Neyland Stadium over 99% sold-out for night clash between Akron, Tennessee
from Andrew Kulha, with YardBarker/www.yardbarker.com
On paper, the Tennessee Volunteers taking on the Akron Zips isn’t all that exciting of a matchup.
(Former Dudley High School starting QB Hendon Hooker(Greensboro, N.C., is now the starting QB, for the Tennessee Volunteers.)
The Volunteers are 2-0 and ranked No. 15 in college football. The Zips are 1-1 after losing 52-0 to No. 14 Michigan State. If last weekend’s game was any indication, Tennessee should roll to 3-0 with an easy and relatively non-exciting win over Akron.
Games against “cupcakes” are on the schedule for two reasons. They provide a “tune-up” game for the better program while sending some money over to the “smaller program.” It doesn’t always work out that way (just google Appalachian State football), but usually, fans can expect a relatively drama-free game and a rout.
That’s why many fans give their tickets away to early-season nonconference contests, but the hype around Tennessee must be real right now.
Even for what should be a “boring” game against the Zips, Neyland Stadium is expected to be packed, according to Tennessee athletic director Danny White.
Only 1,000 tickets left for this weekend’s Akron game – which means we’re over 99% sold out! Let’s finish the job #VolNation! #GBO ?
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) September 13, 2022
Sure, it’s a night game in the South, which is one of the best spectacles in all of college football.
Still, that’s an impressive amount of fan engagement for the Vols.