Week 2 SEC attendance figures

Texas A&M opened swanky ‘new’ Kyle Field on Saturday night with a thumping of Ball State in front of an SEC-high 104,213 screaming fans in College Station.

“It’s hard to make Kyle Field better, but we did the impossible,” Kevin Sumlin said after the game. “It’s a great fan experience. Being close to the field is awesome. To run out there the first time, our players were excited and I thought that energy level showed early.

“Hopefully we’re going to do our part and put a product on the field to make people want to be here.”

Fans at Tennessee’s home opener against 19th-ranked Oklahoma set a crowd volume record. At one point in the first half (unclear when), the noise hit 114 decibels, the loudest noise ever recorded in checkered Neyland Stadium’s 94-year history.

By comparison, the loudness of a jet engine at 100 feet can is estimated at 140 decibels. The hype level was moot after the Sooners turned back a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win in overtime.

Week 2’s average of 72,877 fans per SEC game eclipsed opening weekend’s 63,213 average thanks to the announced sellouts of 100,000-plus attending games in Knoxville and College Station. Another 98,568 watched Alabama’s 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee in Tuscaloosa.

The average would’ve been higher if not for Mizzou’s rare road game at Arkansas State. The Red Wolves’ Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas, seats just under 31,000 and wasn’t filled to capacity for the Tigers.

Here are the attendance figures from all 11 SEC Week 2 contests:

Brad Crawford