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Virginia Tech’s Epic ‘Enter Sandman’ Entrance Against North Carolina Registered on Seismographs

Absolutely. Electric. Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium and its nearly 70,000 occupants welcomed college football back in the most appropriate way possible Friday. They caused an earthquake.

Okay, it wasn’t exactly an earthquake. But the seismograph readings from the Blacksburg, Virginia campus of Virginia Tech reveal some serious ground shakin’ action. We’re not pretending to be experts at reading seismographs here at Outsider, but that green blip is hard to miss.

For those unfamiliar with Virginia Tech’s college football traditions, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica has long been the Hokies‘ entrance song. The team waits in the tunnel as the song builds to its crescendo and they storm out onto the field to the deafening roar of the Hokie faithful. Outsider’s Clayton Edwards broke the awe-inspiring scene down in detail.

Check the article out here, and watch the earthquake-causing, UNC-intimidating, speaker-blowing welcome back to college football we didn’t know we needed below.

“College football is really back when a jam-packed Lane Stadium is singing along to ‘Enter Sandman,’ the announcer said as the crowd jumped and screamed to the metal classic in unison.

The camera cut to UNC head coach Mack Brown at one point during the chaos and his face said it all. He couldn’t hear a thing as he adjusted his headset. UNC came into the game ranked No. 10 in the preseason college football rankings and was a heavy favorite to win. But thanks to the help of a crazed Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech defended their territory and came away with a 17-10 win. Tech is looking like one of the teams to beat in the ACC this year.

Virginia Tech’s Entrance Highlights What Makes College Football So Special, Tradition

The conversation has been had as long as professional football has existed. The NFL is great, and the quality of play is unmatched. But there is simply no replacement for the longstanding passion and tradition tied up in college football.

Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman” entrance is a good example. Others include the recital of fight songs, regular season bowl game rivalries, and countless other quirks localized to different schools across America. Many of these have existed for more than a hundred years now. But the best part is that new traditions are being created and established every year.

Look no further than North Carolina schools Gardner-Webb and Campbell University. The rivals threw down a gauntlet this year complete with a trophy, putting their regional tastes on the line. Loser owes the other team a BBQ feast.

“A good, spirited cross-state rivalry in football can add tons of energy to the college game. I grew up in ACC country, so I know full well how fans look forward to Rivalry Week each year. I also love good BBQ, and North Carolina is home to some seriously heated competition between western-style and eastern-style,” the president of Gardner-Webb said.