UPDATE: A-Day a sellout

TUSCALOOSA | Congratulations, Alabama football fans. You filled Bryant-Denny Stadium for a practice.

Of course, Saturday's annual A-Day game wasn't any usual practice, as the public coaching debut of Nick Saban -- combined with postcard-style weather -- caused an above-capacity crowd to pack into Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The official attendance, announced at the start of the fourth quarter was "in excess of 92,138", and that more would have packed the stadium had not fire marshals not closed the gates in the second quarter.

UA officials opened up the East Upper Deck just before halftime. Before that, the new North Upper Deck was made available to fans. Both those decks quickly filled with fans, with hundreds more moving around the stadium looking for room to sit.

The original plan was for the lower bowl and West Upper Deck to be open -- allowing approximately 71,000 fans a chance to watch the Crimson play the White. UA officials and local law enforcement were ready to open the rest of the stadium as needed.

Before Saturday, the unoffficial national record attendance for a spring college football game came in 1986, when 73,000 watched Tennessee scrimmage at Neyland Stadium. This year, the SEC's top spring game crowd before Saturday was the 47,500 that watched defending national champion Florida scrimmage.

Reach David Wasson at david.wasson@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0229.