One Pennsylvanian writer was still gushing over his experience in Tuscaloosa over the weekend.  Here’s an excerpt from David Jones of The Patriot-News, from Pennlive.com:

“But I can tell you this much about my first trip to Alabama and I think a lot of PSU fans who made this trip would agree: Very few people associated with any team project as much grace and love for the game of college football than these folks. They’re good people. And it’s plain to see in every detail they’ve etched into their domain. Visiting it and meeting them has been a gratifying experience.”

Still more…

“Everywhere I went on this trip — in the stadium, in the hotel, on the connecting flight to Atlanta on the way home — I met somebody else from Alabama just damned fun to talk to. The guy who videotapes the Million Dollar Band’s halftime performances (and what a big sound they make). The clerks who ask how your stay in their state is going — and sound like they really want to know. The Tide fan flew up from Florida with his wife and is planning a trip to State College next year for the rematch.

They all like people. They all know their football. They love to talk about it. And it’s not fake. It’s who they are.”

And finally…

“Well, here’s one Yankee who’s glad they’re down here even if we rarely see them. ’Bama gets it right. It would be good to do right by them next fall.”

Well done, my fellow Bamians.

Penn State is a class program on our level that deserved the kind of treatment we gave them.  The featured writer here is just one of many that I’ve heard saying similar things.  We have a mutual respect for Penn State, because Penn State deserves our respect.

They aren’t a fledgling program, wallowing somewhere below the water line of collegiate football success.  They don’t beat their chest over moral victories and close losses.  PSU is a program that has been to the mountain, and not relegated to just talking about it or trying to pull others down from it.

Their program has actually accomplished something; hence, playing them actually means something. And so, the State fans experienced hospitality in its truest form.

Now, many lil aubuhns will read this, jump up and down and cry “nuh-uh!  Them bammers are turrble!”  But here’s the difference:

Penn State has earned our respect.  So they get it, and then some.  Writers don’t just make up stories like this one.

But like a beggar in the street who feels entitled to what’s in your wallet, abarn has historically done nothing and been nothing yet feels they deserve equal footing with The University of Alabama Crimson Tide.

The difference? Penn State is Prince Edward.  Abarn is cousin Eddie.

20 thoughts on “PSU scribe: “Bama gets it right””

  1. Can’t wait for us to go to Happy Valley next year. Seriously though – I’m concentrating on Duke right now

  2. But we fot superman Cam Newton.
    Thats right Bammer. 6’8 275 lbs and can run the 100 meter in 7.1 seconds. Fear us Bammer.
    Fear Gene Chizik and his defensive mastermind!
    Fear Trooper Taylor… Admit it Bammers that backwards baseball cap intimidates you. And Gus Malzahn…. one word. Superherogeniusoffensivemastermind.
    We cont Cam We got Dyer and we got…. Toomer;s corner.
    Yall got nothing. We are superior. Just because we are.

  3. Thats right. You have to give respect to get it. The only kind of respect Auburn people know is to disrespect everything Bama.

  4. It’s called class. And if you earn respect the right way, it is easy to do. Does Auburn have any school that they can have a mutual respect for? If it weren’t for their little-big man syndrome they could.

  5. I’m came down to ‘Bama from Nashville for the game. I was happy and impressed with the number of people who were not only not rude to us, but actually proved to be very nice. We were tailgating right on University Drive as all the cars drove by. We had a couple of guys slow down to thank us for coming. Of course we got some very friendly ribbing from neighboring tailgaters. There were a few students (or at least young fans) who were less than respectable, particularly on the way back to the car, but considering they wouldn’t fill my two hands I consider that pretty good. And, honestly, don’t we all have some people who choose to represent our school (whether they ever were actually a part of it) that are just an embarrassment?

    I’ve never taken the majority of the PSU fan base to be rude to visitors, so I sincerely hope the Crimson Tide contingent feels equally welcome. I also hope we give you an equally good thrashing 🙂

  6. BamaBrando is right…respect is a 2 way street. We need only look at the barners who are constantly on this site trolling and making themselves look foolish to see why there’s no respect from us.

  7. PSUFanBrian, I hope to make the trip up next year. I think the reason there’s so much mutual admiration is the sentiments were “paid forward” if you will on trips to Beaver Stadium. I’ve never heard an Alabama associate talk about the classless antics of PSU fans as we have Auburn, LSU, Georgia or Tennessee. Maybe it’s because familiarity breeds contempt. But more likely it’s because you are a different breed altogether, and it’s refreshing to get away from the muck and mire of the SEC scum we have to compete against to rub shoulders with good people like the Nittany Lions.

  8. This is so funny… Best fans this, best fans that, mutual respect, etc. If PSU and Alabama were in the same conference (think PSU/Ohio St or better, AL/TN) there would be mutual hatred. All about the conference. AL fans feel good about themselves being respectful to PSU, and vice-versa…

  9. Yeah ITK, you’d never catch a writer from a Northeastern school writing anything good about the Auburn gameday experience. Oh wait, now that I think about it, I seem to remember that Bud Poliquin, a columnist for the Syracuse Post Standard, wrote a fairly positive article about his vist to the AU-Syracuse game entitled “Go to Auburn, Be Forever Changed”. Some snippets from the article included:

    “When you talk about the epitome of what the college football experience is all about … that’s it. Auburn is the epitome. You couldn’t possibly be unaware of the spectacle, even if you were trying to be unaware.” – Syracuse AD Jake Crouthamel.

    The column closed with the following passage:

    “Believe me on this. Please. I have descended into college football’s Grand Canyon. I have stood in its Alps. I have gazed at its ocean sunset. I have attended a game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. And I’ve been changed forever.

    You’re right, ITK. Writers don’t just make up stories like this one.

  10. Yep, because when you think about the epicenter of college football, and those associated with it, you think Syracuse.

  11. So in order for a writer to be able to construct a credible article about the gameday experience of a university, that writer must be employed by a publication based in the same area as a dominant college football team. Wow. I’ll tell all those hacks from the Tennesseean in Nashville to resign now.

  12. I certainly hope so Julietta. Act stupid all you want. But normal people know you don’t get the SEC Game day experience at the University of Buffalo or Syracuse. So they would be impressed even with game day at Kentucky. Penn St on the other hand is one of the 20 or so elite fan bases and it takes a hell of a lot to impress them. RTR!

  13. Wow Julia – how long did you have that bookmarked / copied/pasted?

    So what a ‘writer’ or AD visited a better program than their own – Syracuse. Unreal if that’s all the ammo you got for this.

  14. Julia got slapped down hard. That was pretty funny right there. Quit crying over everything Julia. It’s just a game. Syracuse is a basketball school, and Auburn is a swimming school. Bama is the bigtime college football school in this state. Auburn is the team that is always outshined, gets no respect, and generally has a fanbase full of neurotic people like yourself. At least you fit in somewhere.

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