This is the biggest home game UT has played in many, many years. Probably the next closest was 2006 LSU, though I think arguments can be made for 2015 Oklahoma or 2016 Florida. No matter which of those you choose, it's been a while since we as fans had a real opportunity to be part of a big program win. IF Neyland is 2015 Oklahoma loud, it could be a really special night Saturday that sees the Vols ranked again, and gives the team the confidence they need for the next month.
These Vols are short on talent, experience and depth, but everyone knew that going in. If we want to see that change, Neyland needs to be the intimidating place we all know it can by. Make it a place the top players in the nation want to play. Ty Darlington, who played for Oklahoma had quite a few things to say about Neyland over a year after that game was played:
"I exited the tunnel for the pregame warm-up, and those psychotic students were already there, giving us a small preview of what to expect in the hours to come. What had we gotten ourselves into? What followed in the 4 quarters and 2 overtimes of play was a dissertation on the impact a crowd CAN have upon a football game. The Vol faithful made it absolutely impossible to communicate."
"I came off the field after that first drive and reassured Coach Bedenbaugh that the fans would settle down in due time, and that noise was not going to be an issue going forward. Boy was I wrong. The noise was a constant, oppressive force."
"That night in Neyland Stadium, playing football seemed all but impossible, and that can be attributed as much to the men and women in the stands as to the uniformed men on the field itself. That night, as I boarded the flight back to Norman with Rocky Top ringing in my ears, I realized that I had been converted. From a man skeptical of fan impact, to a man in awe of it."
Neyland Stadium is a magical place. Home Sweet Home. Hallowed ground to those of us who bleed orange. If you are a fan like me who has seen more than a few winters.....it's important for us to remember that many of the current students earliest memories of UT football are from somewhere around 2010, the Dooley era. Many of them won't even remember the Lane Train rolling down the sidelines of Rocky Top, much less a national championship when their parents were in school at UT. It's up to us to remind them, to show them what Neyland can be. To show them what it means to FEEL noise, not just hear it.
Neyland is ours, the fans. It doesn't matter who is in the uniforms, who the coach is, or what the record is. Fall Saturdays, there's a little spot on the banks of the Tennessee that belongs to 100k plus of the most passionate fans in the world. It's time to remind the world who WE are.