Did someone bruise you?

I think now that the Galen Center is close to completion the focus has to shift to improving USC football. I think that the demand for USC football is very high now and it's not like the Paul Hackett era when no one cares. Security has to be top notch. Most importantly students shouldn't get drunk. That was horrible. It was almost as bad as Ohio ST after they beat Texas

I love the Coliseum. I've always found it to be a pleasant place to catch a game. However, when I was there USC stunk... getting seats was extremely easy in the student section. It was easy to run the place.

After reading Scott's post, I am surprised to hear that the Coliseum is slipping. Now that USC is a prime time program again, to run the Coliseum like that is nothing short of disgraceful and embarrassing.

The situation is disturbing and needs to be addressed, but your melodrama is a little silly. Do you really think those students who camp out at various schools for days in advance of the game are getting there early just to get to an assigned seat? No, they're getting there to scramble.

Is USC's system good? For this game, no. The worst? That is a reach considering this was one game. Maybe you should reserve judgment for, say, two or three games.

Why are you bagging on USC for having two non-working restrooms and one no-water concession area? That sounds like a failure on the part of the Coliseum Commission. You know, the guys who actually own the stadium and run the concession stands.

I don't think we will have a situation like this again at least until the ND game because there won't be many visitors. PAc 10 scools will only bring a 1k to USC. However, we must be ready for ND because they will bring in as many as Nebraska. We must be ready by than because there will be limited seats for students once again when the domers come to town..

The Trojan program is not responsible for the way the LA Coliseum and it's governing commission run the old building. Granted, they are the only tenant in that old piece of crap venue, but it's hard to give the Trojan football program the grief for how poorly the place treats it's tenants or their fans. For me, just another reason to watch on TV. My last venture into the LA Coliseum was in the early 70s, and my brother and I had to literally fight an unruly neighborhood gang to claim our car and exit. I've still got the scars to prove it. So, I dont need the grief to visit that old craphouse excuse for a sports stadium nor to leave any of my hard earned cash in that slum infested neighborhood. FIGHT ON ...but from a distance.
gillyking@yahoo.com

And then allowing the students to overflow into areas of assigned seats. Had tickets in Tunnel 27, entered the stadium 15 minutes before kickoff but wasn't able to get into my seats until after the Powdrell injury because of backup in the tunnels.

Usually disagree with you Scott but you are right on there.

USC Students,

Where the alumni sit we do not have many of these problems. If you want change write letters / petitions to S. Sample. You can make it better, but not without action. Complaining to each other will not help. The alumni wish you the best.

The reports of the conditions are surprising considering USC is a big time school and has had sellout crowds frequently lately. Why was the Nebraska game any worse than the environment at say Cal, UCLA, and Notre Dame games in LA the past 3 years? Didn't those crowds have the same logistical components at last Saturday's games?

I totally believe these horrific accounts, especially from the students, but don't understand
why it occurred. The students who paid for that Activity card should definitley be guaranteed entry SOMEWHERE in the Coliseum and in an orderly and safe manner.

True statements Scott. We are hearing the same stuff from USC students. I think USC has to realize that they are no longer a mediocre team and are now the Lakers of the 80's. They need to understand that the kids are passionate to go to the games. When I was there getting a seat to a game was not that hard, but today it is.
USC needs to react to this and quickly.

SC does not maintain the toilets nor the field, but surely should be able to exert influence to make sure that everything is running properly. But I would imagine that the student treatment will generate much commentary in the DT this week.

Right on the money Scott. I am an average season ticket holder and was waiting in the line to get in the Coliseum (took me 20 minutes) and was having a friendly discussion with some nice Cornhusker folk. They were astonished with how disorganized simply getting into the Coliseum was even with a ticket in hand. I was embarrassed for the school and for the Coliseum. I can only imagine the mayhem that you describe with the student section. Unfortunately, as always, any complaints will fall on deaf ears as it seems that has been SC's M.O. during this unprecendented football run. Don't get me started on their lack of a professionally run ticket office either...

maybe it's the ever popular and well run Coliseum commission, not USC, who should take the brunt for the way the Coliseum is run. Who is the director of ops for the Coliseum?

Scott, if you want to complain contact the commission (start here... events@lacoliseum.com). See who runs the joint? not USC. Ask why they can't forsee seat demand. Get to the bottom of the toilet problem, then air your grievences.

Why dont they make arrangements for students to entered at 1 or 2 other batteries of gates as well. Its an impossible situation to have kids packed like sardines trying to cram into Gate 28.

I quite often go in on the Southwest Gate bank outside tunnel 10. I was able to walk right in with no one in front of me Saturday. While at the other gates there were crushes of people.

Something can be done to arrange this. Im not familiar with the ticket collection procedure for Student tickets at the gates but Im sure it can be easily altered to allow them to enter at other gates locations.

Watching the game on TV I could see how bad the field looked. And the movenent of the Band to the Sun Deck caused a significant differance in the way they sounded on the air. The Nebraska band sound more louder and intimidating that our Band! I am going to the Washington game and I hope that I have a pleasant experience!

Scott-

You're mostly correct. My wife and I, trying to make it to our Sec 21 seats, started to get caught up in that mess around the student entrance. Fortunately we made a reverse field move and skirted the pack-up there. Thought it was nuts to funnel masses into that narrow corridor between the Coli fence, NU tailgate RV's and a temp cyclone fence on the North.

I spotted you on the field after the game, so you would know about the turf, but otherwise the Coliseum looked good inside. BTW, after we first got inside the gate, the place was easily navigable, and water was available at the stands within a two minute wait.

FYI, at Fayetteville, I observed the Hog students waiting (camping out) in line. After some good natured booing of us, they allowed that some had been there for several days. I didn't ask, but assumed that they had a first-come-first-serve policy as well.

You mention Arkansas' experience so positively. But you fail to mention that over 10,000 Razorback students had to wait in a crammed, long line for 4+ hours to gain entrance into the Razorbacks stadium. No water was provided. I can't tell you how many thousands had to sleep over in order just to be in front of this line. I have been to a lot of away games and have never seen anything like it. I even took a picture in complete amazement that they had to do this.

Is it true, Scott, that the players go out of their way not to talk to you because you are so negative and you try to set them up?

Let's talk about the treatment of longtime Cardinal and Gold season ticlet holders. Last 20 years Section #7 - this year Section #10 behind the endzone. $2500 a year plus the cost of the tickets for bad seats. Is this the free market or a greedy athletic administration? It is cheaper to buy good tickets on ebay than deal with the likes of Ron Orr.

Don't forget the crappy new yell leaders. I'm all for doing away with the goofy guys in sweaters and short shorts, but the way they tried to lead some of the cheers was horrible, the kid on the mic was yelling when the refs were announcing penalties, and overall they seemed really unorganized. When was the last time our team came out of the tunnel at home after halftime without the flags leading them out?! Unorganized seemed to be the theme at the Coliseum that day. Hopefully we can write most of it off as people being too excited for the first home game.

The student seating fiasco seems like all the school's fault but the condition of the field and the Coliseum infrastructure seems like it's the Coliseum Commission's issue, isn't it?

Could the Coliseum Commission be letting the facilities degrade because they are mad at SC's stance regarding the lease and the attitude to the NFL?

What is USC and the administration going to do to address these issues? It is obviously horrible and a ridicously waste of time to sit 2-3 hours before a game just to *hope* to get a seat.

The Coliseum was a pit when I was a student almost 30 years ago! All the added post 9/11 security certainly hasn't helped the flow of incoming fans either. The Rose Bowl isn't any better. It was nuts trying to get into the gates before the SC- Texas game.

Scott, you muckraker. You clearly were born in the wrong generation. You should have been investigating meat packing plants 100 years ago. I look forward to your "toilet report" from Tucson a week hence.

You have been doing such wonderful reporting and I've stated that to many ... now you seem to be getting a little cranky, like you need press numbers.

How about being proud of your graduate school and report the GOOD NEWS ... even the bad is okay but how about leaving your aborated opinions out of it.

Joe,

Where the alumni sit the seats are also empty till the middle of the 1st quarter and empty by the beginning of the 4th quarter - so of course you don't have these problems. I was up above the students and shocked to see 1/3 of the alumni seats empty by the start of the 4th. I too am an alumni but still don't get it. If I paid $10K for my seats I would likely be there to the end.

I was at the Arkansas game. Try sitting on benches with no "seats" for 3 1/2 hours sitting next to 2 oversized dudes and you'll be longing for the Coliseum with it's screwed up toilets and lack of bottled water. And those benches were flush with ground in the isle behind you, so as soon as the jackass a couple of rows up spilled his coke, the 5 people sittin directly below him knew about it within 30 seconds. And nobody sitting in the top deck even knew that either Arkansas or USC brought a band to the game. That decked seating (which took about 20 minutes to climb) doesn't allow you to see about 40% of the other fans in the stadium.

I feel bad that the kids were roughed up getting into the game, and that process will be cleaned up by the next home game. But chill with your hyperbole, Wolfie. Worst school in the nation for fan treatment? I'm sure that's an educated statement. Ever see a game at Cal??

Something needs to be done about the mess at the North Gate, because its only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt.

Who are you people? Some of you so summarily absolve USC - but I can promise that after two hours in line, being practically raped and beaten on top of a previous assault on your wallet, HOPING that you'll even get into the Coliseum - you would not feel the same. USC is more complicit in the problems experienced on Saturday than the Coliseum or anyone else. So many students have felt abandoned by the administration, and the popular sentiment is that USC better get as much as it can from its donors right now who are taking our seats, because we sure as hell aren't going to donate in the future. Nothing about Saturday was classy or enjoyable, except for the final score, and I could have gotten that for free on this blog.

The "official" line as in the DT today is that DPS is unhappy with how the line was, and will be working with the Coliseum, Student Affairs and Athletics to work on it to make it better.

The "unofficial" word (from a Student Affairs source) is that they do not think as many people will show up for the next games, and that the problem should resolve itself. They are not going to do anything to change it, and will not plan for it in any way, and just hope it goes away.

As a student, I am going to plan for the worst next time. Joe, writing letters to Sample will do nothing. He has little to no operational power in this kidn of thing, and writing a letter is generally ineffective.

I'll tell you what will be effective: I am going to go to the next game with a very small group of friends, I will do my best to cut the line and get in as soon as possible, and if I get caught in a line that is being bypassed by more late-coming cutters, I will be very, very motivated to participate in a civil disturbance. LAPD better be on hand next time, because Student Affairs clearly does not have any plans to make it better, and if it is this bad next time, there WILL be rioting.

this sounds more and more like whinning from the students of the university of spoiled children...if you want seats, get off your f**king cell phone and get to the game early...or wait until the game starts...your not entitled to anything... get used to it...or didn't your mommy tell you yet. the colesium is responsibile for the facilities -field/toilets not USC . i'm sure the commission will hear about it today...which may or may not change anything .....remember who you're dealing with....comprehendo hombre!!!

The Nebraska Band might have sounded louder than the SC Ban on TV, Trojan Man, but anyone who was at the Coliseum can attest that, in person, the SC Band was very, very loud. I sit in the last row in Section 19 almost directly opposite of the band's new section and I was blown away. I didn't even know Nebraska brought their band until the 4th quarter.

I agree that the new Spirit Team is pathetic. They were completely Bush League and they constantly spoke over the PA and official's announcements. They were completely embarrassing.

Scott, the student problem is not new. In the '60s we used to line up at the middle gates hours before the game. Thankfully, not many games were sold out but those that were with upwards of 100,000 people on benches, you were lucky that you weren't crushed by the people pushing from behind. I think that it was wrong to handle it that way as well as the way it is being handled today. How about a lottery in the Men's Gym 4 hours before the game ( you have to be there ) and then get assigned seats ( up to 4 per person ).

Hey Pfeiffer, what does ever seeing a game at Cal matter? We've all been to many games at their hellhole stadium and whenever you go there you know what you are going to get.

Dude, it's "Cal." They stink. Cal will ALWAYS be Cal. No matter if they are having their day in the sun or not. Cal is Cal. Period. Their football program should NEVER be compared to USC's. How dare you. You must be a Johnny-come-lately bandwagoner.

Here's a fact for you to chew on ... If you bought one ticket to Cal's last home game, you were allowed to buy up to four more tickets for one cent apiece. One friggin' cent! THAT'S what Cal football is ... a one-cent game vs. Portland State.

USC football is USC football, now more than ever. And there is no reason why the Coliseum shouldn't be the proud home of the Trojans. The fact that the facility is AWFUL and the event staff/athletic department were clueless in its approach and execution means that every Trojan alum/student/fan should be up in arms. USC football, USC students and USC fans deserve much better.

Because of our 1920s stadium, we can't expect to be top-notch in all aspects of the game experience, but we surely don't deserve to be at the absolute bottom rung among the grouping of the nation's top programs.

TOP PROGRAMS, Michelle!!! Top programs ... not Arkansas and Cal!!!

USC isn't the only elite football school in the country playing big games to huge crowds with eager students ... in an old stadium. But USC is the only one looking absolutely foolish the next morning.

Thank goodness Scott is pressing the issue on this. It must be the alum in him talking.

Scott, don't let USC just blame all of this on "the Coliseum." That's their sandbox and it's their responsibility to make sure things are done right and up to the university's high standards.

Where is Steve Sample during all of this? Is he off in a corner worrying about the consumption of alcohol again?

Rather than raping the students (both figuratively and evidently for real in line) what about SC "staff" tickets? Are professors and others who work at SC still getting seats? Up until recently these were most of the vacant seats or those sold to others. Wouldn't it be better to serve our students than someone who may just go there for a paycheck and otherwise doesn't care??
'76 Trojan - FIGHT ON!!

Yeah, the North side of the Stadium was a real disaster. And kudos to the genious that thought it was a good idea to park a Nebraska bus right in front of the Student Section entrance for a game that you know was going to be sold out! I'll tell you, there is really nothing like be wedged in between husky Husker fans and angry drunk students trying to get into the game.

And this whole idea of the spirit pass is a joke. How can a stadium like the Big House in Ann Arbor with over 110,000 plus per game be easier to get in and out of? It is a pretty simple solution that most Big Ten schools use...it's called student season tickets, not spirit passes. If you want to go to the game you have to buy a season pass and go to all of the games, if there are more students than student season tickets available you have a lottery or issue split seasons for freshmen. This way you avoid near riots, and don't have a mosh pit of rightfully pissed off students!

Plus, the only funnier thing than watching Callahan's game plan was seeing Petros taking photos with Herbie Husker in the endzone on his cell phone and showing them off to everyone walking by.

PS - The majority of the Husker Nation were great and knowledgeable fans.

I hate UCLA, but the experience at the Rose Bowl is so much nicer. From more bathrooms and food stands, to more organzied security. Plus, it's kept in much better condition and has the most beautiful looking field in college football.

tommyboy54,

Have you ever been in the Rose Bowl? The only reason the Rose Bowl might be better is because UCLA is a basketball school and their fans don't go to Pasadena for the game and sellout the place like SC does at the Coliseum. It only seems like their are more food stands and bathrooms because there are no fans there!

Did you go to the SC v. Michigan game? Did you go to the SC v. Texas game? It is a disaster to get to your seats, the rows are a mile wide and there is one way in and one way out of the parking lot!

The student gates have always been hell holes. During the '71-'75 years it was the same practice of first come first serve, still squeezing between those piss ant gates. The entire fence line needs to be ripped out and redone. By comparison I entered Qualcomm Stadium the next day (packed stadium of 65,000+) in less than 10 minutes, to include a complete pat down search, 15 min before game time (Chargers/Titans). Why was this relatively easy? 'Cause they had more gates and they were bigger.
Nothing will change until someone truly gets hurt and both school and stadium get sued to the tunes of multimillions. There are 92,000 expert witnesses who will happily attest that the entry procedure is a chaotic and dangerous mess at all gates. Neither school nor coliseum has done a damn thing to improve the safety and flow of people (with or without 9/11 safeguards) in 30+ years. SC get smart, this weekly fiasco is a multi million dollar law suit waiting to happen.

Steve, apparently you did not read any of the complaints about the problems. The issue is not waiting in line; I was and still am completely willing to wait in line all day. I waited for just under two hours to get in; I was willing to go earlier and I very well may next time.

The problem is when you are waiting in line, and you see people showing up two hours after you that are getting into the Coliseum before you because no one is doing anything to stop them from cutting you. Couple that with your inability to move from the inside of a swarm of people that is not moving towards the entrance and the knowledge that you do not have a guaranteed seat, and I guarantee you would be as pissed off as I am. Fortunately I got in. LOTS of others didn't.

JAYZUS .... I cannot believe all the frickin whining and bitching and moaning about every little thing, and I mean just about every little thing!! It's either the coliseum, the drunken crowd, the shitty parking, the A-hole off. coord, the injuries, the damn grass on the field, the band, coach Carlysle, Reggie Bush's family, the missed recruits, the mosquitoes in Arkansas, the whining just never stops.... Have all of you ever thought about just how great it is that we have such a great team? Hell, think of what it must be like to be a friggin bruin?

Gillyking@yahoo.com

sorry expo park ...no quarantees in life... no matter what you think your entitled too. if you got into usc, you're probably a little smarter than the average - why don't you let the other people take care of themsevles...quite frankly it's really none of your business....or are you one of those people who think the world's "a village" and it's your job to take care of them...??? in which case you belong at cal-berkley. part of your education is to learn from your mistakes..."what did you do right? ...what would you do different?" there's a leason here for you and the other whinners!!

To those who think this is some overhyped drama: Obviously you were NOT in the student section line on Saturday, because everything Scott said was true. (Well, I'm not sure about the toilets though). Having to go through the mob that the crowd at the student section nearly turned into was certainly the closest thing to the devil's lair. Seeing the armed police officers trying to fight back, I was seriously afraid whether they would take their guns out and just start shooting...I swear it was close to that. Steven Sample has truly become an a-hole when it comes to treating students. He only cares about his high salary and the money flowing in from the rich alumni. If he had a soul, he should apologize to the students for what we had to go through. USC has already lost hundreds of thousands of possible donation money from future alumni thanks to Saturday's fiasco...I hope Steve gets ousted like Larry Summers at Harvard for being too self-minded. Go ahead and flame me all you want, because most of you who will I'm sure were NOT at Gate 28 on Saturday afternoon and you don't have to go through the torture that we full-tuition paying students had to.

Yes, JJH4USC I've been to the Rose Bowl. I've been to 10 of the last 11 Rose Bowl Games, all but the Oklahoma vs. WSU debacle and numerous soldout UCLA games, including UCLA vs. Oregon in 1998, UCLA vs. Michigan in 2000 and UCLA vs USC in 2002 and 2004. There are more restrooms, better organized concessions, and a much better playing surface. Better yet, it's clean and half the seats aren't broken. Yes, the ingress/egress situation is horrible, but I would rather put up with that then filthy bathrooms and rundown concession stands. I think the only reason you hate the Rose Bowl is because UCLA plays there. I hate UCLA too, but I can admit what stadium's better. Now, let's get back to the point of this post, improving the Coliseum and that's only going to happen with the help of USC and the Coliseum Commission.

fullpayinguscstudent: stay home!!! don't indure "the torture" . keep your "money". watch the game on your plasama t.v. and be done with it....by the way, usc does not live off of alumni donations...try ABC, ESPN, the US gov't. ect!! if you never came to a game, they would do just what they are doing now..welcome to the big world.......get over it!!

Hahaha..."USC has already lost hundreds of thousands of possible donation money from future alumni thanks to Saturday's fiasco..."
I remember when I was a student and made blanket silly, over-the-top statements like this.

So because you had a hard time getting into a football game you will no longer support the university? Were you planning to donate for sure if there was an organized queue and the ticket situation was well structured? Who makes donation decisions based on a queue to a football game. How about the actual education you are there to get?

After reading through these posts, I agree that those who are calling reports of Gate 28 "dramatic" were definitely NOT involved in the madness of that line. How USC could knowingly oversell the spirit activity cards by 4,000, and for the first time ever, deny purchase of spirit cards to students without warning is beyond me. Every tuition-paying student should have at least the chance to get into the games, after all the school is there for the students...and after my experience on Sat, I have no desire to contribute to the well-being of future students, as nothing is being done for our well-being now. Luckily USC students are generally more intelligent and civilized, even while intoxicated, and so a riot did not actually break out after the gates closed. A letter from the Director of Athletics/Director of Student Affairs, announced some slight changes, such as opening the gates 15 min earlier than last Saturday (wow...big difference), and restructuring the line, along with the addition of 600 seats (still leaving at least 400 students seat-less based on the Nebraska turnout). If anyone cares about our football team at all, they will sympathize with the students, because we are the loudest and most supportive of our team (Nebraska had to use 3 time outs at the line of scrimmage most likely because of crowd noise); our team needs us and we need Trojan football, right now both things are being denied UNFAIRLY in favor of alumni. Not that I don't have respect and gratitude to the alumni, my father being one who is a season ticket holder, I just feel that to take SO MANY seats away from the student section to make more money is heinous. I am not whining, I am merely stating the facts.

Steve: This is my 3rd year at USC. I've been to every home game in the last two years. Never had ANY problems getting into any of the games until last Saturday. Oh btw, I am on financial aid. Explain to me how a poor kid can get even a TV! Go enjoy your champagne.

Tyler: I worked in the very office that telemarkets the alumni for donations. I actually WAS one of those telemarketers, and I can tell you that many of the alumni who cursed me and hung up had one particular case for not giving (such as a bad grade, bad professor, even because USC players don't have their names on their jerseys!).

Again, neither of you were obviously there, almost getting trampled to near-death. Go ahead and enjoy your spoiled lives.

Whoever says the Coliseum should fix the procedures is dead wrong. USC Department of Public safety oficers are down at the stadium on game days working to do crowd control. USC needs to send more people down there.

ionolsen23 HI! I love this place!