KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomes football fans and alumni to campus Saturday for Homecoming.
Kickoff for the Volunteers’ game against Wyoming is scheduled for 1 p.m. Neyland Stadium gates open at 11 a.m.
The traditional Vol Walk from Gibbs Hall to the stadium starts at 10:45 a.m., and the Pride of the Southland Marching Band leaves the music building at 11:20 a.m. The band will be accompanied by the alumni band and bagpipers.
Homecoming will be celebrated across campus.
Party in the Park, a large tailgate, will be held in Circle Park starting at 9 a.m. Other tailgating events will be hosted by the Black Cultural Center, the College of Nursing, the College of Engineering and the College of Law.
Before the game, a Tennessee Walking Horse will circle the field, and two F/A-18 Super Hornets are planned to fly over the stadium during the national anthem. The fighter jets are part of the VFA-11, Red Rippers, based at the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va.
Interstate closed near campus
As always, fans driving to the game are encouraged to arrive early. Interstate 40 is closed between Hall of Fame Drive and James White Parkway downtown, but all of the exits that lead to campus remain open.
Eastbound motorists have access to several exits: Alcoa Highway (exit 386B) to Neyland Drive, 17th Street (exit 387) to Cumberland Avenue or Henley Street (exit 388) to downtown. The last eastbound exit is 388A, James White Parkway.
Westbound motorists should use Hall of Fame Drive (exit 389) to Neyland Drive.
After the game, fans traveling westbound on I-40 should stay in the left lanes to avoid traffic delays where I-640 merges with I-40. Local traffic should use alternate routes westbound, including Middlebrook Pike.
For more information about the I-40 closure, visit http://www.utk.edu/maps/closure.shtml or http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/smartfix/jwp/.
Game day policies remain same
Under state law, no smoking will be allowed anywhere inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. No one inside the gates will be allowed to leave and then be readmitted.
Only fans with permits can park on campus. UT encourages fans to use shuttle buses from the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and the UT Agriculture Campus.
A no-fly zone extends over the stadium from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends, prohibiting flights within a 3-nautical-mile radius and lower than 3,000-feet altitude, except as authorized by air traffic control.
Solicitation near stadium gates and along Phillip Fulmer Way is prohibited.
UT reminds visitors that all items, including purses, are subject to search at the gates. Certain items remain prohibited inside the stadium, and those items cannot be stored at any stadium gate.
Prohibited items include the following:
– alcoholic beverages
– cans, bottles or coolers
– radios without headphones
– open umbrellas
– video cameras
– stadium seats with arms
– large bags or parcels, including backpacks and large purses
– weapons of any kind, including pocketknives
Fans are allowed to bring the following items inside the stadium:
– cushions and seats without arms
– diaper bags that accompany infants
– small cameras, pagers, cell phones and binoculars
For those driving on campus, Peyton Manning Pass, Middle and Lower Drives, Estabrook Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way from Middle Drive to Tee Martin Drive will be closed 30 minutes before kickoff. Directional parking will be used in Area 9 and Lots 4, 5A and 5B.
For more game day information, please visit http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/gameday.html.
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Contacts:
Elizabeth Davis, UT media relations, (865) 974-5179, elizabeth.davis@tennessee.edu.
Jeff Maples, (865) 974-3061