Josh Heupel shuts down "fake crowd noise" claim from Alabama announcer

Tennessee football has had quite the week, coming off back-to-back rivalry wins. Two weeks ago, Tennessee beat Florida 23-17 in overtime, and it followed up the emotional win with another thrilling win over Alabama this past Saturday. 

The Vols' 24-17 win didn't need overtime, thanks mostly to a big second-half performance from the Tennessee offense. It also helped that Tennessee fans kept Neyland Stadium loud all night long. 

Neyland affected the Alabama offense from start to finish. Tennessee fans were loud and disruptive throughout the game, especially late in the game when Tennessee was able to secure the lead. 

As Alabama was falling, Crimson Tide play-by-play announcer Chris Stewart claimed that Tennessee pumps in crowd noise to add extra decibels while the Vols are on defense. Fans and media members immediately came to Tennessee's defense, stating that they, in fact, do not pump in crowd noise through their on-field speakers. 

ESPN's Cole Cubelic shut down the accusations on X, and CBS Sports' Josh Pate also refuted the claims that Tennessee pumps crowd noise into their stadium and onto the field. 

After the backlash, Stewart retracted his comments on a radio show in Mobile, Alabama. Stewart stated, "Where I misspoke is where I said they piped in crowd noise. What I should have said is that they amplify noise within the stadium. Their place is plenty loud, and it didn't have anything to do with the outcome."

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was also asked about the accusations and made clear to shut them down and add some fuel to Vol Nation for the last few home games of the 2024 season. 

Tennessee has the week off but will host Kentucky on November 2 as they begin the season's final stretch. It will be another night game in Neyland for the Wildcats, and it could also be Tennessee's "Dark Mode" game, providing even more fuel for Vol Nation to bring the noise.