USC’s home crowd was back under the microscope Friday night, but the scene at the Coliseum looked nothing like the sparse Week 0 opener that set off the first round of criticism.
On Aug. 29, USC’s game against San Jose State came with near triple-digit heat, yet it still failed to sell out and drew plenty of attention for the wrong reason.
Fewer than 52,000 fans were in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the turnout became a talking point beyond Los Angeles. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire even took a shot at the crowd, joking that more fans would show up for USC’s visit to Lubbock despite the humidity there.
Against Fresno State on Sept. 4, the backdrop was different. The Friday primetime matchup on Labor Day weekend brought a much fuller look inside the Coliseum, with Fresno State fans making the trip and creating a visible red presence in the building. The Bulldogs’ supporters came from up Highway 99 or Highway 101 and Interstate 10 to claim seats and back their team.
They were there in force for Fresno State head coach Matt Entz, the former USC linebackers coach, and they showed up early. But USC had more of its own fans in the building this time, and the pregame shots from the stadium reflected that.
Still, the crowd became part of the conversation again once video from the field started circulating and the debate over USC football interest picked back up.
Some of the Fresno State support made sense from a Southern California angle. The Bulldogs have drawn on local ties through former coaches Jeff Tedford and Tim Skipper, and a few players have their own connection to the area.
Starting wide receiver Jahlil McClain once starred for St. John Bosco in Bellflower, and starting running back Rayshon Luke also came with St.
John Bosco ties after playing in a homecoming contest.
The rest of Fresno State’s fans came from across the Central Valley, including Clovis, Tulare, Visalia, and Lemoore. That group showed up with extra interest in starting quarterback Jayden Mandal, who is from Clovis, the neighboring city to Fresno.
The attendance discussion wasn’t limited to fans in the stands. It drew attention from Los Angeles-area voices Colin Cowherd and Jim Rome, with Rome taking the sharper stance and pointing to the many entertainment options available in LA outside of a USC game.
There were also some recognizable NFL names around the matchup. USC wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane were in attendance before their NFL careers begin, and Fresno State had a notable visitor too: Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Jacob Spomer, who was on the Bulldogs’ sideline beforehand.
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USC Has A Freshman Turning Heads As Young Defenders Step Up
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Mosleys emergence has helped soften some of the attention on a defense that has also been getting useful early contributions from young players. Nickel Kennedy Urlacher, Alex Graham and Jide Abasiri have each shown up in recent games, giving USC signs that some of its younger defenders are beginning to settle in and play meaningful snaps when the Trojans need them most. [Read more 🡒]
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The most visible reasons were on the field. Quarterback Jayden Maiava continued to give scouts a look at how he handles an offense under little pressure, while defensive players Jide Abasiri and Kennedy Urlacher also stood out in the kind of game where evaluators are often looking for who keeps competing after the outcome is settled. For USC, the broader takeaway is familiar: when the Trojans play well, the NFL tends to show up, and not just for the obvious headliners. [Read more 🡒]
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For Riley, that kind of emergence creates the sort of good problem coaches like to have and opponents hate to solve. Mosleys production has quickly raised expectations for what he can mean in the offense moving forward, and it also adds another layer to a USC passing game that already had enough weapons to keep defenses busy. [Read more 🡒]