Vols Eager to Return Home For Showdown With Florida
(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a pair of hard-fought SEC road battles, No. 8/9 Tennessee returns home for the first of four consecutive conference games inside of Neyland Stadium when it hosts Florida on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The Volunteers will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, falling on the road to Arkansas in what turned out to be a low-scoring battle.
UT has been dominant in front of its home fans over the past two-plus years, posting an impressive 15-1 record in Knoxville since the start of the 2022 season with its only loss in that span coming to No. 1 Georgia last November.
Saturday’s night game will also feature the iconic checkerboard pattern throughout the stands as Checker Neyland presented by Pilot, Tennessee’s popular fan-driven initiative, returns for the eighth time in program history. The Vols have won their last two #CheckerNeyland games, topping Florida, 38-33, in 2022 and defeating Texas A&M, 20-13, last season.
“It’s been a month since we got the chance to play in there and see our fans,” head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday afternoon. “We are looking forward to seeing them. We need to create a great environment, and I know we will like always.”
Tennessee will be hoping the raucous environment of Neyland Stadium, which will be sold out for the 16th consecutive contest, can provide a boost to the Big Orange, especially on the offensive side of the ball after an uncharacteristic performance last weekend in Fayetteville.
“We need the Neyland Effect to be in effect on Saturday night,” Heupel said. “It’s our responsibility as a football team to prepare and practice the right way to go play. Our fans need to be a huge part of the environment and the football game.”
