Butch Jones grabbed the microphone and paced toward midfield. It’s not uncommon for the first-year Vols coach to bark instructions to his team over a loudspeaker at practice. This practice was just a bit different.Instead of just his team and a few reporters hearing his orders – as it was for all of UT’s fall camp – it was an announced crowd of 39,000 in the lower bowl of Neyland Stadium hearing his voice.And they liked what he had to say. “It’s officially football time in Tennessee,” the first-year UT football coach shouted, eliciting a thunderous roar from the crowd as an open-to-the-public practice began on Saturday night.
The date marked two weeks before Tennessee’s Aug. 31 opener against Austin Peay, and with Jones poised to play between 13 and 17 freshmen in 2013, he felt it was necessary for them to get experience performing in front of a live crowd. Although a steady rainstorm dampened the atmosphere after about 30 minutes of practice, plenty of fans stuck around to provide him with what he was hoping for.
“The crowd, the way they came out, it was a game day-like atmosphere,” Jones said. UT typically draws upwards of 90,000 for home games, but a crowd of 39,000 is indeed close to game day size at two schools of interest. At Jones’ previous stop – the University of Cincinnati – average attendance for seven home games in 2012 was 29,137. Down Interstate 40 at UT’s SEC foe Vanderbilt, average attendance for six home games in 2012 was 37,860.
So with the band, cheerleaders and Smokey all on the sidelines Saturday night, it was essentially a preseason game for the Vols and the first experience for the freshmen in front of a significant crowd. “It’s a little bit of an adrenaline rush and you’re not used to that atmosphere,” recalled junior left tackle Antonio Richardson of his freshman year. “So it was good for them to get a taste of that.”
All four of Tennessee’s potential quarterbacks – three of which are freshmen – got plenty of work in the wet conditions. Though Jones wasn’t happy with the number of dropped passes on offense and an inconsistent pass rush on defense, he was pleased with what the night provided his team.
“That’s the big thing, is being able to practice in this type of an environment,” Jones said. “Two weeks from today it’s for real, and like I told our football team, two weeks from today, there are no do-overs.”The practice featured scrimmage situations intermingled with a variety of other drills. A handful of high school prospects were in the house to take in the festivities as well.
“I want to thank our fan base for coming out and supporting us,” Jones said. “If anybody doesn’t realize the magnitude at which Tennessee football is, all you had to (do) is be there tonight and see it.”Students were sent an email on Monday reminding them that the request period for student tickets to the Austin Peay game begins today. It concludes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
