Gary Danielson says Vols' home field advantage same as any other SEC venue
The Tennessee Volunteers had some very memorable moments during the 2022 season. Two of the biggest included thrilling wins over hated rivals Florida and Alabama before deafening crowds inside Neyland Stadium. However, according to one of the announcers from those contests, the Vols' home field advantage is the same as that of any other school […]
The Tennessee Volunteers had some very memorable moments during the 2022 season. Two of the biggest included thrilling wins over hated rivals Florida and Alabama before deafening crowds inside Neyland Stadium.
However, according to one of the announcers from those contests, the Vols' home field advantage is the same as that of any other school in the Southeastern Conference.
CBS color commentator Gary Danielson spoke with the Knoxville News-Sentinel yesterday on a variety of Tennessee-related topics, and he doesn't see Neyland Stadium as standing out when it comes to SEC stadiums and their respective advantages.
“This is not a criticism, just an observation. It has nothing to do with Neyland (Stadium), per se, or any other stadium,” Danielson told KnoxNews.com. “(Home-field advantage) is about the same every week. Whether you’re playing at Ole Miss or LSU or Florida in the Swamp or Georgia…for a football player, loud is loud.
“I don’t know if it makes any difference if there’s 80,000 loud people or 100,000 loud people."
It's understandable, to some degree, why Danielson might say this. He travels to various different SEC venues each week for the biggest games. He surely doesn't want to sound as though he's exhibiting favoritism or otherwise not being objective in his role.
“I get that. It’s a way of life. We embrace it from a production standpoint, and it’s fun,” Danielson said. “I love it all, the pomp and the circumstance and the storylines.
“Tennessee doesn’t have to take a backseat to anybody. But to me, it’s just about the same (as other SEC stadiums).” – Gary Danielson via KnoxNews.com
However, believing that places like Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, or Kentucky can hold a candle to places like Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and LSU is, well, just flat-out wrong. Tennessee shattered its previous record of 118 decibels when it reached 125.4 against Alabama last year, per the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
On Saturday, Tennessee will take on Texas A&M before a sold-out crowd of almost 102,000 people in the primary television slot of the week. In one of the Vols' biggest home games of the year, Tennessee's crowd should again provide one of the loudest and most hostile environments in the country.
Even if the commentator on the call doesn't want to admit it.
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