There is something about this place. Maybe it is the sound of 101,821 screaming fans, the tune of Dixieland Delight, or maybe it is the sight of a sea of red, all cheering for the Crimson Tide. Whatever it is, the Tide can’t seem to lose at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
With Saturday’s win over Mississippi State, the Tide has won its last 19 games at home.
It’s not just the winning, though; it’s how the Tide has done it. Alabama has allowed two touchdowns in five games at home, and both of them came at meaningless times in the games. I mean, who can score on this team at home? Penn State couldn’t. A feisty Florida team with a chip on its shoulders put up only six points. What’s it going to take to bring down Alabama’s fort, the German Offensive? Probably not, after what we saw from the Tide in Knoxville this year. Sorry, Coach Dooley.
In all seriousness though, the Tide plays better at home. Way better. Look at Alabama’s bad games this season: Arkansas in Fayetteville, South Carolina in Columbia, LSU in Baton Rouge. When you take into account the home dominance, it makes you start to wonder if Alabama is even taking the same team on the bus with them.
So, what is it about Bryant-Denny Stadium? Saban is certainly not eating the grass here, or at least we hope he’s not. Sophomore safety Robert Lester said it is simply the product of having some of the best fans in the nation.
“I mean, it feels good to play here,” Lester said. “It’s the best atmosphere to play in. Our fans are going to support us, and it feels good.”
Lester is right, and I’m not just saying that to toot my horn as an Alabama supporter. In a game where the Tide’s BCS title and Southeastern Conference Championship chances were both erased, fans still packed Bryant-Denny loud as ever.
“That shows that we have great fans,” Lester said. “If we were to lose tonight, I’m pretty sure they’d be here Thursday to support us again.”
The Tide does not take for granted the importance of having such a home-field advantage when playing in Bryant-Denny. Before the game on Wednesday, Saban explained to a group of reporters how it was not only important for the players to keep their minds straight, but also that the Tide needed support from its fans more than ever this week.
Despite the team’s diminished title hopes, Alabama fans should keep coming to the games. After all, this is a good team. As of Saturday, all but 11 teams in the nation would have gladly switched places with the Tide in terms of rankings. Alabama’s 19-game home winning streak is one of the longest streaks in the nation.
But most of all, Alabama fans don’t need a reason to cheer for their team; they are the best fans in the nation. Tide fans have cheered through championships, probations, celebrations and heartbreaks. Make no mistake, Tide fans will be there in full, both on Thursday and the following week against Auburn.
