Bryant-Denny Stadium consistently ranks as one of the toughest settings in college football, mainly because of the energy the fans breathe into the stadium.
With fans’ passion for the sport higher than ever, it has caused a massive effect on how players play.
On Oct. 21, 2023, moments after the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Tennessee Volunteers 34-20, former head coach Nick Saban jogged over to the student section and waved, and the fans gave him a standing ovation as he left the field.
“I wish I could thank each one of them personally,” Saban said.
Two weeks later against the LSU Tigers, fans broke the decibel record at Bryant-Denny after Terrion Arnold’s fourth-quarter interception that came en route to a 42-28 win. The play resulted in a recording of 113.1 decibels.
When Saban retired following the 2023 season and new head coach Kalen DeBoer took over the reins of the dynasty, fans were excited. DeBoer had just taken the Washington Huskies to the national championship after beating the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl.
In Alabama’s opening 2024 home game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, fans witnessed new graphics featuring star players urging the crowd to “get loud.”
DeBoer led Alabama to a 3-0 record heading into its hardest challenge of the season: No. 2 Georgia. After rolling over the Wisconsin Badgers, the Crimson Tide returned home to host the Bulldogs.
After dominating the Bulldogs in the first half of the game, the Crimson Tide led 30-7 by the start of the third quarter. In the second half, Georgia took advantage of weaknesses in the Alabama defense, coming back to lead 34-33 with just over two minutes left. After freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams threw off two Bulldog defensive players on his way to a 75-yard touchdown and fellow freshman Zabien Brown caught an interception in the end zone, Alabama toppled the Bulldogs. The 41-34 win ended Georgia’s streak of 42 regular-season wins.
“There’s just something special about playing in Bryant-Denny, I can’t tell the fan base how much the guys love it and we appreciate it,” DeBoer said.
The fans at Bryant-Denny kept the stadium loud throughout Saturday’s hard-fought win against the South Carolina Gamecocks, even when the Crimson Tide slipped behind. When the “get loud” graphics appeared, fans responded.
“When the crowd gets loud, the opposing offense, it really gets them to scramble. That’s what we want them to do,” offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor said.
When the fourth quarter expired and another home game victory was decided in the final seconds, players celebrated, motioning to the crowd to get loud.
“I think the crowd definitely matters. You saw Tyler [Booker] come up on the screen … It adds fuel to the fire and gives us energy,” running back Justice Haynes said. “When the defense is out there and the offense is on the bench, we’re cheering, get the crowd going.”
The Crimson Tide will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 26, when it faces the Missouri Tigers with the support of its own crowd.
