Wasn't this supposed to be a road game? That has to be what people watching on ESPN were thinking, but Tennessee orange was spotted all over Atlanta. It no question made a big difference in the Vols posting a head-turning 45-24 victory over Georgia Tech. You know who also noticed so many Vols on hand? Head man, Josh Heupel.
Shortly after the win, Heupel was asked about all of the Tennessee supporters who made the trip to show UT love for its first road contest of the campaign. Heupel didn't hesitate to show everyone a ton of love, doing so in a big-time way.
"Legitimately, we leave our hotel and you see nothing but orange and white on the way here," Heupel said. "From older fans that have been here for a lot of generations to some new ones that don't know how to tie their shoes yet, you walk into the stadium 60 minutes before kickoff for me and majority of the crowd is orange and Tennessee. It's pretty special. I've said it before, this fanbase is the best in college sports and we don't take that for granted."
"I've said it before: this fanbase is the best in college sports."
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) September 13, 2026
Josh Heupel discussed seeing so many Tennessee fans in Atlanta after the Vols' win at Georgia Tech pic.twitter.com/gGkedNuniZ
Josh Heupel was blown away with how many Tennessee fans traveled to Georgia Tech
Anyone else getting a little emotional seeing that clip of Heupel hyping up the fanbase? He's not wrong, though. And you know what? This probably made such a big impact on 5-star freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon.
The 18-year-old signal-caller made just his second career start, and his first outside of Neyland Stadium. Some worried Georgia Tech fans might go all-in to rattle him, but the Vols had to drown out that noise by doing their best to keep him calm and also fire him up after a big play.
For a young quarterback, that's incredibly valuable. Brandon was far from perfect on the night, but he finished with two touchdown passes. He connected with Ethan Davis and Braylon Staley, respectively. Brandon was all smiles after the game, and his confidence will only grow heading into a Week 3 home dance with Kennesaw State.
Elsewhere, DeSean Bishop posted a career-high 147 rushing yards, with two touchdowns to boot. On defense, DeJuan Lane's pick-six was a total game-changer. So, the playmakers on both sides of the ball gave the Tennessee faithful a ton to be happy about in the win over Georgia Tech, with Heupel making things even more special with his postgame comments.
Thanks for doing what you do, Vols fans. As you can see, it's something Heupel and his players appreciate a ton.
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