A fun night at Neyland Stadium ended in a shameful display by Tennessee Vols football fans late in the game against Ole Miss on Saturday.
Tennessee fans littered the Neyland Stadium field with debris for several minutes following Ole Miss’ game-clinching defensive stop with 54 seconds to play.
It was ruled that Jacob Warren was a yard short of the first down marker on a 4th and 24 play, and the ruling stood on replay. After the replay announcement, debris, trash and other items were tossed onto the field for a lengthy period.
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL:Tennessee’s loss to Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss turns ugly when debris is thrown on field
Tennessee’s own cheerleaders left the field for the final minute to avoid debris, while Ole Miss stepped onto the field to create space between the team and the stands. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was hit with a golf ball. Play on the field has been stopped for at least 15 minutes, and a forfeit warning was issued inside of Neyland Stadium.
Play resumed after 18 minutes of interruption, as Tennessee still had enough timeouts to force a stop and get the ball back with seconds remaining.
“For the few fans, what transpired at the end — was disappointing,” UT coach Josh Heupel said after the game. “I know that was very few of our crowd members.”
On social media and on the SEC Network broadcast, the Neyland Stadium atmosphere was hailed as one of the best scenes in college football this year.
But that will not be the headline on Sunday morning.
This story will be updated.
