Utah vs. USC: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Experience

Just thought I would share some pics from the Utah vs. USC game experience in Los Angeles last Saturday. I was there in person, and while the Utes didn't come out on top, it was still a very crazy, exciting game and fun experience. One, may I add, that I would highly recommend to any college football fan.

Field Pre-Game

I had the opportunity to get in to the stadium early and walk around. I even was able to go down to field-level and take some shots of this historic stadium that has hosted the Olympics, USC football and several NFL teams in the past.

Coliseum Entrance and Olympic Torch in Daylight

The entrance of the historic Coliseum, as well as the Olympic torch in the daylight.

Ute Offense Warms Up Before Game

I watched the Utes warm up before the game in the Southern California sunshine. Great day for a football game in the southern part of the Golden State.

Utes Take the Field Pre-Game

The Utes take the Coliseum field out of the "Fight On!" tunnel. A proud sight to see.

Captains at Coin Toss

Ute captains meet at mid-field with the game officials and USC's captains.

Los Angeles Skyline in the Background

Located near downtown Los Angeles, the Coliseum provides a great view of the Los Angeles city skyline from the top rows of its large bowl.

The Coliseum's Large Game Screen

The Coliseum has a large, most likely high-definition game screen that provides replays, stats and game footage for all within the stadium to see rather well for a 93,000-plus seating bowl.

Game Final and Parting Exchanges

The Utes took the Trojans down to the wire and most comments I heard from USC fans were tunes of "welcome" and "you gave us all we could handle." They seem impressed and quite relieved that they survived the game against Utah.

The Olympic Torch Lit at Night and the Controversial Final Score

The Trojan mascot signals the lighting of the Olympic torch at the start of the fourth quarter to rally the Trojans. It is quite a sight to behold after the sun has gone down in the Los Angeles sky with the city lights in the backdrop.

Just to the left of the torch is the scoreboard portraying the controversial final score, 17-14. The score was changed to 23-14 two hours after the game due to the blocked field goal that was scooped up and ran back for a touchdown by USC; even though the USC bench was flagged with a penalty for running on to the field before Torin Harris, the Trojan that ran the ball back for the score, was in the end zone and before the time had ticked off the clock to make the game final.

Overall, I was pleased with the Utes' performance and the way they persevered and stuck with it to the end; even having a last and final shot to tie that went awry. I was proud of the way they performed on the road in a hostile and noisy environment against a very talented USC team, whose talent is known as the cream of the crop in the Pac-12.