My First Time in Neyland

by Chris Paschal

I really hate that my first time in Knoxville for a college football Saturday found me actively rooting against the home team. It’s hard to enjoy the pageantry of a Volunteer Gameday when you’re about to have an aneurism watching the Gamecocks give up two special teams touchdowns.

And even then, I was blown away by this past Saturday on the banks of the Tennessee River. The day started with me, my brother, Brendan, and our buddies, John Lamm and Max McDougald, heading to Calhoun’s on the River. (Well the day really started when Brendan had enough of my snoring in the hotel room and demanded I leave the room, but I digress.) For those of you who haven’t been to Calhoun’s, you owe it to yourself. Great pregame atmosphere, affordable drinks, and some potato skins that were next level. But what was really awesome was the outdoor deck that overlooked the river and the boats coming in to dock with the rest of the Vol Navy.

After hanging at Calhoun’s for a bit, we headed towards Neyland and walked by all the boats anchored in the Vol Navy. For those of you who don’t know about the Vol Navy, it’s basically a fleet of boats that align the shoreline of the Tennessee River which flows right by Neyland Stadium. We were blown away by some of these boats. It looked like the ultimate tailgating setup. Flat screen TVs? Check. Food and beverages at your disposal? Check. Nautically themed flags? Double check.

As we worked out way up to the stadium, something struck me, and it’s maybe my only complaint about Neyland… how do I put this… it looks like it’s about to collapse. The outside of the stadium definitely needs a facelift.

As we walked by the stadium, we learned that we were actually just in time to watch the South Carolina players and coaches get off the bus and walk into the stadium. So we stopped by to cheer the boys on. No, I couldn’t tell from them walking in that they were about to lay an absolute egg in the second half. No, the players and coaches didn’t look cocky, or worried, or uninterested, or any of that garbage. They looked normal, I guess. One moment that was remarkably awesome, though, was at the very end, Todd Ellis, the Voice of Carolina Football, got off the bus and walked in with the team. For some reason that just struck us as hilarious. Brendan yelled out, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Todd looked over and waved. If you get it, you get it.

Anyway, after cheering on college kids getting off a bus and walking fifty feet, we headed up Peyton Manning Pass and walked towards the heart of campus. The University’s campus itself is beautiful (from what I saw). Buildings looked new, the grass was green, the layout was impressive.

As we headed up towards what turns into Volunteer Boulevard, we ended up in the Fraternity Park. Nothing makes a 25 year-old feel like an old man more than being surrounded by a bunch of drunk 19 year-olds. I spent most of the time looking at my phone, trying to find my friend, Grace, who had our tickets. After snagging the tickets (thanks again for the awesome seats, Brown family!), we headed back down to Neyland for what I really cared about… the greatest pregame entrance in the SEC.

Yes, I, a South Carolina fan, think that Tennessee has the best pregame in the SEC. Nothing against South Carolina’s. It’s awesome. It gets me fired up and ready for the game. But there’s something about the Pride of the Southland whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Throughout the entire pregame you can feel the anticipation growing, and growing, and growing. Ultimately, the pregame reaches its climax as the Tennessee Volunteers enter the playing field as they “run through the T”. So many cool moments in the pregame. Below is a video for you to watch it in its entirety.

Alright, time for football. I can tell you right now, I have never been in a stadium like that. I have watched games in Williams-Brice, I have been to Clemson for a top-five showdown, I watched a top-ten matchup in Tuscaloosa, I have been to Penn State… I’ll repeat, I have never been in a stadium like that. At one point, I looked at my brother and said, “don’t do anything stupid, because we may not get out of here alive.” Those Vol fans were crazed. They have been starved for over a decade, basically. A proud fanbase has been beaten, stomped, crushed for years now. The Gamecocks came in riding a three-game winning streak over Tennessee. The first half was tough, it was close, it was full of momentum swings and lead changes. That second half was a release for so many of them. And you could feel it in the stadium. You know those movie scenes where a woman is so upset that she just starts sobbing and hitting someone she loves… it was kind of like that. There was just as much rejoice as there was just pent-up disappointment being released. And it was loud.

Through it all though, the Tennessee fans around us were class acts. Especially the three behind us. One of them was a young man who was with his dad. He had been to Neyland Stadium ten times. He had only seen Tennessee win once. As ticked off as I was leaving that stadium, I had to fist bump that kid.

Overall, a great experience. Traffic was also incredibly light. Probably the most impressive thing from the entire afternoon. The drive to and from Knoxville is probably the only other complaint with the complaint that Neyland looks like it will collapse. In all seriousness, that drive is a pain. (Listen, I get those I-40 roads are winding and tough to navigate in the dark and rain, but I’m telling you, going 25 miles per hour ain’t it, Ford Fiesta with the Virginia license plate.)

As for the Gamecocks, I have no words. My buddy, John, mentioned that Tennessee had made that game their Super Bowl. It was a great point. South Carolina just didn’t match that intensity and in the second half it showed. Players and coaches can say all they want about how South Carolina was ready to play that game, but the little things (wrapping up, blocking the rushing defender on a freaking punt, catching the ball) all point towards one team wanting and earning it and the other team hoping for it. Sometimes you get beat by a better player, and in some cases (especially the defensive backs matched up against Tennessee’s wide receivers) that happened. No shame in that. But it was the mental errors, the play-calling mistakes, the failing to live up to the self-generated hype that makes you shake your head and ask “has South Carolina improved at all this season? Is the momentum built off of the Georgia upset gone?” The next four games hold the answer to that. South Carolina has to beat three of their next four opponents. Is it possible? I doubt it. But I’ll continue to watch. Hopefully I’ll remember to bring the TUMS this time.