Wiedmer: Neyland crowd deserves game ball for rout of WCU

NOXVILLE - Yes, that 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Tennessee sophomore defensive back Evan Berry was pretty sweet Saturday night. So was that 50-yard punt return for a score by Alvin Kamara.

Especially since UT's crack sports information staff believes the Volunteers had not had a punt return and a kickoff return for touchdowns in the same game since at least 1957.

As for how much longer one might need to search the Vols' archives to top or match that feat, the sports info staff's lone verbal response was: "We'll have further details on Monday."

But however amazing those moments, the most stunning stat from Tennessee's resounding 55-10 victory over outmanned Western Carolina came from UT's fans, all 102,136 of them, which was just 319 short of a sellout.

Imagine that. Against an FCS foe, and not a terribly good one at that, the Big Orange Nation filled all but 319 of Neyland's 102,455 seats.

"How about our crowd?" UT coach Butch Jones exclaimed afterward. "From the Vol Walk forward, the crowd was amazing tonight."

If anything describes the overall state of the Vols program in Jones' third season, it might be that. When you can draw that many people to a game so certain to become a win from the day the 2015 schedule was completed; when this many folks still cared enough to leave the comfort of their living rooms just one week after a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching overtime loss to Oklahoma; when you can keep most of those fans there until the close of the third period, despite the rout roaring to 55-3, well, you've got something special going.

This isn't to say the Vols are now ready to travel to Gainesville, Fla., this week and snap that nettlesome 10-game losing streak against Florida's chomping Gators.

Nor is the Big Orange Nation likely to gain much confidence from its coach's announcement that "we had 16 true freshmen play tonight."

As has been proven time and time again in both Gainesville and Knoxville, Florida brings out the worst in UT, whether the Gators roll to fat leads early - a 59-20 final in 2007, a 30-6 thumping in 2008 - or deliver the nightmare finish that was last season's 10-9 loss inside Neyland.

And should the streak reach 11 this weekend, the home crowds might fade a bit, losing to nonconference Oklahoma not nearly so disturbing and deflating and depressing as another loss to the Gators.

But Jones also called this "a workmanlike victory." He talked of holding Western Carolina to 1-of-12 on third-down conversions. He talked of a stunning 72 percent efficiency rating on first down, which meant the Vols gained at least 4 yards on first down 72 percent of the time.

And when the subject of Florida came up, he said of the rough road immediately ahead, of six straight SEC contests, "It's going to be a grind. Especially the young players, they don't understand what this is like, going on the road in the SEC."

But they do know more than a year ago, and much more than Jones's first season in 2013.

They'll also have the unexpected boost of senior defensive back LaDarrell McNeil, stunningly back from a neck injury that threatened to end his career three weeks ago. An emotional McNeil attended a postgame news conference after Jones said of his play, which included an interception: "To go from believing your football career is over to this (pause) such strength and resiliency."

But they are all stronger and more resilient than a year ago.

"We're another year older," said UT senior tackle Kyler Kerbyson, who was 10 years old the last time the Vols won in Gainesville.

"All that experience helps. It's nice to know we know how to take it down the field with a minute left and score."

It would be nice to know they can accomplish such a feat inside the Swamp. And if they don't, you wonder what will happen to all that loyalty and leniency that was on display by the Big Orange Nation against Western Carolina.

Yet this remarkable turnout also spoke to a belief far beyond any recently witnessed inside Neyland. For proof, merely consider that the smallest home crowd of the 2014 season - 93,097 - was for FCS member UT-Chattanooga. And that was with a healthy sprinkling of Moc Maniacs in the stands.

"That kind of crowd really helps the young players," said UT quarterback Josh Dobbs.

If it helps them beat the Gators, the Vols brass might want to issue 102,136 game balls to those who cheered a young, shaken team to a rousing victory over Western Carolina.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com

Photo Gallery

The Weekend Theater

People attend the showing of "Sweeney Todd" at The Weekend Theater Friday, June 20.