Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire started his response to reporters on Monday, Aug. 31 by noting his respect for Southern California coach Lincoln Riley, before then seemingly calling out the Trojans' fanbase for the small crowd at USC's Week 0 win over San Jose State.
The No. 14 Trojans defeated San Jose State 42-26 on Saturday, Aug. 29 in front of an almost-empty crowd at Los Angeles Memorial Stadium, due to unusual humidity in the area paired with low interest in a Week 0 game against a lower-tier Mountain West opponent.
McGuire said that won't be the case when Texas Tech faces Abilene Christian on Sept. 5 in Lubbock, Texas.
“Not to take any shots, because
I have a lot of respect for USC and Lincoln Riley, but it’s really awesome to be playing in Lubbock, Texas, knowing we’re going to be playing in front of 60,000 (fans),” McGuire said Monday. “It’s going to be warm. It’s going to be every bit as warm as it was Saturday.
“The great thing is we got some really tough people in West Texas that love their football and they’re going to show up, no matter what the weather’s like. There’s not going to be any excuse of why they’re not going to be here for us.”
Riley, who grew up in Muleshoe, Texas, a small town in West Texas, played quarterback for the Red Raiders and was an assistant there from 2003-2009 under Mike Leach. The crowd at USC has become a talking point across college football in recent days, especially with the program's status as an historic college football power.
USC is expecting increased attendance moving forward in the season, it said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.
"We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance," the school wrote. "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."
McGuire prefaced his comment by saying "not to take any shots," but ended up making the rounds on social media, instead.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas Tech's Joey McGuire takes shot at USC crowd
