Lincoln Riley isn’t interested in the backlash over USC’s sparse Week 0 crowd.
After the Trojans opened their season Saturday against San Jose State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the image that traveled fastest wasn’t a big play or a celebratory sideline shot. It was the empty red seats. With a record heat wave pounding Los Angeles and a noon kickoff against a Group of Six opponent, the announced crowd was 51,144 - less than two-thirds of stadium capacity - and the lowest for a USC home game since 47,406 showed up for a 2018 game against Arizona State.
That prompted plenty of criticism online, including from Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, who appeared to take a jab at USC on Monday while praising his own fanbase for showing up “no matter what the weather’s like.”
Riley brushed all of it aside Tuesday.
“I don’t buy into the false narrative,” Riley said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “That comes from a lot of people that don’t follow our program and most of those who have never stepped foot in the Coliseum.”
He had only briefly referenced the heat after Saturday’s game, but on Tuesday he went further, saying the reaction around the crowd size doesn’t match what he’s seen during his time in Los Angeles. Riley has long pointed to fan turnout as a meaningful piece of USC’s home-field edge, calling it a “major factor” in the Trojans’ 29-10 win over UCLA last season.
The attendance numbers have also trended in the direction Riley wants, at least for most of his tenure. USC’s average home attendance climbed in each of his first three seasons, before a slight dip last year after what the source described as a disappointing 2024 campaign.
“This is USC, right? People are going to pay attention,” Riley said.
“People are going to have an opinion. It’s part of being a blue blood school.”
Redshirt junior left tackle Elijah Paige echoed that sentiment while still making it clear the Trojans want the Coliseum full.
“We love our fans,” Paige said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “Whoever we can get out to the game, we’re very grateful for them getting a ticket and coming in the heat and watching us play.”
USC gets another chance to draw a bigger crowd Friday night, when Fresno State comes to the Coliseum for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The forecast calls for temperatures about 20 degrees cooler than Saturday’s opener, which should give Riley and the Trojans a far friendlier setting - and, they hope, a lot more bodies in the stands.
“During my years here, attendance has gone up every single year - as has our play in the Coliseum, including running the table last year in front of a lot of epic atmospheres,” Riley said. “I expect that to happen again this year.”
In Other News...
USC Depth Chart Leaves One Big Question Before Fresno State
USCs updated depth chart for Fresno State brought a few encouraging signs, especially up front, where defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Braylan Shelby are back after being sidelined by injuries. Freshmen still show up prominently across the board, and the latest listing included some shuffling at safety and receiver as the staff keeps sorting out where the best early-season fits are.
The bigger question is how much of that depth chart will actually translate to game reps. USC has been careful with injured players, and the new look suggests the coaches are balancing available talent with long-term caution as they head into a matchup that should help reveal how much theyre willing to lean on those returning pieces right away. [Read more 🡒]
USC Attendance Backlash Just Got A Troubling Coliseum Reality Check
USCs season-opening home date against San Jos State brought more than a routine September box score. The announced crowd of 51,114 at the Coliseum looked far different in person, with plenty of empty seats visible as fans and observers debated the turnout online and pointed to everything from the weather to general fan sentiment around the program.
Freshman receiver Ethan Feasters family saw the day up close, and his father described the conditions as extreme heat that left several fans, including his wife, dealing with heat-related issues. The backdrop only added to the noise around the attendance conversation, turning what should have been a straightforward opener into another reminder of how closely USCs home atmosphere is being watched. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Opener Put A Young Trojan At The Center Of Attention
USCs season opener at the Coliseum gave the offense a clean enough launching point, and Pro Football Focus snap-by-snap grades suggested one of the more encouraging signs came from an unexpected place. In the Trojans 42-26 win over San Jose State, Trent Mosley emerged as the highest-graded USC offensive player with a 90.7 rating, a notable mark for a young player in a game that offered a first real look at how the group would settle in.
Jayden Maiava and several other USC offensive players also drew detailed evaluations for their work in the opener, adding some early context to how the unit functioned beyond the final score. For a team trying to establish rhythm and identify dependable pieces right away, Mosleys showing gives the Trojans something to keep an eye on as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]