Russ HuesmanIt wasn’t exactly a “White Out” or “Get out” ultimatum that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman issued his fan base Tuesday afternoon. But he clearly believes Saturday night’s game against No. 9 Jacksonville State is as much a test for the school’s supporters as the 13th-ranked Mocs.
“If they bring 5,000 [fans] and we’ve got 8,000, that’s a shame,” the sixth-year coach and alumnus said when asked about the school’s “White Out” marketing plan for the 6 p.m. home opener at Finley Stadium. Everyone from the fans to the parking attendants to the team is encouraged to wear white.
“We better at least triple their attendance.”
His reasoning is not without objective rationale. And it’s not just because this is only the third regular-season game between two ranked teams atop Davenport Field since the facility opened on Oct. 18, 1997.
In one very big way that UTC often prefers not to discuss, Saturday evening is as close to a perfect storm for boosting attendance as the school may ever see. Big brother Tennessee has a noon kickoff against Arkansas State a mere 120 miles up I-75 — which would give fans of both the Mocs and Volunteers, few though they may be, a chance to watch both programs — and the Georgia Bulldogs are off.