The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum looked seriously empty for USC’s Week 0 game against San Jose State, even though they announced 51,144 people were there. The whole country is absolutely dunking on them for it, questioning what’s up with one of college football’s blue bloods. But talk to the fans who actually braved the elements, and they’ll tell you the real story boils down to one brutal number: a 104-degree heat index.
The Inferno at the Coliseum
Forget the ’empty stadium’ narrative for a second, because the conditions were straight-up dangerous. We’re talking a noon kickoff where the temp hit 94 degrees, and with that wild humidity, the heat index soared to an insane 104 degrees. The U.S. National Weather Service literally calls that level ‘dangerous,’ with heat exhaustion and stroke a real risk. Andrew Gonzales planned to bring his dad, Ronnie, but his wife went instead, and guess what? She ended up needing bags of ice out in the tunnels. She wasn’t alone either; the Los Angeles Fire Department checked on fifteen patients, and one poor soul even got taken to the hospital. Seriously, who plans a noon game in August in California? Jeff Williams, a season ticket holder for 30 years, put it perfectly: “It’s not a smart thing to do.”
Fans Are Not Here for Your Narrative
It’s no wonder people started bailing early. Mike Suda, who’s had season tickets for fifty years, bounced at the end of the third quarter. Vince Dominguez, a season ticket holder since 2001, dipped at halftime, calling it the “hottest game I’ve ever been in my life.” The heat was the main reason everyone left, and putting it right in the middle of the day just made it worse. Some fans even pointed out that having San Jose State as the opponent didn’t exactly help. The annual Notre Dame rivalry fell through, so they got stuck with a lower-caliber team. But for those dedicated fans who’ve seen it all, like Greg Terrell, who’s been going since the 1960s and lucked out with shade, they’re not buying the ’empty stadium’ outrage. They’re telling everyone to chill, it’s “not that deep.” They truly believe it was just a one-off thing with a ton of factors. There’s “nothing wrong with the followers of Troy,” they say, and the whole country will “soon see” the real deal.
What’s Next for Troy
So yeah, the optics of that San Jose State game were rough, but the fans who live and breathe USC football are already pushing back HARD against the noise. They were already looking past that brutal day, confident that the Week 1 game against Fresno State would start setting things straight. What they want you to know is that this was an anomaly, a perfect storm of terrible scheduling and brutal heat. They’re convinced the true passion of the followers of Troy will shine through, and frankly, after hearing what they went through, who can blame them for wanting a re-do?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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