What Urban Meyer thinks about Neyland Stadium atmosphere, Tennessee football fans

Urban Meyer couldn't remember when the game took place. But the longtime college football coach can't forget how loud it was when Tennessee football pounded Notre Dame.

“My wife to this day still says it is the loudest she has ever heard a stadium," Meyer said Monday at the Knoxville Quarterback Club.

That game was a 38-14 drubbing that Tennessee gave Notre Dame on Nov. 6, 1999. Meyer, then the wide receivers coach at Notre Dame, remembers that atmosphere and others he experienced at Neyland Stadium. The former Florida coach stressed Neyland Stadium is as good as it gets in college football when it is at its best days after CBS analyst Gary Danielson received attention for his comments about Tennessee's historic venue with a seating capacity of 101,915.

“I think it is all relative," Meyer said. "When that guy (John Chavis) was calling defenses and he had a guy named Phillip Fulmer wearing the headset, I could say it is the loudest stadium I have ever been in. But I have also been in the stadium when they are not very good and it wasn’t very loud.

"But when that one is cooking, it is as loud as there is."

Meyer went 6-0 against UT at Florida, including going 3-0 in Knoxville.

What Gary Danielson said about Neyland Stadium

Danielson drew attention for his comments to Knox News reporter Adam Sparks in the days prior to Tennessee's 20-13 win against Texas A&M on Saturday. Danielson, who called Saturday's game, said “Tennessee doesn’t have to take a backseat to anybody" before adding that Neyland Stadium is “just about the same” as other SEC venues.

“This is not a criticism, just an observation. It has nothing to do with Neyland, per se, or any other stadium,” Danielson said. “(Home-field advantage) is about the same every week. Whether you’re playing at Ole Miss or LSU or Florida in The Swamp or Georgia … for a football player, loud is loud. I don’t know if it makes any difference if there’s 80,000 loud people or 100,000 loud people.”

How Josh Heupel seemed to respond to Gary Danielson

Coach Josh Heupel opened his postgame remarks after beating the Aggies by thanking Tennessee fans, which is a common move from Heupel following home games. He did it with a little more emphasis

"This is the best dang atmosphere in college football, man," Heupel said. "There is nothing like Neyland loud when they come and are fully engaged — and they typically are. Our fan base is awesome.”

Saturday marked Tennessee's 13th straight win at home, a streak dating back to Nov. 13, 2021.

Paul Finebaum roasted Gary Danielson's comments

ESPN's Paul Finebaum made his stance on Neyland Stadium and Danielson's comments known Friday on "The Paul Finebaum Show"

"There's kind of an unwritten rule if you're not so full of hubris and arrogance and think you know everything — it's not like Gary got stopped at the Atlanta airport and said, 'What stadium do you think?' He was being interviewed by a reporter who works in Knoxville for the Knoxville News Sentinel and (Danielson's) coming to Knoxville," Finebaum said. "Only Gary could stick his foot in his mouth by not praising the greatest stadium in college football Neyland Stadium. That's the point I don't understand."

Finebaum, who graduated from UT in 1978 with a degree in political science, said his takes were not made from a biased perspective. He declared there is no stadium as "unique as Neyland Stadium" and declared it a "standalone football stadium."

USA TODAY NETWORK's Austin Curtright contributed to this report

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Urban Meyer on Neyland Stadium atmosphere, Tennessee football fans