ATLANTA − Tennessee football played its first road game of the season at Georgia Tech but it sure didn't look that way.
UT fans helped sell out Bobby Dodd Stadium as the No. 18 Vols (2-0) beat Georgia Tech 45-24 on Sept. 12. UT coach Josh Heupel noticed the support from the fans before he stepped on the field to play the Yellow Jackets (0-2).
"We leave our hotel and you see nothing but orange and white on our way here," Heupel said. "From older fans who have been here for a lot of generations to some younger ones who don't know how to tie their shoes yet, you walk into the stadium 60 minutes before kickoff and a majority of the crowd is Tennessee orange. It's pretty special."
Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, making the first road start of his
college career, said UT fans gave him and his teammates a distinct advantage when operating the offense.
"It was a lot of orange," Brandon said. "It definitely made things easier. Wasn't too much noise. Definitely got a little rowdy sometimes, but seeing all the orange, it definitely made me proud."
Brandon accounted for 171 total yards and two passing touchdowns. He completed five of six passes after halftime as the Vols outscored Georgia Tech 38-14 over the final three quarters of play.
Even in his sixth season coaching at UT, Heupel still finds himself impressed with how fans travel and provide the Vols something close to a home field advantage on the road.
"I've said it before, this is the best fanbase in college sports," Heupel said. "So we don't take that for granted and we appreciate that."
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee football fans helped Faizon Brandon, Josh Heupel at Georgia Tech
