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Certain wags were giving Pruitt crap for calling for 50K to show up. If 50K were there, it looks like the Vol fans came through.

Judging by how it looked on TV, that number is...generous. I'd say 40K, tops.

Well, I wasn't there this year...but they ALWAYS vastly over-estimate that number. I mean, what are they going to go by? There are no turnstiles. And, unlike regular season games, they don't have sold tickets to count. Yesterday's crowd looked quite a bit smaller than last year's announced attendance of 65k...which wasn't anywhere close to 65k. It was the size of that crowd that caused Pruitt to pitch a fit about the fans not coming through. Looks like he tempered his expectations this year.

I think he tried to emulate Saban last year.   Saban always gets on the fans about attendance, and has done so about the spring game.   I think Pruitt has gotten over that and as much as he may have learned from Saban, he will have to be his own man.

Poster on TOS posted he was there and had been to the last several  Spring games and it was by far the most there he'd seen since he's been going.

I thought it looked like  a decent crowd on TV

It wasn't a terrible crowd, considering the weather, but judging from photos there is no way it surpassed last year's crowd, and it didn't come close to a couple of the crowds during the Butch Jones era. This was the first spring game I've missed in several years. Again, nothing to sneeze at by any means, given the threat of rain and the low expectations for this team. I expected apathy to keep more fans away. I know I didn't attend because I have as little interest in football right now as I've had in a long time. I just don't have any confidence that this program can beat any team with a pulse this season. If and when that happens, and signs of relevancy start to reappear, fans will flock to the spring games in droves.

Agree....Getting crap kicked and manhandled by Vandy while our players looked like they didn't give a hoots ass did me in. When they play and look like they care then I'll care again....Until then I just can't get into it.

We did beat a pretty good Auburn team.   I am hoping that what happened is like what happened with Saban in his first year at bammer.  They started 6-0 but finished 0-6.  Bammer fans claimed it was rotten players from the Shula era and at the time, I thought they were just in denial.  But Saban cleaned house and sent a lot of upperclassmen packing and bammer was undefeated in the regular season the next year. I don't expect a turnaround like that, but I hope the poor showing against vandy and mizzou at the end of the season was a hangover from Jones.  We will not of course go undefeated in the regular season - Saban had a lot more talent to work with in 2008 - but maybe we beat mizzou and vandy.

From Twitter... (The UNC number must be a typo)

Spring Game Attendance

Nebraska 85,946
Alabama 62,219
Ohio State 61,102
Penn State 61,000
Clemson 60,000
Tennessee 50,967
Oklahoma 50,228
Florida 39,476
Notre Dame 30,074
West Virginia 18,865
Kentucky 16,665
Arkansas 10,064
Pittsburgh 8,797
Arizona State 4,624
North Carolina 12 :laugh:

https://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/unc-football/rain-or-shine-carolina-fans-turn-out-for-mack-browns-debut-in-unc-football-spring-game (https://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/unc-football/rain-or-shine-carolina-fans-turn-out-for-mack-browns-debut-in-unc-football-spring-game)

It really helps to have the local media flogging for your attendance numbers.  If you look at the stands, there are not a lot of fans out there.  But the story reads: 
It was pouring rain in Chapel Hill hours before kickoff, but the skies cleared as the Tar Heels took the field for pregame warmups. Although official attendance numbers were not given, the stands were packed with UNC fans eager to see Brown’s return to Kenan Stadium.

Look at the picture in the link and tell me that the stands were packed, lol.   :rolleyes:

I did think that the numbers were pretty good on TV when I watched the Orange and White game though.  They didn't open up all sections of course but the ones they opened looked full.

That's simultaneously atrocious and hilarious. Increasingly, local journalism outlets see it as their responsibility to carry water for the teams they're covering (although, given the grief that is received by the Knoxville beat writers when they strike a critical tone, who can blame them?). Like the UCLA 247 site last week, which put the incredible spin on the Barnes story that UCLA decided to withdraw the offer it had made to Barnes. It's the journalist in me, but I detest stunts like that.

Here's a good reminder to take spring game attendance numbers with a mountain of salt.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ufs-spring-game-attendance-figure-was-an-elaborate-uga-troll/

Damn, I hate UF and UGa. But Mullen has a point. UF has been in the SECCg 2 of the last 3 years. Just doesn't seem possible though. We just assume UGa is Bama lite.

UGA has been in the last 2 SECCG's.