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Photo of LA Coliseum for USC vs. San Jose State in Week 0.
USC Trojans Football

Jake Olson, blind former USC long snapper, has hilarious take on Week 0 attendance

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

USC was part of the Week 0 slate to kick off the 2026 college football season, but many wondered if Trojan fans were aware that Lincoln Riley’s team was playing on Saturday.

Attendance for USC vs. San Jose State at the Los Angeles Coliseum was sparse, drawing criticism on social media. USC has addressed the attendance, issuing a statement to USA TODAY.

We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. “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.

Per Jordan Mendoza of USA TODAY, the announced attendance was 51,144. It’s the lowest figure since 2018, making it the weakest-attended game of Lincoln Riley’s tenure. While the announced attendance likely included sold tickets, the actual fans in the seats looked to be a much smaller number. The USA TODAY article notes a temperature of 94 degrees at kickoff time, with a “real feel” of 104 degrees.

Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California enters the field before the game against San Jose State at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The most humorous take on the situation came from Jake Olson. Blind in both eyes since the age of 12, Olson was a USC long snapper from 2015-18, appearing in 3 games. Olson joked on X that he hasn’t seen anyone in the Coliseum in many years.

USC returns to action on Friday night when the Trojans host Fresno State.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.