'Energized and optimistic' Phillip Fulmer encourages Vol Nation to fill Neyland Stadium
Looking to “make Neyland shake again,” Tennessee Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer wrote a letter to Vol Nation to encourage fans to fill up Neyland Stadium.
The Vols play host to South Carolina this week, and then close out the home schedule with UAB and Vanderbilt and Fulmer and coach Jeremy Pruitt look forward to capitalizing on the home-field advantage.
“I am extremely energized and optimistic about our football team after watching the improvement on the field over the last few weeks,” Fulmer said in the letter. “I hope you’re as fired up as I am about the five games left on our schedule.”
Pruitt at his Monday press conference noted how the crowd conditions can help the football team.
“We have played three really physical games against good opponents in a row. We have to get ready to play another one,” he said. “Neyland (Stadium) has been really an electric atmosphere this whole season. I know it will be again Saturday and it will be a huge advantage for us. We are excited about the opportunity to come back and play at home in front of a great crowd.”
Fulmer wrote that he loves the marketing slogan, “It’s not Neyland without you,” and that it rings true in a very impactful way.
“I get chills thinking back to the first half of our game against Georgia two weeks ago,” he wrote. “That is how Neyland is supposed to feel.”
Tickets still remain for Saturday’s showdown with the Gamecocks, which is set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET.
He better be raising hell about the crooked refs.
How does Ryan Hagan, lifelong bama fan, with only D2 experience, get to ref the TSIO? His relative is Sylvia Hagan Barnes, Director of Officiating and Administration.
Why are the SEC offices in Birmingham?
Why is the head of officials (Steve Shaw) a bama grad?
Let’s not forget the LSU fan ref in basketball last year.
Phil.. get on it. It’s been going on for years.
Birmingham because it is the largest market for NCAA football. Hagan has called D1 before, Hawaii bowl last year just as an example. How much did the line judge actually affect the game Saturday?
I don’t expect you to see it through your crimson colored glasses.
How about the time our QB motioned out wide to wildcat formation. Play stopped for NO REASON. It was going to be a TD. Saban knew it, refs knew it. VOLS never showed wildcat up to that point.
Bama players lined up offsides all night long. Bama OL holding all night long. Sometimes multiple holds on one play. No call. Oh but when UT is on the goal line, the RB gets called for a phantom holding call, that wasn’t even close to being a hold. TD called back.
Every single critical call went in Bama’s favor. Every. Single. One. Y’all are seriously pathetic needing the refs help to beat lowly Tennessee.
Every point you made is literally a conjecture. You can’t provide proof of one thing that you just said.
By the way.. trashy backwoods Birmingham the largest market for NCAA football?
It’s there because it’s 55 miles from UA.
No possible way any bama influence is allowed in those offices, right?
crickets…
It’s over, bruh. Time to look forward. Not much we can do now other than focus on SC.
BWAHAHA!! The largest market?? Using “Alternative facts”?
From 2000 to 2011, the Birmingham market along with Columbus Ohio was consistently at the top. Not sure of the last eight years, but I doubt that much has changed.
Thought Atlanta was.
Phil needs to cut the price of the tickets remaining to get the stadium filled
Most major college football programs are having a difficult time keeping the fans for the entire game(even if the stadiums’s sold out) as this generation of students/fans with the cell phones can keep up with the game, wherever they are. And if your team is leading 21/7 in the 4th qtr. well, that sports bar down the street is calling you, right ? Even at fan-crazed Florida…Steve Spurrier did a commercial urging fans to fill the Swamp like we did in the 90’s. So it is a common problem now for everyone. But…..at Tennessee the problem is a lack of W’s and the fan base is divided now. The program is not trending up, as it was expected from the new coaching-hire of JP. Every coach who has worked at Alabama is not a miracle-worker, as we all now know.
Excellent observation. The prices of tickets these days are crazy and as bad as it’s been, only die hard fans will spend that kind of money. Season ticket prices have gotten better but only because Tennessee has been struggling. Used to be, you had to be on a waiting list and donate a kidney.
Poor old sap. Not going to be a happy camper Saturday
Guess we will see. Sounds like you all just lost Dowdle.
Yea I hate that but Feaster is capable to carry the load along with Mon Denson. Establish the run and play solid “D” we should be ok.
Says who? There is no guarantee the chickens win this Sat in Neyland!
If you want fans to show up then give us a program worth rooting for.
We have been in the dumps for over a decade, and we keep hiring lame duck coached.
I hope Pruitt works out, but so far in his career I’m just not seeing it
While I agree about the dump part, it’s still out on the lame duck part. It is year two with a new coach with a team that has been a decade long dumpster fire. Now, I’ve seen some improvements. Where was it in the beginning? I have no idea. It’s going to take time. Pruitt didn’t walk into a loaded roster, that is apparent now. We need stability, bad. If you can do better and immediate turn this team around, go coach then.
Poppycock. This ain’t Temple or Rutgers. If you have trouble supporting UT, then go support someone else!
Poppycock? Where you from? Lol I have never heard anyone in the state of Tennessee or even the south say poppycock.
Best play was #2 handing off to #7 for 100 yard td.
Or Bituli knocking the socks off Jeudy. Or warrior intercepting your precious QB.
That play was a thing of beauty. Tua passed it right to him! Lol, not to mention Middleton, and Crouch steamrolling the gumps all night. We just signed 3 more dl beasts too. Pruitt is building this D into something nasty. Bama can expect more of the same next yr, and we’ll expect more of that biased officiating to save y’all.