NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s sluggish 24-17 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday might not have made a huge statement.
UT’s fan support clearly did. Vol Nation invaded Vanderbilt Stadium at an unprecedented level, filling in a noticeable majority of the stands of what was announced as a sold-out crowd despite a few empty seats being sprinkled in around the stadium.
“First of all, want to thank our great, great crowd,” coach Butch Jones said after the game. “(Thanks to) Vol Nation for coming out and supporting this football team. They’ve been remarkable all year long and today was just kind of exemplifies what we have here at Tennessee.”
The players noticed as well.
“I wasn’t surprised,” said linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.”I know what Vol Nation is like and that is what I expected. It was definitely great. Coach Jones says Nashville is our second home and that is what it looked like tonight.”
“It was a good feeling,” said freshman Derek Barnett, a Nashville-area native. “I thought we were back at Neyland (Stadium), there was so much orange in the stands.”
A few more crowd shots (via Reed Carringer and Harvey Elkins):
