In case you didn’t remember!
USC, the Pac-12’s overwhelming historic football power, is opening the 2024 season on Aug 31 against LSU on ESPN/ABC in the Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium.
USC and LSU have played only twice, splitting games in 1979 and 1984, and the Tigers will be making their first-ever appearance in Nevada.
I was at the insanely loud (Tiger fans chanting “We’re #1!” throughout the game) and raucous ’79 game in Baton Rouge won in the last seconds by USC 17-12.
The LSU fans were super crazy and many were over-the-top inebriated after drinking all day (along with many of us Trojan diehards as well) from what I remember as the top-ranked, defending national champ USC Trojans rolled into Baton Rouge to face the totally ready 11-point underdog Tigers, ranked 20th.
USC looked to be on the ropes, finally putting together a late beautiful drive to pop LSU’s bubble with a sweet 8-yd dump-off TD toss from cool-handed lefty Paul McDonald (6) to speed merchant Kevin Williams with only 32 seconds left.
Workhorse Charles White had a spectacular 185 yards on 31 carries.
It was definitely a somewhat hostile atmosphere as we exuberant Trojan fans happily squeezed our way out of the suddenly subdued stadium, just an awesome place to see a game, especially at night.
From that USC team, 36 Trojans reached the NFL, and 12 were first-round draft picks. Two were Heisman winners – Charles White (1979) and Marcus Allen (1981). Offensive guard Brad Budde was that season’s Lombardi Award winner. Four reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Ronnie Lott (2000), Anthony Munoz (1998), Bruce Matthews (2007), and Allen (2003). One player would go on to be a solidly successful NFL coach, Jeff Fisher, while another, TE Hoby Brenner, would end up with an excellent 13-year career with the New Orleans Saints. Don Mosebar was also a star OL with the Raiders, starting 159 games at OT, OG and OC. Mosebar eventually lost an eye due to a practice injury.
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