Vol Nation was undoubtedly disappointed by what played out on the field against Florida in a 21-47 loss, but Tennessee fans did all they could.

A rowdy crowd of more than 100,000 fans in Neyland Stadium gave Saturday night’s game a feel similar to the classic showdowns between the Volunteers and Gators. It’s something UF coach Dan Mullen noticed in his first trip to Knoxville as a head coach.

“It’s huge. This is a big game. It’s Florida and Tennessee. Jeremy Pruitt is working. We are both working. It might not be a Top-5 matchup like it has been in years past. I tell you what, the environment here is unbelievable,” Mullen said after the game.

Mullen is in his 10th season of coaching SEC football, but with the way conference scheduling works, he had never coached on the Neyland Stadium sidelines as a head coach. At Mississippi State (2009-17), Mullen only faced the Vols once, in Starkville, Miss. in 2012. It wasn’t Mullen’s first trip to Knoxville, as he was on Urban Meyer’s staff for UF’s 2006 and 2008 trips to Rocky Top.

In all likelihood, Mullen will be back on Neyland Stadium’s opponent sideline when the teams meet again in 2020.