Every Saturday during the fall, life in the southeastern United States comes to a stop. Attention turns toward college football and the escape from reality it offers. This break from reality has never been more needed for the city of Tuscaloosa, AL. Home to the University of Alabama, this city was devastated by a tornado during the historic 27 April 2011 tornado outbreak. Here’s a good story from ESPN on the impact of today’s Alabama-Kent State football game on the region.

One weekend in July, four Kent State players and a few athletic department officials came down to participate. One of them, senior running back Jacquise Terry, is from Phenix City, Ala., on the Georgia border. He played AAU basketball with Crimson Tide corner DeQuan Menzie.

“I have done Habitat before,” said Jacquise, who is minoring in construction management, “but I have never done it with players I compete with. That was the good part about it. We were able to put aside what we were about to do a month later and go in and help for a good cause. We fell right in together. They told us they appreciated us coming down. We bonded with those guys.”