USC fans trade punches with one another in the stands because winning sometimes isn't enough

USC fans came together for the Trojans home opener against San Jose State and decided not to show up. It was hot and apparently not worth the trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to watch their team play.

That's not the fan base head coach Lincoln Riley has grown to love. In fact, he dismissed the poor attendance as a "false narrative" and expects plenty of USC fans in the stands this season.

A USC cheerleader holds a portable fan in an attempt to battle the oppressive heat prior to a college football game between the USC Trojans and the San Jose State Spartans on Aug. 29, 2026, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"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 said, the LA Times reports.

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"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."

USC fans in the student section cheer during a football game between the USC Trojans and the San Jose State Spartans on Aug. 29, 2026, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Good news for Riley. On Saturday night, as the Trojans took on Louisiana-Lafayette at home, attendance didn’t appear to be a problem. There were plenty of fans in the stands as the team improved to 3-0.

ALL EYES WERE ON USC TO SEE IF THE TROJANS COULD BOUNCE BACK FROM NIGHTMARE TINY CROWD AT SEASON OPENER

The problem was keeping all of those fans together and focused on why they were there. Obviously, to watch their team win, but sometimes winning isn't enough. Sometimes fans have scores to settle.

The fact that the fans root for the same team doesn’t always keep them from having scores to settle or from trading punches. That was the case for USC fans in the stands watching the Trojans put up 49 points.

USC Trojan football fans cheer for their team at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Getty Images)

A fan with a backwards bedazzled hat on and sunglasses on the back of his neck evidently had an issue with someone talking to his girl. He felt the need to let that person know not to talk to her then the fists started flying.

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He eats punches from two different fellow Trojans fans before one gets dragged away and starts wrestling around with someone else. The bedazzled Romeo returns his own punches to the second fan before he makes his way up the stairs and disappears.

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It's not perfect, but at least USC fans found it in their hearts to show up and support their team in what should be a record-padding win. The witness to the action speculated that alcohol played a role.