Tennessee fans traveled north to Ohio State for a college football takeover of epic proportions on Saturday night. They were very quickly humbled by awful on-field play.
Although the fans did their part, the team let them down.
We heard all week about the Vol Nation invasion of “Neyland North” and the turnout was even better than expected. The amount of orange in Columbus at College Gameday, in the bars, and at the tailgate was pretty unprecedented. Come kickoff, there was a split inside the stadium of about 60/40. A home game for the Buckeyes felt more like a neutral site game. Especially when ‘Rocky Top‘ echoed throughout the legendary college football venue during warmups.
Rocky Top thunders throughout Ohio Stadium. It’s remarkable. More than 30,000 Tennessee fans expected. pic.twitter.com/zEeYA1JRUy
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 22, 2024
And then it all went wrong. Ohio State went up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. Tennessee lost 42-17. Everybody who made the five-hour trip from Knoxville had a very bad time from start to finish.
Many of the visitors left the game during the third quarter. They saw enough.
AS WE LOOK TO THE EXITS..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 22, 2024
VOLUNTEERS FANS ARE SAYING GET MY ASS BACK TO THE SOUTH #PMSCFP pic.twitter.com/TljZ7GdUqk
The Tennessee Takeover very quickly became the Tennessee Exodus. They funneled out of the exits in droves.
The Tennessee Takeover™️ has ended pic.twitter.com/QJEbJpIV7Q
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) December 22, 2024
Even though most of Vol Nation had already departed, the Buckeyes offered an olive branch to their opponents late in the fourth quarter with a rousing rendition of Rocky Top. SIKE! It was a troll.
As soon as the chorus reached its conclusion, a record scratch switched into ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ and the 70,000+ remaining fans wearing scarlet and grey joined together to wave goodbye.
A Rocky Top remix from Ohio State pic.twitter.com/k71URSUFna
— Stefan Krajisnik (@skrajisnik3) December 22, 2024
Tennessee fans walked into Ohio State’s trap and took over Ohio State’s trap. They ultimately failed to complete the takeover and conceded defeat long before the clock hit zero. Those who stuck around had salt poured directly into their wound. Not only were the Vols cold and sad, they were forced to endure a ruthless mockery by the rest of college football.