The game time for the Penn State at Alabama game has been announced.  The kickoff time will be 7 pm EST, which is 6 PM CST or local time in Tuscaloosa (also known as T-Town).  I think this is a perfect time, this gives everyone plenty of time to primed up for the big game, but also provides the ability for the partying to resume at a reasonable hour after the game ends (around 10:30 pm local time).

So what should a Penn State Fan expect from Bryant-Denny Stadium, the home location of the Alabama Crimson Tide?  This stadium will complete this year their seventh expansion project, the new official capacity is 101,000, which is an increase from 92,000+ from the last few years.   The stadium opened in 1929, but considering the commitment the Tide have to football, the stadium has been kept up to date for the most part.  The surface of the stadium is good ole grass, none of this fake stuff which some schools use these days.

Why 'Bryant-Denny'?    The first name I am sure you can figure out,  Paul W. Bryant (1913-1983), aka 'Bear' Bryant coached the Tide for twenty-five years, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships. Upon his retirement in 1982 he held the record for most wins as head coach in collegiate football history.  I think we all know who now has the record.  George Hutcheson Denny (1870-1955) accepted the presidency of The University of Alabama on January 1, 1912. His presidency spanned almost a quarter of a century.

Overall, Alabama is 225-46-3 at home and Coach Nick Saban is 18-3 at home since taking over the coaching duties in 2007.   Saban is 2-3 vs. Joe Paterno (all games while he was coaching a Michigan State.

The general mood of the stadium historically has been an 'elder and quieter' crowd.  But as the Tide has made a giant resurgence in success under Saban, the crowd has continued to get louder and livelier.  Adding to the experience is the Alabama band, also known as the 'million dollar band'.   They pretty good, keep the crowd energized and really add to the collegiate atmosphere.  The name "Million Dollar Band" was given in 1922 by Alabama alumnus W. C. "Champ" Pickens after the band raised funds to travel to the 1922 Alabama vs. Georgia Tech football game, where Alabama lost 33-7.

Also this gem factoid for your friends at the tailgate:  the visitors locker room at Bryant-Denny is officially named the 'Fail Room'.  This after alumnus and donor James N. Fail, who commented "Earlier this year, when I saw the visitors' locker room as a potential naming right, I figured it was the most appropriate opportunity I would ever have to use my name." (source)

That is it...enjoy the game.

We are Penn State

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