greatness uniforms in a 21-7 win over Illinois earlier this season.
The alternates debuted in 2017, when the Nittany Lions topped Indiana 45-14.
In their programs histories, Penn State holds a 1-0-1 advantage over SMU, including the 1948 Cotton Bowl.
Penn State defeated the Mustangs 26-21 in 1978.
Saturdays CFP matchup will kick off at noon on TNT.
BETTING: Check out our guide to the best PA sportsbooks , where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.
Sign up for the PennLives Penn State newsletters, the daily Penn State Today and the subscriber-exclusive Penn State Insider 2024 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit pennlive.com .
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC..
This article has been shared from the original article on dailyitem, here is the link to the original article:
https://www.dailyitem.com/ap/sports/penn-state-to-wear-generations-of-greatness-uniforms-for-playoff-vs-smu/article_33053942-0023-5d0a-bd8b-55136472c795.html