What to Expect for Alabama Football's Sold-Out Home Game Saturday

Three experts in their fields briefed local media Wednesday morning on what fans should expect when they come to the completely sold-out home opener for the Alabama Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

Reporters interviewed Nick Frenz, the University of Alabama's associate director of events, as well as UAPD Chief Scott Thurmond and Ken Colvert, who oversees ALDOT’s Traffic Management Center.

"It's a sellout," Frenz said. "All tickets are sold out for the game."

Their main concern this year is how dangerously hot it's going to be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, especially toward the end of the Tide's matchup against the East Carolina Pirates, which kicks off at 11 a.m.

The National Weather Service is warning of a major dangerous heat wave, with heat index values climbing near 110 degrees every afternoon this week through Saturday.

To be prepared, people really need to start with smart decisions on Friday and stick to them before and during the game.

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"Stay hydrated, and that really starts the day before. Continue to hydrate throughout the event, and we're talking water and electrolyte support. Be cognizant of your alcohol consumption because too much alcohol in the heat can be a bad recipe," Thurmond said. "If you start to feel ill, let one of our ushers, law enforcement officers, or EMS personnel know so we can get you out of the sun, get you hydrated, and get you feeling well."

To help with that, Frenz said additional "Water Monster" tanks will be added throughout the Stadium, and fans can bring in any non-glass bottle or container to fill up with water. He said they've used 18 in the past and will add to that number on Saturday. UA will also call upon additional medical personnel to make sure folks are close by in case of any heat-related health emergencies.

Frenz said visitors should also note that the Gates and Sections within the Stadium, so long-time fans may need extra time to figure out where they're going. In the end, though, things have been redesigned to be simpler for everyone, especially first responders.

"If you have tickets in your normal area [from past seasons] you're going to enter at the same Gate; it may just be called something different, and it's the same with your Section inside the Stadium," Frenz said. "They redid the sections, but if you're still sitting in the same place, you're going to the same location. It's just called something different. They did that to create a better framework for emergency personnel, when they get called to a situation like this weekend with the heat, they have a better idea of where they're going."

The Gates will still open at 9 a.m., two hours before kickoff, and major road closures will begin at 7 a.m.

Thurmond said UAPD is not aware of any kind of threat to public safety on Saturday but said his department, with backup from the Tuscaloosa Police, State Troopers, the FBI and more, will be ready for anything.

"Without getting into specific numbers, it's a partnership between our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners. There's a very large contingent of law enforcement during Game Day," he said. "And there's a wide variety of different assets we utilize to keep everyone safe."

Ken Calvert, ALDOT's spokesperson, said they don't expect Saturday to be very different from Game Days of the past.

"On Saturday mornings, especially with an early kickoff, we'll see an influx usually a couple of hours before kickoff, but it's usually not an issue we can't handle," Calvert said. "Obviously, it's an increase in traffic when you're talking about 100,000 people in the stadium, but nothing we can't handle with the tools we currently use."

He said ALDOT is encouraging motorists on I-20/59 coming for the Game to use Exit 73 and McFarland Boulevard to get to and from campus. I-359 is also expected to see major traffic flow on Saturday.

"We have our signal crews and signal engineers ready to respond and work to get traffic out as expeditiously as possible," Calvert said. "Please have patience and understanding, but I don't foresee any major issues."

For more updates on campus news and other important stories from West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.