.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
Even though the USC Trojans started the season off on the right foot with a 42-26 win over San Jose State this past Saturday at home, it was what happened off the field that had social media surprised.
It was noticeably apparent that the lack of attendance was visible on the NBC broadcast, as the announced turnout was 51,144, which was the fewest number of fans in Hollywood to watch the Trojans in eight years.
The nugget reached ESPN color commentator Kirk Herbstreit, who is extremely blunt about the Trojans' College Football Playoff chances.
“First of all, USC fans, I don’t care what time the game is, I don’t care what the deal is, I don’t care how hot it is, Herbstreit said on Nonstop. "Get your a–– to the Coliseum. I mean, that’s embarrassing for USC to play in front of a half-empty stadium, and you’re going to jump on the bandwagon because this team is going to be in the mix for the Big Ten. They’re going to play in a lot of big games. So let’s get out to the Coliseum and watch this team.”
Diverting away from the attendance concerns, Herbstreit said he was overly impressed with the way the Trojans made a statement against a team experts clearly thought they could beat convincingly.
MORE: Ranking every college football team from 1-138 ahead of 2026 season
“[They had a] balanced attack, 341 [yards] through the air, 164 [on the ground], over 500 yards of offense, kind of like what you would expect to see from Lincoln Riley,” Herbstreit said. “Again, it’s going to obviously get much, much tougher, but Gary Patterson had his defense flying around, and the thing that stood out right away beyond [Jayden] Maiava was how many true freshmen USC is playing, and this kid included Trent Mosley, and how good the big tight end there, 19, the big defensive end, 94."
Herbstreit said Riley's team still has room to grow, but was impressed by how quickly the Trojans responded to preseason expectations.
"How do you look like that?" Herbstreit noted regarding a few prospects. "I mean, they got some good young players out there to go along with some vets.”
Herbstreit added that USC fans and alumni should get behind the team, regardless of how busy Los Angeles gets with multi-sport crossover.
The Trojans, meanwhile, took responsibility from a PR standpoint despite fan backlash.
“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC's statement began. “We have high expectations and a premier home schedule this season, and we know the competitive advantage an electric Coliseum atmosphere can provide our program. We thank our fans who showed up Saturday and look forward to seeing increased attendance the rest of the season.”
MORE: College football picks, predictions against the spread for Week 1 matchups
The Trojans host Fresno State at 9 p.m. ET this Friday on Fox.
English (US)