Vols Football: Crowd Report and Game Ball for Week 2 vs. Arkansas State
The Vols still won handily against Arkansas State with a score of 34-19, but fans still got restless at times. The heat drove many away early as well. PHOTO: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee fans expected the Vols to dominate and run away with a victory in week 2 against Arkansas State, but a 34-19 win was a bit closer than most expected. The outcome was never really in doubt, but fans still appeared restless at times.
The announced crowd of over 99,500 was loud and disruptive for the first half, and they helped Tennessee take a 24-12 lead into halftime. At halftime, however, the clouds cleared away, and the already muggy air grew even more humid, driving some fans to the shaded confines of the concession stand area.
Slowly but surely, fans trickled out of the stadium, and by the time the Vols kicked the final field goal, the stadium was emptied considerably.
The “third down for what” experiment still seems to be working phenomenally, as fans delivered again once the music played for the second week in a row. Last week against Utah State, fans in Neyland Stadium measured in at 101 decibels on a third down play. With a few thousand less fans in attendance, the crowd still peaked at 100.5 decibels on a third down conversion in the 2nd quarter.
The increase in fan enthusiasm seems to have fueled the defense on third down, as Arkansas State only converted 4-of-17 third downs on the day. Add that to Utah State’s 3-of-14 on third down conversions last week, and the Vols’ defense has a sterling 22.6% third down conversion rate.
Game Ball:
Junior wide receiver Von Pearson would likely have been the recipient of All For Tennessee’s game ball against Arkansas State had he not left with an injury to his ankle early in the 2nd quarter. He already had 4 catches for 71 yards and looked to be in line for a huge day.
After Pearson went down, sophomore Marquez North stepped up.
North is the recipient of the All For Tennessee game ball for the week 2 game against Arkansas State after his 4 reception, 68 yard, 2 touchdown performance.
As a freshman, North only brought in one touchdown reception, an electrifying, toe-tapping grab against Georgia. Today he doubled his scoring output from last season in a single game, and that alone makes him deserving of the game ball.
Not only do his stats earn him the game ball, but the timeliness of his performance also warrants it. The Tennessee offense could’ve faltered and lost confidence after Pearson was lost to injury, but North made sure that didn’t happen with his career game. North has the potential to be an All-SEC receiver, and he flashed that potential in this game.