Kirk Herbstreit reacts to 'eerie' amount of Tennessee orange in Ohio Stadium crowd

Ohio State is playing host to Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday night. But it’s hardly the usual, overwhelming homefield advantage for the scarlet and gray.

By all accounts, there’s tens of thousands of Tennessee faithful that made the trip. And the move by Volunteer faithful to try and turn Ohio Stadium into “Neyland North” struck color commentator and Buckeye alum Kirk Herbstreit.

Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”

“I just heard Rece [Davis] say any time you come to the banks of the Olentangy, it’s always a big, decisive advantage for Ohio State,” Herbstreit said. “I’m telling you, I’ve been coming here since 1975: I’ve never seen this many colors of the opposing team in this stadium. It’s very eerie, it’s creating a lot of hype for this game.”

Walking around the field, it’s stunning how many Tennessee fans are here. Gotta be pushing 30,000. pic.twitter.com/gBtbWK8Q0P

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) December 22, 2024

And Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had a message for the Ohio State faithful earlier in the week.

“I’m excited for our players, but I’m excited for our fans to get back together this Saturday in the ‘Shoe in a historic event,” Day said Monday. “This is, right now, the first time it’s ever happened before. And I think for everyone to get back together is exciting, and I know our players feel that way.”

Day specifically cited what one more game inside Ohio Stadium means for the Buckeye seniors and their families, as well as the diehard Ohio State fans in attendance Saturday.

“For (the Ohio State players) to get an opportunity to play at home in something like this is great. But it’s just as exciting for our fans,” Day added. “And just like our players, the fans are invested in this in a big, big way. So, it’s going to be an exciting night, 8 o’clock kickoff, and this week of work for us is just going to continue to build toward Saturday.”

And likely much to the delight of those clad in scarlet and gray, the Buckeyes opened the game with a touchdown drive, capped by Will Howard connecting on a downfield shot to star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith. Before Tennessee had a chance to touch the ball on offense, Ohio State took a 7-0 lead.