Crowd noise can be a double-edged sword.

For the home team, it's designed to affect the opposing offense. That can be especially important against a team like Tennessee which relies so much on tempo for success.

But there are 11 defenders on the field along with the offense. Heading into one of the most anticipated games in Sanford Stadium history, the Bulldogs are making sure communication won't be an issue.

After all, Tennessee puts communication at a premium to begin with. The Volunteers' scheme, combined with the fast pace, leaves defenses susceptible to busts and breakdowns.

Head coach Kirby Smart said his team prepares for games like this all year.

"I guess you could say this one will be louder, but when you can’t hear, you can’t hear," Smart said. "We pump crowd noise in for the defense every day all year, because we know we’re going to play at home, and we know we’re going to play on the road. We try to force communication year-round, even in walkthroughs, just to get used to communicating without verbal."

During his Monday press conference, Smart challenged the fans to be loud and affect the game. Those challenges have certainly been answered in the past.

The game that jumps to mind first is the 2019 home date against Notre Dame. A raucous crowd that night helped the Bulldogs survive a fourth quarter comeback from the Fighting Irish.

"Even if you were on the sideline, you couldn’t even talk to the guy beside you it was so loud," defensive lineman Zion Logue said. "Guys on the field after the game, they were like, ‘I could not hear anybody.’ We literally had to use signals to talk to each other, because it was that loud. Every time people ask me about the hype of a game or the feel of a game, I always refer back to that game."

Defensive lineman Tramel Walthour remembers that night as well. He also recalled last year's home contest with Arkansas and the ear-splitting noise of that first quarter.

"The play that stood out to me was Devonte (Wyatt), it was a birds call," Walthour said. "We use birds or rabbits calls for pass or run. He called it out. He used a bull-pull move on a guard and got the sack. I just remember the crowd going crazy."

Walthour said that noise fuels the defense and makes the unit play better. Sure it can make communication tougher, but that's why the Bulldogs work on it throughout the season.

As it prepares to welcome Tennessee to Athens, the Bulldogs will gladly trade some hand signals for an electric atmosphere that makes life tough on the Volunteers.

"When our fans are in it, that’s when we want to go play our best football," Logue said. "We know we’re going to need everybody on Saturday at 3:30. I ask the fans, please come out. We’re going to need 94,000, 95,000 strong for this one."