TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- A half smile cracks Trent Richardson’s face when discussing a certain Saturday from last September.

Penn State players would rather forget that muggy day in Tuscaloosa. Richardson didn’t exactly show the visitors from up north much southern hospitality.

Starting in place for the injured Mark Ingram, Richardson ran over, around and through arm tackles in the 24-3 beating of the Nittany Lions. His 144 rushing yards were complemented by 46 more added on four catches.

“I know them boys want revenge, and they are going to bring everything they have,” Richardson said. “They are going to throw everything they can at us, so we have to go out there and execute like we’ve been coached, do everything on point.”

The frustrating memories of Richardson’s dominant game in Bryant-Denny Stadium haven’t faded for the Nittany Lion defenders who played that day.

The R-word was thrown around by a few, but a return to the fundamentals is more important than motivating factors.

“Last year, we kind of beat ourselves by not wrapping up Trent Richardson,” Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still said. “He was able to break through a lot of our tackles. We just have to focus on getting everybody to the football and play that defense that we know how to play.”

Still is one of three seniors on the starting defensive line that ranked 74th nationally stopping the run a season ago. Indiana State, of the Football Championship Subdivision, ran for just 65 yards in last week’s season opener.

The next layer behind Still is the unit that’s made Penn State’s defense famous over the years, even if Richardson was a little off on the unofficial nickname.

“What do they call it -- University of Linebackers?” Richardson said of the “Linebacker U” tag given to Penn State over the years. “So we know it’s going to be physical. That’s the tradition they have. It’s a big rivalry game. Alabama-Penn State is pretty rough.”

Richardson is looking to round back into his early 2010 form after a slow end to the season and a disappointing start to this one. While the Tide offense focused on auditioning the quarterbacks, Richardson ran for just 37 yards on 13 carries -- well below the 6.2-yards he averaged per run a year ago.

With Alabama still working with the youthful passers and not shying away from its desire to establish the power running game, the Tide fully expects the Nittany Lions will crowd the line of scrimmage this afternoon.

That’s cool, Alabama center William Vlachos said.

“I know Penn State, they’re a team that says, ‘This is what we do. Come and beat us,’” he said. “We expect everybody to load the box on us.”

A year ago, Alabama spread the field with receivers to keep the Nittany Lions from dedicating too many extra defenders to the run.

Even if they find a way to pack in a few more today, the hardest part of stopping the powerful Richardson or his spin-heavy back up Eddie Lacy remains in the basics.

“You need to get multiple guys and tackle him properly -- bring him down to the ground,” said Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford. “If you don’t have the right technique with the tackling, he will be running …”

Running, and possibly smiling a little wider when thinking back on another career day against Penn State.