Record Sound Levels Generated At DWRRS
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – We asked fans to be loud against Alabama on Saturday and the 75,459 Razorback faithful who attended made sure Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was a deafening place for the Crimson Tide.
Fan-generated sound levels at DWRRS exceeded 100 decibels a total of 43 times – 24 of which happened during the first quarter. In comparison, the same mark was breached only a total of 18 times during the home opener against Louisiana Tech and 17 times against Texas State on Sept. 17.
A combination of perfect fall football weather, an electrifying performance by the U.S. Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team and the anticipation of Arkansas facing off against the reigning national champions at home all culminated in an electric environment that generated an average of 98.9 dBs of sound during pregame festivities. That amount of crowd noise – which fans also replicated during the first quarter – was 9.1 dBs higher, or 1.9 times louder, than the 89.8 dBs of pregame sound generated against Louisiana Tech.
That is loud. The amount of sound energy Razorback fans generated is comparable to a newspaper press which puts out 97 dBs of noise when in operation.
On average through four quarters of play, DWRRS was 1.04 times as loud during the Alabama game than at any other home game this season. The 93 dBs of sound generated Saturday night topped the previous high mark of 92.4 dB recorded against Louisiana Tech by .6 dBs.
The five loudest moments at DWRRS during the Alabama-Arkansas game were:
1. 115 dB: Arkansas runs through the A and the tifo is unfurled in the student section (Loudest sound level this season)
Sound equivalent: Takeoff sound of jet aircraft from 32 feet away
2. 109.6 dB: Austin Allen’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Sprinkle in the first quarter (third-loudest sound level this season)
Sound equivalent: Jackhammer
3. 108.9 dB: Razorback fans react to the referee correcting a holding call in the first quarter that went against Arkansas (fifth-highest sound level this season)
Sound equivalent: Violin close to the ear of orchestra musicians
4. 108.2 dB: Razorback fans reacting to the official review of the Alabama fumble recovered by Arkansas early in the first quarter
5. 107.3 dB: Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts is stopped for no gain on second down during the waning moments of the first quarter
Sound equivalent: Power lawn mower
This week, as No. 22 Arkansas faces off against No. 12 Ole Miss, the Razorback football team will need the same type of support, if not more, from fans. Head coach Bret Bielema recognized how loud fans were at DWRRS and said he hopes it will continue throughout the season.
“I want to say thanks to the fans for the environment on Saturday,” Bielema said. “They put a lot into it. It was a very loud and active environment. I appreciate that and hopefully they will show in the same form this week against Ole Miss.”
With more exciting pregame festivities planned and several nationally-ranked Southeastern Conference opponents still scheduled to visit DWRRS this season, there’s still plenty of opportunities to get louder on gamedays.
