Tennessee Vols will see a trend some players don't like continue against Kentucky next weekend
Fans of the Tennessee Volunteers who are hoping for plenty of tailgating time for the team's next home game are surely thrilled about the kickoff time revealed by the school on Monday. However, some of the players might not be quite as enthusiastic about it. The school announced on Monday the Vols will be taking […]
Fans of the Tennessee Volunteers who are hoping for plenty of tailgating time for the team's next home game are surely thrilled about the kickoff time revealed by the school on Monday. However, some of the players might not be quite as enthusiastic about it.
The school announced on Monday the Vols will be taking on the Wildcats at either 7:30 or 7:45 pm on either ABC, ESPN, or the SEC Network.
Tennessee has played quite the string of night games so far this season. NC State, Kent State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Florida were all 7:00 pm ET or later kickoffs. Recently, it came to light that at least some Tennessee Vols players aren't the biggest fans of night games. That waiting all day for the game to arrive can actually be a bit of a challenge. Dont'e Thornton mentioned that recently.
"I'm cool with it (afternoon starts). I'm tired of these night games," said Thornton before the Alabama game. "Every game this season has been a night game except for the first game of the season."
"Being in the hotel (all day) is the worst part," added Thornton. "Because you wake up with a bunch of energy and then it slowly dies down. And then you gotta try to find it again before the game starts."
The night game environment inside Neyland Stadium has served Tennessee well, including against Kentucky back in 2022. The crowd was electric as the Vols crushed Will Levis and the Kentucky Wildcats 44-6. Tennessee also wore their "dark mode" all-black uniforms for the contest. As the Vols haven't worn those yet this year, one has to wonder if that could be a possibility next weekend.
It should be a crazy environment next Saturday inside Neyland Stadium, as the Vols look to build on their massive 24-17 win over Alabama last weekend. The fans will surely be amped and ready, and that should help those players who need an extra jolt of juice after a long wait.
