Tennessee AD predicts ‘orange will be the predominant shade’ during matchup with Georgia Tech

Exterior of Mercedes-Benz Stadium during a media tour of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, June 15, 2017. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Credit: Hyosub Shin

Credit: Hyosub Shin

Exterior of Mercedes-Benz Stadium during a media tour of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, June 15, 2017. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Even though Mercedes-Benz Stadium is less than three miles from Georgia Tech and Bobby Dodd Stadium, University of Tennessee athletic director John Currie is confident in Vol fans’ ability to show up for Tennessee’s Sept. 4 matchup with Georgia Tech.

“It’s a neutral site game and the Vol nation will be in there in force, and I’ll bet you orange will be the predominant shade, but we’re still the team that’s got to get on the bus for three hours,” Currie said on Knoxville’s WKGN-AM 1340 on Wednesday. “I’m proud and pleased with the way our staff is going about preparing for that, and I know our team is going to be ready to play.”

Out of the 71,000 seats in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Tennessee was contracted to buy 25,000 while Georgia Tech will purchase 30,000.

After both teams finished last season 9-4 and lost their respective starting quarterbacks to the NFL, the Vols and the Yellow Jackets will open their 2017 seasons at Atlanta’s newest stadium.

“This is a tough business, we got new quarterbacks coming this year, excited about them, the quarterbacks in our program that are competing for our job,” Currie said, according to Mike Griffith of SEC Country. “It’s a big transition opportunity for us, and we have an extraordinarily difficult schedule, having to go down to Atlanta to play in that game against Georgia Tech.”