USC made sure the scene felt bigger than a regular tunnel walk on Sept. 26.
Before the No. 12 Trojans kicked off against No.
20 Oregon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the program rolled out four of its most recognizable names: Carson Palmer, Marcus Allen, Willie McGinest and Ronnie Lott. They arrived by the Peristyle entrance with a Cardinal-colored lowrider in the background, turning the pregame moment into a full-on Trojan showcase for the sold-out crowd.
Allen was the first to grab the microphone and get the stadium moving. Palmer followed, working the home fans into the buildup.
McGinest then delivered the line that drew the loudest reaction, shouting, "who's ready to see an a-- whooping?!" to the Coliseum.
Each legend climbed out of the lowrider in turn, adding to the atmosphere before what was set up as a Big Ten Conference heavyweight matchup on a primetime stage.
McGinest, who starred at USC from 1990 to 1993, said the moment hit him as soon as he got back inside the Coliseum.
"That was amazing. It’s a big game, and I was up there with some NFL and USC legends," McGinest said to USC reporter Keely Eure during the game."
He also made it clear the place still feels like his own.
"It’s always great to be home, especially when we play in these big games," McGinest said.
The reception for the USC greats was loud and warm. Oregon defensive tackle Bear Alexander got something very different when he returned to the Coliseum for the first time since his transfer portal move.
Alexander came out of the visitors' locker room and was met with boos near the tunnel. The reaction grew even stronger once he was seen in the Ducks' "stormtrooper" look.
Alexander, now a senior, is in his second season with Oregon and entered the game with 15 tackles through the first three games. He had a career-best 50 tackles, including 19 solo stops, in his first season playing for Dan Lanning.
Before that, he played for Lincoln Riley in 2023 and 2024, posting 47 tackles in the former season. Alexander began his college career at Georgia before transferring to USC after the 2022 campaign.
On this night, though, the Coliseum belonged to the Trojans legends.
In Other News...
USC Injury Trouble Could Reshape Oregons Biggest Test Yet
USCs unbeaten start has turned this weekends matchup with Oregon into one of the early seasons more consequential games, and it comes with plenty of uncertainty attached. The No. 12 Trojans are 4-0 and set to host the No. 20 Ducks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, with playoff implications already hanging over a meeting that kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT and airs on NBC.
Oregon enters as a slight favorite, but the bigger question for USC is availability. The Trojans may be without wide receiver Corey Simms and freshman Trent Mosley, injuries that could affect how Jayden Maiava and the offense attack a Ducks team led by Dante Moore at quarterback. For Oregon, it is a chance to test itself on a big stage against a ranked opponent that may not be at full strength, and the roster news could wind up mattering as much as the on-field matchup. [Read more 🡒]
USC Is Hiding A Coliseum Twist Before Oregon Arrives
USC has left one small but notable piece of theater hanging as Oregon prepares to visit the Coliseum: the Trojans have not yet announced who will serve as tunnel captain for the game. It is the kind of detail that usually gets buried under the football itself, but at USC it carries a little extra weight, especially with two familiar names sitting in the conversation in Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll.
Bush, the former Heisman Trophy winner, and Carroll, the coach most closely associated with USCs modern peak, both have deep ties to the program and plenty of appeal in a setting like this. The delay has only fueled the guessing game for a matchup that already has enough energy around it, and the answer will say something about how USC wants to frame the night before Oregon ever takes the field. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads To Oregon With One Huge Lineup Uncertainty
USC arrives in Eugene with its offense still sorting through the fallout of a growing injury list, and the receiving corps has taken the biggest hit. Trent Mosley and Corey Simms are already out with knee injuries, while Terrell Anderson and Jahkeem Stewart are still hovering in that uncertain range that can force a staff to keep reshuffling plans deep into the week.
For Oregon, the real interest is less about who USC can list and more about how the Trojans will actually line up once the game starts. The return of Madden Riordan gives them a little more depth, but it also underscores how much of the burden is shifting onto players like King Miller and Riley Wormley as USC tries to patch together enough reliable options for a road test that could expose every thin spot. [Read more 🡒]