Last Saturday, USC had a poor turnout for its home opener at the L.A. Coliseum — so poor that the school issued a statement about it.
On Friday, the Trojans had a better showing. But not by much.
Via the New York Post, USC announced a crowd of 53,014 for the Fresno State game. The San Jose State game had an official attendance of 51,114. The stadium holds 71,349 for USC games.
The actual tickets scanned for the San Jose State game, per the Post, were only 35,585. For the Fresno State game, that number increased to 45,833.
Coach Lincoln Riley has pushed back on the narrative that interest in the program is falling.
“I think that comes from a lot of people who don’t follow our program, most of those who have never stepped foot in the Coliseum,” Riley recently said. “The reality is, 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. And I expect that to happen again this year.”
The next opportunity arrives in seven days, against Louisiana. Two weeks later, No. 2 Oregon visits — followed by No. 17 Washington. Games against No. 1 Ohio State and Maryland round out the seven-game home slate.
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