UTSA denies using artificial crowd noise after Hartline questions Alamodome volume

South Florida coach Brian Hartline has questioned how UTSA’s Alamodome crowd produces such a loud atmosphere ahead of Thursday’s game. Speaking at a Monday news conference, he linked the reported volume to attendance, which the source article puts at about 25,000 per game across UTSA’s first two outings of 2026.

The Alamodome is one of four indoor venues that regularly host FBS football, giving visiting teams different acoustics from an open-air stadium. The article reports that 17,109 attended UTSA’s 26 September game against Colorado State, where the Rams were called for five false starts.

A UTSA spokesperson said the team had never needed artificial crowd noise because its fans make the venue loud. The spokesperson urged supporters to attend Thursday and cheer when South Florida is on offence.

UTSA has a 35–5 home record under coach Jeff Traylor, compared with 22–22 on the road, according to the source article. It also finished seventh in the American Conference for attendance last year, averaging 24,361.

Hartline is the latest visiting coach to raise suspicions about the venue. Dana Holgorsen questioned it before Houston’s 2022 game, and Jon Sumrall did so ahead of Tulane’s visit last year. Those comments are allegations; the supplied material provides no independent evidence that artificial crowd noise has been used.