Penn State Loves Sweet Home Alabama - 9/11/10

[@OPNURISYDER]

The Penn State cheerleaders are first class (The girls are pretty too)! The fans, the football team and Coach Paterno are all first class too. There are few people that I have more respect for than Coach Paterno. Great man!! Bama and Penn State have always had a great respect for each other and It is always a pleasure to have you in T-Town. You are always welcome to Alabama.

[@lawmantf]

I was at this game and it was amazing. All fans were so classy and respectful. There is so much tradition and respect at both schools. Two of the classiest teams in NCAA. RTR!!!!

[@timbob8384]

Respect to your respect Penn State . Sweet Home Alabama . It's been a great ride .

[@BigFoot3434]

What a great video! Thanks for posting! Nice to see the Penn State cheerleaders and dance line having fun to Sweet Home Alabama! Every Penn State fan I met on campus were very nice, it was a great day enjoyed by all fans no matter who you were for! Roll Tide!

[@KeystoneState]

This is the first time I've ever seen this video, stumbling upon it when googling "Penn State & Alabama rivalry" and it made my day. Not sure this is the right forum for ths, but wanted to share the story below. We Are! Roll Tide! I was fortunate to be at both games in the 10/11 series. I had just moved to DC after graduating from Penn State the year before and decided to go to this game last minute. Two of us made it there and back in 3 days and passed hundreds of Penn Staters on the highways as we made our way through the south. There's really not another rivalry like this in the country, as both teams have similar fan bases which mutual respect for each other. Paterno, Saban, and Bowden on the field before the game getting the standing ovation still gives me chills to this day, especially knowing in hindsight that Paterno was about to be fired, and would die in 4 months of cancer. The big smile on Saban's face, which is rare to see, tells it all at the link below. media.al.com/alphotos/photo/-fcbdac10becabc1d.jpg The number of people that welcomed us into their tailgates, plying us with countless Alabama Slammers, amazing food, sharing memories of the rivalry that happened 10 times back to back through the 80s, made you realize how dedicated BOTH fan bases really are. Final thought is the memorabilia that was everywhere that day. Tide fans had old programs from the PSU games back in the 80s, ticket stubs, framed photos of the Bear and Joe...you name it. This game should be played 4 times a decade moving forward.

[@mikewxmusic]

Thank you! I have a similar story in reverse.... I will copy/paste here. Hope there is room:Friday 9/9/11 Ben Smith and I met at WHNT 19 at about 8:40. I loaded my stuff in his car while he finished his weather cut-ins. Just after 9 he followed me to my home where I parked my vehicle and we left Huntsville on our way to Pennsylvania. Ben drove to Chattanooga. I took over driving then for most of the day. We had an enjoyable trip with some great conversation. Our stops took a little longer than we anticipated as we stopped and took a few pictures at the Virginia state line, the Shenandoah Mountains, and the Pennsylvania state line. Ben drove the last leg of the trip. Interestingly, we drove through 4 states (VA, WV, MD, and PA) in 25 minutes. Ben had reminded me not to roll down the window so we wouldn’t lose our Alabama flags. As we approached the toll booth on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Ben rolled his window down and dropped a flag. As if by reflex, he stopped the car abruptly about 200 feet from the toll booth, got out, scurried back to the flag, picked it up like he was grabbing the baton in a relay race, and raced back to the car. Fortunately there was no traffic behind us at the time! We arrived at our room in Bedford, PA around 10:30 ET. I stayed up long enough to watch the local news, weather, and sports. Pennsylvania has been experiencing flooding due to several days of heavy rainfall due to the cut off low pressure area that evolved from the remnants of former Tropical Storm Lee. Prior to that, Irene dumped a lot of rain in parts of the region. It was interesting to watch the highlights from Central PA high school football and the local State college television station’s preview of the UA-PSU game. Saturday 9/10/11 Ben and I left Bedford at about 7 a.m. to drive to State College. The drive up Interstate 99 featured some great scenery. The mountains on the west side of the road looked beautiful with layers of fog. We arrived at the Penn State campus at about 8:30 and the traffic was already quite heavy. Ben and I arrived on the east side of campus and had to drive across campus in order to get to the Meteorology Department by 9 a.m. We kept encountering traffic directors who told us we had to park by the stadium and that we could not go straight through campus without a permit. I was getting antsy because we were scheduled to meet Dr. Nese at the Walker Building at 9:00. After one lady asked us if we had a permit, we went ahead and I said to Ben, “I should have told her I don’t have a permit but I have a driver’s license. My 15 year old has a permit.” We did make it over to the Meteorology Department on time. We met Bill Murray and two of his co-workers in the Walker Building and Dr. Jon Nese and his students gave us a very warm, hospitable welcome. We met some students who will be attending the NWA conference in Birmingham in October: Matt, Michael, and Melissa. The Meteorology Department was awesome. They have a really cool student lounge with a weather wall with numerous video screens. There were lots of great conversations during the visit. The 4/27/11 tornado outbreak, climatology of Alabama and Pennsylvania, and weather history were among the topics discussed at length. There was also a good bit of sports talk. Jon (as he likes to be called) is very knowledgeable about sports in addition to weather. Jon provided us with a map of the campus and directed us to key campus landmarks. He also invited us to his tailgate. I cannot say enough how kind Jon and his students were to us! Bill and his co-workers walked through campus with Ben and I. We visited sites including Old Main, The Nitany Lion Shrine, and the Creamery. One funny moment occurred while at Old Maine. I had my head buried in my cell phone. A female student walked by and very enthusiastically said, “Welcome to Penn State!” I never did see her, but when I walked over to Ben and Bill, they teased me about being hit on by the hot Penn State student. I’m still not sure that they didn’t tell her to do that! There was a 45 minute wait to get into the Creamery. I tried a cup of “Peachy Paterno” flavor ice cream. Good stuff! The weather turned out very warm, humid and sunny. We stopped by the northeast side of the stadium to watch Coach Paterno and the Penn State team arrive at the stadium. We then posed by the Paterno statue in front of the north end of the stadium. Before entering the stadium we tailgated with Jon and his family and friends’ spot on the northwest side of the stadium. We all enjoyed a drink and I had some really good Italian sausage. I got to meet one of Jon’s friends, Dan Morgan, who was an offensive guard for Penn State from 1983-1986. He also played a little in the NFL with the NY Giants. I asked him what it was like to play for Coach Paterno. He used words and phrases such as “old school”, “tough”, and “organized”. He said practices were very scripted and well organized. He said that Coach Paterno had high expectations academically of his players. It was great to hang out with Jon and his tailgate! We went ahead and entered the stadium about 45 minutes to an hour before kick off so that we could see the pregame festivities. The stadium and the crowd were very impressive. Fans were very cordial. The student section was loud and participated well in the cheers, chants, and songs. There was a moment of silence for Alabama tornado victims during the pregame. The Penn State Blue Band had a nice pregame show, and a wonderful halftime show tribute to responders and victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one day prior to the 10th anniversary of that terrible day. The game began with Penn State fans in a frenzy as State as their team took half of the first quarter to drive for a field goal. But by the time the Tide scored to take a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, some of fan fervor began to wane. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, a slow, gradual, exodus of Penn State fans began. As the white shirts left, it became more and more apparent how many Alabama fans were scattered through the stadium. By the end of the game, the Alabama fans were cheering louder than the remaining State fans. One funny moment in the fourth quarter was when the Auburn victory over Mississippi State was announced. A loud “BOO!” was heard from the Alabama fans, much to the amusement of the Penn State fans. It has almost become a cliché, but I cannot adequately express the hospitality we received from the Penn State students and fans. I think Penn State fans take a lot of pride in how they treat people. We had positive comments and well wishes from literally dozens of fans as we walked across campus before the game, during the game, and even after the game. Ben and I stopped and bought shirts at a souvenir store. Then we stopped and ate some New York style pizza. We had a great conversation with young couple who are students. Everyone was complimentary of Alabama fans’ hospitality when Penn State visited Tuscaloosa last year. It was a practically a love fest. I think both schools have a lot of class, tradition and history. Because of that there is much mutual respect. I also cannot thank our pregame host, Dr. Jon Nese and the meteorology students enough for making us feel so welcome. It was a great day for me. I almost attended Penn State 28 years ago. It was great to finally be there!

[@KeystoneState]

ow.ly/AyY730gyL29

[@shooter4805]

Have always had much respect for Penn St. To me the are the Alabama of the North.

[@robertmosley8568]

Respect to Penn State!!!! ROLL TIDEE!! 🏈🏈🌊🐘🐘🔥

[@roarlionsroar32]

i go to penn state and love our football program but I've been an alabama fan since i was a little kid. this video is awesome! WE ARE! ROLL TIDE!

[@mahmoud316]

I went to PSU and my Dad Bama, so i'll always love em both!!

[@scotto9591]

Some of my favorite football games were coach Paterno against coach Bryant. the games were always super difficult for both sides, but there was always a sense of respect. RTR

[@stell29]

People from Maine to California love this song. It's not just an anthem in Alabama

[@KeystoneState]

You'd be an idiot if you sang this song and didn't think about the state of Alabama when you were singing it. Kudos to Lynard Skynyrd (Who's not even from Alabama) for getting folks from Maine to Cali to sing about a state they loved.

[@oleheat]

Nice video- and I LOVE THAT SONG!!....But I'm an LSU man, and my Tigers are coming to TTown this weekend, so.....GEAUX TIGERS!!! On a serious note, the people of Tuscaloosa remain in my prayers. You have inspired everyone with your courage and spirit of community, both of which rival your great football tradition- and that says an awful lot.

[@AdmiralTMoya]

Classic Alabama and Penn State. Great game and Great one in 2011. RTR, and of course when not playing the Tide go Nitney Lions :).......

[@pitchforkpat]

@jlauer95 You have to understand, the part of PA you all come to visit, when you play PSU, is part of the red T, the conservative part of PA that James Carville tagged the "Alabama part of Pennsylvania". I've been to 'Bama many times, been treated just as well. Outstanding people, great country, can't wait to go back. Stay well, and know you are always welcome!

[@bamagysgt]

@oleheat Thanks for the prayers and good luck to your team this Saturday. Either way it looks like the SEC is going to do it again! Hope to see u in T-town. Roll Tide and Geaux Tigers!

[@florida1117]

the chick in the front row (3rd going to the right of the screen) is hot.

[@teddyclarke3940]

LMFAO!

[@hsmnwnner]

yea.....

[@VA24541]

Seven wins, six losses. Lost final 3 games of the season. last game was a beat down by a crummy Georgia Tech team which had a losing record!! And i do mean it was a BEAT DOWN. What a maroon.