Neyland Stadium was largely empty early Thursday morning, but there was at least some semblance of a game happening inside.

The Tennessee football team was there for its second scrimmage of fall camp and coaches doled out as much as they could to make it a game-like atmosphere a little more than two weeks before the Vols' season opener against Chattanooga.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Changes have seeped into all aspects of college football, some bigger than others. Communication between the field and the sideline will look different, too, from the use of tablets to in-helmet communication devices being used in 2024.

The Tennessee coaching staff has spent fall camp working out the kinks in those communications and put an emphasis on them during their most recent scrimmage.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said after Vols' second fall scrimmage

"I thought just from operations side of it (the scrimmage went well)," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "Finished with a mock halftime for the coaches and players. Just organizationally, I thought (communication) was really clean. Played clean football. Had a crew out at the scrimmage and didn't have really many penalties at all during the course of it so really like that. And then both sides of the football, guys made some plays."

For Heupel, who entering his fourth season as the Vols' coach and seventh as a head coach overall, there hasn't quite been a fall camp like this one in terms of communication.

There has been a balance of working on-field installments and getting players and staff on the same page with new technology, which at times has presented challenges.

Tennessee began using some of the newly implemented methods in practices last spring and now in both scrimmages.

"It's a part of what we've got to do," Heupel said. "I think logistically, there's more changes that effected everything outside of the white lines this year. Communication with your players, which is obviously in the field of play, too, but the coordination of that.

"The iPads, there's been a lot of logistical changes that everybody inside of your program has got to be ready to handle the right way."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Recapping Tennessee football's second fall scrimmage

There would certainly be a benefit to the new communication rules.

Coaches will be able to converse with quarterbacks--in Tennessee's case, first-year starter Nico Iamaleava--in-game, communicating to the player what they see from their point of view from the press box or sideline. It will be the same for the defense.

The iPads will allow coaches to give players a better visual of previous plays as opposed to the more antiquated approach of drawing up what happened on a dry erase board.

"From an efficiency standpoint, we just have to be better at organizing it," Tennessee defensive backs coach Willie Martinez said earlier this week. "When we come off, it's easier to show a picture of something and see the play as if it just happened five minutes ago. It's going to be a good thing for all of us once we get it to where we feel comfortable in doing it, how fast you're doing it and the organization.

"You're showing them a picture as opposed to drawing it on the board, and they can actually see where they lined up. I think it's going to be very efficient."

–––––

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.

–––––