'It’s always been a dream of mine' - Josh Heupel drops quote after win against Syracuse that Vols fans won't forget anytime soon

Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel was extremely pleased with the amount of UT fans that made the trip to Atlanta for the season opener against the Syracuse Orange.

Those Vols fans made an impact on the game, too.

"I feel like it was pretty loud in there," said Syracuse running back Yasin Willis Tennessee's 45-26 win. "So we didn't really communicate with each other as much as we were supposed to. You can't play this football game without the communication part, so that played a big role in it."

Heupel was asked by a reporter after the game what it was like to turn Atlanta into "Rocky Top South".

The fifth year Tennessee head coach responded that he's always dreamed of being part of something that fans really care about.

"We got the greatest fan base in college sports," said Heupel. "I was looking out my hotel room last night. Bunch of orange walking around, you saw it this morning. You could feel it when we walked into the hotel yesterday.

"Our fans show up, they travel, they’re passionate, they care. 365 days out of the year. And that’s what makes this such a special place. The fan base is as good as it gets. And it’s always been a dream of mine to be a part of something that people care about, and they certainly do in a big way here.”