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Tennessee's historic crowd noise vs. Alabama left Kalen DeBoer looking rattled

Neyland's atmosphere can't be matched.
ByBraulio Perez
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Oct 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
Oct 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This ends the debate: Neyland Stadium is without a doubt one of the toughest places to play for opposing teams. On top of that, it's one of the top football stadiums in all of America. Just ask Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide about that. No one can argue with the fact that Tennessee fans made Saturday in Knoxville difficult for the Crimson Tide, while also making some unique history at the same time.

How so? As you'll be able to see in the video below, a second-down sack of Keelon Russell nearly brought the house down, and leading up to the third-down snap, the Tennessee faithful did absolutely everything they could to rattle DeBoer and his offense. Mission accomplished, as the decibel level at Neyland reached 130.3 db, the loudest ever recorded. Wow.

Vols fans made a huge difference in helping Tennessee shock Alabama at Neyland

Tyree Weathersby was able to beat the Alabama offensive tackle to bring Russell down, and then all heck broke loose. Did you see the look on DeBoer's face, too? He looked like he had just seen a ghost, but to be fair to him, the Vols defense sure looked scary from start to finish in the 26-10 win for the good guys.

While everyone has since moved on to South Carolina and a difficult road clash in Week 8, we can all take a few extra moments to appreciate just how incredible a day it was on campus for the Third Saturday in October. It led to Russell calling himself out for a brutal performance, while Ryan Grubb didn't hold back in saying his offense looked embarrassing.

Again, you've got to give credit to Tennessee fans for making an impact in such a big way. More of the same will be needed from the traveling supporters making their way to Columbus, as Shane Beamer, LaNorris Sellers, and the rest of the Gamecocks have an upset in mind this weekend.

After that, the BYE will arrive for UT, and then a potential Top 10 showdown with Kentucky will be on the way. That's a rivalry game that everyone in town always looks forward to, though Tennessee has taken care of little bro eight times in the last 10 games. Not much of a rivalry, if you ask us.

And for that showdown, the stands are going to be packed and rockin' like normal. Whenever an SEC foe makes their way to Tennessee, nothing will come easy, with everyone doing their part to make the opposition look a bit helpless. Just ask Alabama about that, but not DeBoer - the poor guy could use a break after going through a Rocky Top nightmare.

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