The last time Tennessee football hosted Georgia inside Neyland Stadium, Jaylen Wright broke off a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Reports surfaced that the sound in the stadium reached 137 decibels, the loudest ever at a college football game.
When the Bulldogs arrive at Neyland Stadium this Saturday, the expectation is for another rowdy environment. After all, just a year ago, an Alabama radio announcer claimed UT was pumping in crowd noise because it got so loud in Tennessee’s win. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has had plenty of success in Knoxville, but he knows the impact it can have on a game, as well.
“We’re going to a tough place to play,” Smart said. “First game on the road in the SEC. When you open up on the road in the SEC, it’s always challenging. It’ll be important that our players understand that, that the environment is something that you don’t have to worry about. You got to worry about how you play, and sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially with young players. But we’ll prepare for it, and we’re excited to go play. These are the games you come to Georgia to play in. So I’m excited for these guys.”
So, how will Kirby Smart and his Georgia team deal with the suffocating noise that Tennessee routinely has at its advantage when at home? Smart says a lot of it comes down to him and his coaching staff. He admitted there are some things you can do in home games that won’t fly on the road.
At the end of the day, he’s just trying to put his players in the best position to succeed despite the obstacles.
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“I think it’s a mental disposition, and it’s part of your planning,” Smart said. “There’s certain things you can do at home that you can’t do on the road. You have to be smart as a game planner. What kind of situations you put your team in, where the field position is, what’s the down and distance. And your approach to your game planning is, defensively and offensively, you have to think about that. And me being in this league for a long time, it plays a factor on the ability to execute when you’re in an environment that maybe someone’s never been in. And you have to be smart about what you’re asking them to execute, because at the end of the day, that’s what it is. Who can execute, who can block and tackle, and who can be physical?”
Smart says it isn’t a one-week thing that they hope will be enough, either. This is a challenge that the program deals with throughout SEC play, and handling breakdowns in communication is something they start doing all the way back in spring camp.
This is why Smart has confidence that his quarterback, Gunner Stockton, will handle the challenge. While it will be his first road start with 100,000+ fans making his life as difficult as possible, he’ll at least have some experience, dating back to the preparation for the season.
“I think he’s going to be great,” Smart said. “I mean, it’s something that we practice for all year round. I don’t believe in waiting till the week of the game. We do it in spring. We do it all preseason camp. We put a lot of pressure on the players in practice to communicate. A lot of times, it’s to keep both sides of the ball from hearing each other talk. So I don’t want to hear the coaches talk. So you’ve got to crank it up. It almost becomes the norm to do that.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will air on ABC. Before the game, ESPN’s College GameDay will be on campus, marking the matchup as the premier game of the weekend slate. Fans are also encouraged to wear a designated color to make it a ‘Checker Neyland’ game.
