ETSU coach enjoys college football experience as a fan

How does a college football coach spend his only Saturday off during the season? In the case of East Tennessee State's Will Healy, it's attending another college football game. Healy relayed in Monday's media availability that a bye week for the No. 18 Bucs (5-2) before their game at VMI was a work week. However, there was some free time at the end of it. The coach and his family went to Dollywood on Thursday and Friday where Healy said that Wild Eagle was his favorite of the roller coasters. He left the choice of what football game to attend to his son. The youngster chose the "Third Saturday in October" with the Tennessee-Alabama game. Healy is a regular supporter at ETSU basketball games. But, this was the first college football game he attended as a fan in 20 years. The choice was a good one for the coach who had friends in both programs. "It was a little different going to watch the 'Vol Walk,' and see all the things my boys wanted to see," Healy said. "Walking around the field pre-game, we have large humans, but those are really large humans. I was standing behind some of the tight ends for Alabama." While Healy coached ETSU against Tennessee a year earlier, a matchup of FBS Top 15 teams was different. Everything was ramped up with a battle of longtime SEC rivals broadcast on national television. "The atmosphere was unbelievable and was a major factor in that game," Healy said. "College football at its best, a top-15 showdown an hour and a half from home. I let Eli pick what game across the country he wanted to go to, and that was the game he picked. Cool to do that with your kids, and I got to introduce my boys to some fun people." Asked how it was going as a fan, did he find himself trying to pick up on something during a certain play? He joked, "No, you're saying if any of these guys are unhappy, let me know." As a football coach, he kept wondering if Tennessee kicking field goals instead of scoring touchdowns would come back to bite them. It didn't as the Vols won 26-10, their third straight win at Neyland Stadium against the Crimson Tide. Healy didn't see the final result or the post-game celebration. The family left the game early with a couple of minutes to go in the third quarter. He had no special escort to take him directly to or from the stadium. Like others who attended a sporting event with over 100,000 people, he dealt with heavy traffic earlier in the day. "The traffic to get in the stadium three hours before the game was insane," Healy said. "The people who get on social media on Monday and try to get someone fired are the same people stuck in traffic. They're ticked off three hours before the game. They get lubed up and they become keyboard warriors if they lose. After sitting in traffic, I understand why there is the direct kickback after losses." Still, it was an enjoyable experience as ETSU has some of the same pre-game build-up like the "Buc Walk," just on a smaller scale. Healy loved the passion of Tennessee fans, and hopes to see the same from the ETSU fans as the Bucs are off to their best start since their 2021 Southern Conference championship season. "Everything that Tennessee does from a gameday environment is unbelievable," Healy said. "The energy in the stadium, the DJ, the new "Rocky Top" and playing "Third Down for What," there's a 90-year grandma sitting next to me with three fingers up and rocking her head. It was fun to be a part of it Saturday."